CONNECTIONS LISTEN UP Finding and keeping talent Is there a strategy or method to recruiting and retaining talent? In episode 3 of the Independent Banker podcast, community banker Kim Kirk and fintech insider Tommy Marshall discussed today's competitive job market and explained how they attract and keep skilled employees in a highly competitive job market. WHO'S IN CONVERSATION? EXCERPTS FROM Kim Kirk COO of Queensborough National Bank & Trust Company in Queensborough, Ga. Tommy Marshall Executive director of Georgia Fintech Academy in Atlanta, Ga. HOSTED BY Charles Potts ICBA executive vice president and chief innovation officer, and host of the Independent Banker podcast " [Employees] want to enjoy coming to work every day ... Being able to provide that flexibility when we can is very important to folks. And then creating a team where you have harmony, and that everybody knows their role in the team-it makes talent retention so much easier because there isn't so much infighting and people aren't dreading coming to work because they have to deal with this today. " -Kim Kirk One of the biggest issues that we're hearing from community bankers today ... is recruiting and retaining and training the top bank talent and finding talent in this very fast-moving place to help stay ahead of the curve. We always know that finding the right people with the right experience is crucial to the innovation needs of community banks. " -Charles Potts 74 // ICBA Independent Banker // February 2023