May 27, 2020 • 43 mins
4X All-Conference Defensive Tackle at Appalachian State University turned banking executive at Wells Fargo with a big heart.
In this episode, Avery combines his corporate knowledge of one of the world’s largest banks with the “in-the-trenches” old-school mentality that put him in the ASU and GA State HS Football Hall of Fame.
“You will never get something for nothing in this life. That’s not how the game works. If you're going to look at your employer for a raise, doesn’t it make sense to start off by looking at yourself in the mirror and say, ‘Okay, what have I done to add value to this team? Am I giving everything I’ve got for these folks, or am I standing on the sidelines?’”
“This isn’t about corporate America - this is about you as a person. If you develop this mindset, you can become an All American football player, you can become an All American banker, you can become an all American dentist, lawyer, whatever you decide to be. But whether that happens or not depends on how you tackle life on a day to day basis, and how you perform when the game is on the line.” - Avery Hall
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Avery (00:00):
The reason I've been able to grow with my company is
because I took care of mycustomers on a daily basis.
I didn't get to far out in front.
I didn't live in the pastworrying about things, but I
took care of my customers on adaily basis.
People notice that.
Then the raises come, and thenpromotions started to come.
(00:23):
The titles started to come, andnot only do you look back on it,
and say, okay, I've been able togrow within my company.
Man, I've established some greatcustomer and people
relationships along the waybecause I know that I'm going to
take care of them on a dailybasis.
Amanda (00:47):
Welcome to the Raise Up podcast, the one and only place
on the internet that talks abouthow to get a raise at work.
I'm your hostess, Amanda LeFeverand as you guys know, all
podcasts are different.
For example, some talk aboutsports, some talk about
investing, community service andgiving back.
Today I got all of that becausemy guest Avery Hall is a man of
(01:08):
many talents.
He's the Senior Vice Presidentof Wells Fargo Bank, a 25-year
veteran who currently coaches ateam of 10 bankers to support
financing, cash management,wealth management services, and
employee benefits services.
While an undergrad atAppalachian State University, go
Mountaineers.
(01:28):
Avery was a pretty dang goodfootball player.
He was a four-timeall-conference selection, and
two-time All American as adefensive tackle, and following
a pro career in the CFL, andarena leagues.
He was inducted into theAppalachian State, former
athlete's Hall of Fame, and sitsin the Northeast Georgia Sports
Hall of Fame.
He's a smart guy with a bigheart.
(01:50):
His MBA is from PfeifferUniversity.
He's a proud Rotarian and hecurrently sits on foundation
boards for both AppalachianState University, and Novant
Kernersville Medical Center.
Avery, thank you so much forbeing on the show.
Avery (02:06):
Amanda, thank you so much for having me.
You sound like a natural whenyou said go Mountaineers.
Go Mountaineers.
Amanda (02:15):
I knew I needed to be, after I saw that long
introduction, right?
We came up with that and Icouldn't leave out anything
because I admire all of thoseathletic accomplishments.
And I appreciate your communityservice and I even heard that
two of your kids are followingin your footsteps and also
college athletes.
(02:36):
Is that true?
Avery (02:37):
It is true, Amanda and I am truly blessed.
I say truly blessed because I dothink you're absolutely right.
There is some value in playingcollegiate athletics, and I tell
people oftentimes that, who Iam, and how I carry myself, it's
truly because of thoseexperiences.
And you learn a lot aboutaccountability.
(02:57):
You learn a lot aboutdiscipline.
You can't help but network anddevelop relationships,
particularly if you're talkingabout a football team, when
you've got 85 to 100 teammembers and you've got folks
from all walks of life, Amanda.
You got black guys, white guys,Latino guys, you got poor g uys,
rich guys, you got quiet guys, loud guys.
I guess w e say introvert,extroverts.
(03:19):
But the bottom line is you haveto come together each S aturday
t o win football games.
And you have to work well, andwork hard to get to know each
other, and love and trust eachother.
So those are some valuableexperiences.
But my kids, both of them,they've done well academically
(03:40):
in school.
We talk about my son again,National Honor Society,
graduated from high school, hada 4.2 GPA, and matriculated at
Appalachian State in the fall of2018.
He's a rising junior.
He's playing football there, andhe's not getting a lot of
playing time as I shared withyou a few moments ago.
(04:03):
He's able to experience thatenvironment, that cultural
college athletics, andeventually he'll get some
playing time.
But I'm excited about him.
And then Amanda, my daughter isa senior this year in high
school, she's going to graduatewith a 4.1 GPA, National Honor
Society, and she missed her promthis year because of COVID-19.
(04:23):
She's going to miss a formalgraduation, but she's excited.
She's staying focused on what'simportant.
That's family, that's faith, andthat's controlling what you can
control on a daily basis.
But she's looking to playbasketball at Winston Salem
State University, Amanda, andshe's excited about it, and
we're excited about it.
Obviously, you know, my wife'san NC State grad.
(04:45):
I'm an Appalachian grad.
Christie, my wife got hermaster's degree from
Appalachian, so we're an ASUfamily, but we're about to adopt
the Rams, and we're lookingforward to it.
Amanda (04:56):
That's awesome.
Wow.
It sounds like you guys areamazing at your house.
Oh my gosh, I need to learn someskills from you, parenting and
everything.
Avery (05:07):
Yeah, life is good.
And you we'll talk about thisprobably a little bit.
We talk about trying to secureraises and, being the very best
that you can do, Amanda, we'vebeen blessed again.
We take it one day at a time.
You know, destiny is not adestination.
Destiny is every day.
(05:28):
And when I say destiny, D.
E.
S.
T.
I.
N.
Y, everybody wants to get to acertain level as a parent, a
certain level as an employee,even at a certain level as a
business owner, Amanda.
But you have to have plans, youhave to plan ahead.
You have to lay out your goals,you have to adjust your
priorities.
You have to make sure thatyou're staying focused on what
(05:49):
you want to accomplish.
But at the end of the day, it'swhat you do on a daily basis
that makes you successful.
And that's why as parents, wetry and take one day at a time,
and people who know me will tellyou, Amanda, I say often when it
comes to my kids, thus far.
They've not made any mistakes,thus far.
(06:11):
They've not had any hiccups, butwe have to take it one day at a
time.
So parenting is what you make ofit.
They're going to be great days,good days, bad days, but we take
it one day at a time.
Amanda (06:22):
That's true.
And that kind of ties into wherewe're going to go in this whole
raise conversation, because I'vebeen reading this book called,
How Women Rise, and it saidsomething unique, it said that a
lot of people, men and womenthink that their contributions
will spontaneously get noticedand they'll get promoted or
offered a raise.
(06:43):
And you say, taking that day,one day at a time, do you think
that there's any truth to thestatement in how women rise?
Avery (06:55):
I'm old school, Amanda, and I firmly believe that the
secret of success in life,whether it's work, or your
career, whether it's the academyat school, or whether it's
sports, you have to be readywhen your time comes, and want
(07:16):
to be ready when your timecomes.
You have to make sure thatyou're focusing on continuous
improvement.
You have to make sure thatyou're focusing on being
positive each and every day.
You have to make sure you'refocused on leading and focusing
on doing the right things withinyour industry.
And you can't just turn it onand off.
(07:37):
This has to be, you have to beconsistent, and let's face it,
success has so many differentfacets, whether it's respect, or
experience or this emotionalstrength, whether it's
interpersonal skills, youraccountability, discipline,
(07:58):
timing sometimes plays a part ofit.
So, I'm old school Amanda.
I don't believe you come intowork and you overnight get a big
raise.
I think that what you do is on aconsistent basis, you're the
best that you can be, and you'rereally not focusing on that
raise.
You're focusing on being thevery best you can be.
(08:19):
And what I have seen incorporate America, a nd what
I've seen as an athlete, andwhat I've seen as a parent, if
you focus on the process, youfocus on being the very best
that you can be, good thingshappen.
Whether it's monetary o r there's a title, I firmly believe
you don't have to have a titleto lead.
(08:41):
You don't have to have a title to b e successful.
It becomes who you are.
And I promise you, if you'redoing the things that successful
people do, the fundamentalsbeing good every day, doing a
little more than what's expectedeach day.
I firmly believe those raiseswill come.
(09:01):
Now, a lot of people don't wantto hear that, Amanda, because
we're in an immediategratification society now, and
everybody wants what they wantright now.
Okay?
But I firmly believe that if youdo the little things on a daily
basis, and I'm going to beredundant with a lot of things I
say here, and I tell my kidsthis all the time, if I'm not
(09:21):
changing what I tell you everyday, I'm not principled, and I'm
also probably B'sing you.
What you do on a daily basis,and what you do consistently
becomes who you are.
And that's how you increase yourvalue to an employer.
(09:43):
What you earn is probably whatyou want, and Amanda, that
you've been very successful aswell.
What you earn, is probably whatyou're worth.
The investment you put into it: i s investment you will get out (09:54):
undefined
of it.
So if y ou're looking for araise, you have to sometimes
look yourself in the mirror t osay, okay, what have I done on a
daily basis, on a consistentbasis to add value to my team,
what does my brand look like?
Am I going to add long termvalue to my company?
(10:15):
And really this is not aboutcorporate America, Amanda, this
is about who a person is as anindividual.
I mean i f you have that type ofmindset, you can become an all
American football player, youcan become an all American
banker, you can become an allAmerican dentist, lawyer,
whatever you decide to be.
But it's how you look at life ona daily basis.
How do you perform on a dailybasis?
Amanda (10:37):
I love that.
So in your career, on and off ofthe field, what are some of the
things that you have donespecifically on a daily basis
that you feel has made you beconsistent and stand out?
Avery (10:52):
Amanda, again, most successful people, whether it be
a successful banker or footballplayer, we all say the same
thing.
You work hard, you stay focused,you stay positive, you have a
great desire to succeed.
But mechanically what that lookslike on a daily basis, Amanda,
(11:17):
success is about thefundamentals.
Well no, it's the tiny details,ordinary, rudimentary things,
that are often boring to mostpeople that make you successful.
Let's, look at banking.
When I was a young banker, mycharge was to make sure that I
(11:38):
go out and help customers besuccessful.
Okay.
Success looked like to them,growing their enterprise.
Because, I work with smallbusinesses, and success looked
like growing an enterprise,generating revenues, increasing
the retained earnings, buildingvalue in the company, and
subsequently building value foryour family, and wealth for your
(11:59):
family.
And so going out to work withthese companies, I h ad a choice
every day, to decide, w hetherI'm responsive to their needs,
I'm providing assurance, I'mfinding the right products a nd
services to take care of them.
And am I showing a littleempathy?
(12:20):
Okay, that's a part of it.
So, am I doing that on a dailybasis?
So, Amanda, some people look atthe fundamentals a s the next
greatest thing aroundtechnology, or fads, or phases,
the fundamentals o f the thingsyou do on a daily basis.
And so, the reason I've beenable to grow with my company is
(12:42):
because I took care of mycompany, my c ustomers on a
daily basis.
I didn't get to far out infront, I didn't live in the past
worrying about things.
But I took care of my customerson a daily basis.
People notice that, then theraises, and the promotions
started to come, the titlesstarted to come.
(13:05):
And not only do you look back onit, you say, okay, I've been
able to grow within my company.
Man, I've established some greatcustomer and people
relationships along the waybecause I know that I'm going to
take care of them on a dailybasis.
So, its really ordinary peopledoing simple things on a daily
(13:26):
basis and doing it well, nottaking shortcuts, not blowing
things off.
I used to have a saying, when Iwas a young banker here, still
do it today, Amanda.
If a task i s very, verydifficult or perceived to be v
ery, very d ifficult oruncomfortable.
I tackled it first, and that wayI can learn and grow from it,
(13:48):
but I t ackle it first and thenthat keeps me focused on doing
the little things that I need todo.
Paying attention to the detailsof client relationships on a
daily basis in order for myvalue to be high, to not only my
customers but to my company.
Again, we've talked about thisstaying in the moment.
(14:11):
Everybody wants to be the CEOtoday.
Well, if you take care of thethings that you're supposed to
take care of right now, in thecurrent job that you're in,
you'll be better positioned tobecome t he CEO.
You'll be better positioned tomove o nto the next
responsibility where you canlearn and grow.
(14:32):
But a lot of people forget thatnowadays, but you h ave to make
sure that you stay in themoment.
It's k ind o f like p layingfootball.
I mean the good football teams,the New England Patriots, the
Boston Celtics of the'80's, youlook at Duke, Carolina, NCAA
(14:54):
basketball, y ou look at Alabamaa nd college football, you look
at Appalachian State in collegefootball.
They focus on the fundamentalsand they do it very, very well.
And they don't worry about gamenumber 12.
They worry about game numberone.
(15:15):
I used to have a football coachat Appalachian, Amanda, he would
say to our team, you don't haveto be the best team in the
country, you just have to be thebest team on the field today.
So, successful people stay inthe moment, they stay in the
moment.
And if you do that, obviouslythe raises will come.
(15:36):
As I mentioned, successfulpeople don't focus on the past.
They fo cus o n the here andnow.
They don't get too far out in fr ont o f t he future because
you just don't want to pay taxes, on ta xes b efore they are
due.
And that's why I say people whoworry a lot, they're paying
taxes before taxes are due.
And that's hard sometimes,Amanda, not to do that, but
(16:00):
really sometimes you have tojust stay in the moment.
Really successful people want itmore, they want to be
successful.
They don't just talk about it,the things that you want in life
align with your actions.
Some people talk about beingsuccessful, they can talk a
(16:21):
great game, but their actionswill not align to what they're
talking about, and you canclearly see that.
But those are some of thethings.
I know I'm talking a littlelong, but you asked the
question, those are my thoughtsthat just kind of pop right up.
But hopefully I answered yourquestion.
Amanda (16:40):
Yeah, absolutely.
So, we're pivoting a little bitto mindset there.
And I know you're a positive guyand believe in the power of a
good attitude.
So, what advice or encouragementdo you have for folks in a toxic
work environment who feelthey're trapped with poor
leadership?
Or they're trying to lead up, ortrying to be successful, but
(17:02):
they feel like where they'replanted currently is not very
encouraging.
Avery (17:11):
Amanda, that's a great question.
And you may have a lot of peoplethat may fall into that bucket.
But first of all, I think anindividual with that type of
situation needs to ask the mostimportant question.
One, are you in the right job?
And if you're not in the rightjob, and you're not on the right
team, y ou've got to make somechanges.
(17:34):
I will tell you t hat nine timesout of ten, leadership can make
o r break a team.
Sometimes it seems like, if yougot a poor leader, most of the
time, that leader, they will notbe there long, Amanda, if
(17:58):
they're that kind of leader.
Hopefully you work for anorganization that wants to win
and be successful, and they willsee that.
But during that transitoryperiod, I think it's important
that a person understands, one,make sure you're in the right
job.
Make sure you're focused oncontinuous improvement.
Make sure you keep your mindsetpositive because again, you're
(18:20):
trying to stay in the moment,and then, figuring out what your
"why" is.
You need to find something thatkeeps you focused on a daily
basis that sees that poorleadership.
Well, because again, your goalis to, one, be successful.
Your goal is to take care ofyour family.
So, you got to find a way tonavigate a toxic environment
until that leader is no longerthere.
(18:42):
Now that's the answer mostpeople d on't want to hear.
But that's the reality of it.
Because again, most poor leaderswill work themselves out of a
job.
If the institution is trulyinterested in being successful.
But t hat's tough, but I mean,again, you have to figure out
(19:06):
what your"why" is Amanda.
And you have to make sure thatyou stay focused on what your
goals are because you're not going t o change poor leadership.
But at the end of the day, youcan change your destination b y
getting out of the toxicenvironment or working to be
that change agent to be thatleader.
(19:27):
You can actually change theenvironment because you don't
have to have a title to l eave.
You can leave without a titleand make that environment a
little better then what it is,if you d ecide to stay there.
But other than that, if youdon't want to focus on
continuous improvement and youdon't want to focus on waiting
out that core leadership, y ougot to make sure you have the
(19:48):
right job a nd that you're inthe right environment.
Amanda (19:50):
So I've heard you say a couple times, that you needed to
find your"why".
Do you feel you found your"why"early on?
Avery (19:59):
I did, and I found my "why" because when I get up
every morning, I don't say Ihave to go to work, I get to go
to work.
I'm excited to go to work.
I'm excited to work with my teammembers.
I'm excited to work with ourcustomers.
(20:20):
I'm excited about the ecosystemof banking.
I'm excited about how we canimpact the community and we can
enhance economic developmentwithin our community.
I'm excited about thephilanthropic efforts that Wells
Fargo is doing in the community,in all of our communities.
(20:41):
So, I have found my"why" becauseI don't feel like I have t o go
to work every day.
I g et to go do what I do.
That's how I look at it.
I'm blessed to be able to go towork e very d ay and l ead my
team.
I'm around some good teammembers.
I'm around good folks.
I feel there's value in what Ido.
And so I think I found my"why"but I also think Amanda, again,
(21:08):
going back to what I saidearlier, successful people, have
the ability to turn even a badevent into a good outcome.
So, even if I'm in a badsituation, I'm going to make it
positive, I w ill find a way,because failure is not an option
to me.
N ow do I fail?
(21:28):
Absolutely, Amanda.
So, I don't want anybody toleave this podcast thinking I'm
saying I've been successful, but I don't view failure like
other people.
I try to turn all bad eventsinto a positive event and if I
failed, or really didn't fail, Ijust l earn how to d o things
(21:50):
differently.
Amanda (21:53):
Right.
That's such a great way to lookat it too, that it wasn't really
a failure, it was investing inyourself almost, you learned
something new.
So you're a leader, and ifsomeone felt they deserved a
raise, what's a good way forthem to start a conversation
(22:15):
with their supervisor ormanager?
Avery (22:19):
Well.
Obviously the first thing youwant to do is focus on what you
do well, and then also to beprepared to talk about your
weaknesses.
Because nine times out of ten,think about this, Amanda, the
team members that you work withor around, you know what their
strengths are.
You also know what theirweaknesses are.
(22:42):
It's more difficult to talkabout your weaknesses, but if
you come to me as a team member,you sit down and you say,
listen, I've been at this twoyears and I'm looking for more
responsibility and ultimatelymore fiscal resources.
I know that I need to get betterat this, it's kind of like a
(23:07):
SWOT analysis.
But I also know that I'm prettydarn good at this.
I'm going to respect thatconversation on the front end
because you started with, hereare the things I think I need to
work on.
But here's the things I thinkI'm pretty good at it.
And not only w ill I kind ofhave that conversation with my
(23:30):
leader if I were sitting andtrying to secure a raise, but I
would also make sure y ou k nowthat one, I a sked for help.
I'm trying to get feedback.
How can I get to this level ofcompensation based on what I'm
(23:52):
doing i n my responsibilities?
Because sometimes your l eader needs to know where you'd like to
go.
And so you need to make sure youhelp them navigate that and help
your leader get you there.
But also too, I always ask, andI've been doing this 26 years,
so one, two, three, this is thethird thing, I always ask my
(24:15):
leader whenever we're doing aperformance review, Amanda, o r
w e're talking aboutcompensation.
Whether it's a merit increase ora bonus.
I always ask my leader, if youleft my salary out o n your desk
(24:37):
by mistake along with my peers.
Knowing what value, I bring andadd to the team and what value
they bring and add to the team.
If I h appened to walk by andsee these salaries, would I be
happy, o r would I bedisappointed?
(25:01):
And I leave it at that, and Ialways get a clear, transparent
answer from my leader, but I doask that question.
And so the answer to thatquestion, will also tell you
where you stand with thatleader.
Does that make sense to you?
So those are the things I wantto make sure that leader knows,
(25:26):
and I'm looking for a raise, butI'm looking for more fiscal
resources.
I want to make sure the leaderunderstands that I know my
weaknesses and my strengths.
And also, too, you don't everwant to compare yourself to
anyone else.
But, again, if all of oursalaries, my salary and my
peers, people with the sameresponsibility, same job
(25:49):
description that I have.
If you accidentally left ourstaff management, whatever
system of record you use,Amanda, you left that out on
your desk by mistake, and I sawit, would I be happy?
Would I be disappointed?
And then I'll leave it at that.
And then that way I go back towhat I talked about earlier.
(26:10):
I go back to taking care of whatI can control.
Because again, remember if I'mdoing a good job, and then I lay
those three things out to myleader, and I subsequently do
not get the raise that I desire,I've got choices.
If I'm doing a good job, notonly will my leader know it, and
(26:33):
think hard about thosequestions, but someone else is
going to notice it, in andaround our department, or within
our company, or I've alsoincreased my brain so that I can
go elsewhere.
Because I've worked oncontinuous improvement on my
own, I can go elsewhere.
So, I've given myself choices.
So what I'm saying, Amanda, alot of times is not sexy and
(26:57):
attractive cause people thinkthere's a magic mantra for
success and raises.
Amanda (27:01):
Like a special question?
Avery (27:05):
Well, it's not.
If you're adhering to be thebest you can be, you're doing
continues improvement.
You're in the right job, thevalue that you bring to your
company, you know what yourweaknesses, your strengths are.
You will be positioned well tobe successful in the current job
or on someone else's team.
(27:27):
And that's how you have to lookat it.
So that's why on a consistentdaily basis, you have to do
everything that you can to bethe best that you can so that
you can increase your value.
Amanda (27:37):
What does consistent, not consistent, continuous
improvement look like to you?
Avery (27:45):
Continuous improvement to me, Amanda, looks like knowing
my industry pretty well, knowingmy job very well.
Continuous improvement lookslike to me, for example, I know
what policy and procedures areat Wells Fargo.
(28:07):
I understand the philosophy ofWells Fargo, but I go beyond
that.
I read, other banking books andperiodicals.
I stay involved with NorthCarolina Bankers Association.
I'm in graduate school at LSUbanking program, and to learn as
much as I can around marketing,asset liability, committee work,
the regulatory environment andbanking, I'm doing different
(28:30):
things, not because I want to bethe CEO, but because I want to
be good at what I do, I want tobe able to help my clients be
successful because of theknowledge that I have.
And so that continuousimprovement, Amanda, I can
honestly tell you, in my 26years, I've only probably
(28:52):
applied or posted for one job.
I've had many promotions, but Ionly posted for one and that
one, I didn't get it.
But the other jobs that I've hadat Wells Fargo where there was
assistant branch manager, branchmanager, small business loan
(29:15):
officer, relationship manager orsenior relationship manager, a
business banking manager,commercial banking leader, all
of those various roles that I'vehad, Amanda, I've been tapped.
And I think I've been tappedbecause of the continuous
improvement that I just sharedwith you, which is, I'm
(29:37):
constantly reading.
I'm constantly trying to know asmuch as I can about my industry,
and not just Wells Fargo.
You know, a lot of people reallytry and learn a lot about the
company, which I do learn andknow a lot about my company, but
I try and learn a lot about justthe entire industry.
What are some of the headwindsand tailwinds of some of those
(29:58):
smaller banks in our industry?
What are some of the headwindsand tailwinds from a regulatory
perspective that we're going tohave to deal with?
What are some different thingsthat I can advise my clients,
our clients to be doing toprepare post COVID-19?
So how can I help my clients bewell-informed around PPP, the
(30:18):
main street lending club?
Just different things that youtry and do to make sure you're
differentiating yourself fromthe competition.
But that's a part of thatcontinuous improvement.
And I hope I answered thequestion.
But it's doing things or doing alittle more than what is
expected of you, and it's tryingto grow and develop within your
(30:41):
industry, and doing it beyondwhat your leaders asking.
Amanda (30:47):
Right?
So, it's like when you wereplaying football, and you had to
train with the team, and you allwork together.
But then, when you were off thefield, you had to watch, did you
have to watch your nutrition?
This story might not be a goodstory if I'm wrong.
Avery (31:10):
Amanda, you're right?
Where you're headed isabsolutely right, what your
thought process was.
As a football player, everybodyhas talent, bigger, faster, and
stronger these days.
But how do you differentiateyourself?
Do you cheat on the three setsof 20 that you need to do when
(31:35):
lifting weights, or do you dofour sets of 20, because you
want to be stronger?
Do you go in and watch film, doyou watch a video like you're
supposed to?
So that you know what yourcompetition is doing and what
the opponent's going to try anddo to attack you offensively or
defensively.
Are you eating healthy?
(32:00):
Are you getting enough rest?
And this is where I really tellpeople, football players like to
party all the time in college.
Are you getting enough rest?
Are you drinking enough water?
The guys who are doing thelittle things and doing them
consistently are the guys whoare going to perform well on
(32:21):
Saturday.
And the thing about Saturday,and it applies to business.
People, Amanda, see NFL games onSunday, they see college
football games on Saturdays,high school football games on
Friday.
That's 5% of the production, right?
(32:44):
95% of the work was done Januaryto August.
Lifting weights, running,nutrition, taking care of your
body.
Okay.
And then the payday is that 5%of the time, on a Saturday or
Friday night or Sunday.
I have a nephew w ho plays forthe Denver Broncos, he's a
(33:05):
little linebacker for the DenverBroncos.
Alexander Johnson, is mysister's son.
And people see him playing onSundays and they think, man,
that's awesome.
He's playing in the NFL, butthey just don't see how hard
he's working right now.
A nd i t's the same way withcorporate America, whether
you're in the constructionindustry, whether you're in the
(33:26):
banking industry, whether you'rein healthcare, the things that
you do on a consistent basisthat prepares you for game day,
and the people who do a littlebit more each day, and people w
ho truly focus, and people w hotruly want to be successful, u
ltimately are the ones who aresuccessful on game day.
(33:46):
Because again, I still believe,and I'm old school Amanda, I
still believe you get the returnon their investment that you put
into it.
I really believe that.
Maybe I'm wrong until someoneproves it to me or, or until I
see it not work in my life.
(34:07):
And then the lives of mychildren and my family members.
Because I watched my nephew,like I said, he plays for the
Broncos.
He's not a doctor, but he's aprofessional.
And I see how hard he works athis craft.
And so until I see somethingthat's different, I will always
believe t hat, you get what youput into any endeavor, and if
(34:29):
you put the work in, a r aisewill come, you may not even have
to ask for it.
And I will tell you, you talkabout stories, and I can't give
you names, but I've gotemployees that I've gone t oo
and said, o kay, h ere's a raise.
What did I do, Avery?
It's not what you've done, it'swhat you do on a daily basis
that I see, and I value.
(34:52):
So anyway, I'm going to pause there because I c an go on and
on, Amanda.
But I hope that answers yourquestion.
Amanda (35:00):
Yeah, absolutely.
And it's a little bit of amindset but it's also looking at
it, you've mentioned this acouple of times as a craft.
Like you are honing a craft andso you have to come at it from a
lot of different angles, andcontinuously work on it and be
consistent.
And so, I think sometimes wedon't think of it that way.
(35:23):
We think of it as a job, as ameans to an end.
And we don't kind of shift ourperspective, like you're
building something.
Would you say that you feel thatway?
Avery (35:34):
A little bit, but that has to be your mindset.
If you want to be successfulbecause you have to consistently
build your personal brand.
You have to consistently buildyour personal brand and your
body language, the way you carryyourself, the way you do things,
that becomes who you are, andpeople see that.
(35:57):
So, you have to work on yourcraft, you have to work on
gaining knowledge, you have towork on that stuff.
And some people are brilliant,Amanda.
Some people are highlyintelligent, and things come to
them easy.
Either way, most people have towork on their personal brand and
work on their craft on a dailybasis in order to be successful.
Amanda (36:17):
I like that.
So, is there anything else thatyou want to add to this national
conversation about how peopleare trying to get aligned on
what they think they're worthversus what they're getting
paid?
Avery (36:29):
Amanda, again, this podcast may not be successful
because this podcast doesn'toffer sexy and glamorous ways to
achieve a raise.
But I will tell you this podcastand what I'm communicating will
secure long term consistentability to earn money and to be
valuable.
Because again if you're notgrowing, you know, you never
stay the same.
So, I would challenge folks,people will say Generation Z,
millennials, baby boomers, weall have deficiencies when it
comes to staying in the moment,we all have deficiencies when it
comes to being the very best youcan be on a daily basis.
I would challenge your listenersto just make sure they focus on
how I can be the best that I canbe each and every day.
And how can I do the little,boring, rudimentary, tiny
details?
How can I do them very wellevery day?
And feel good about what I'vedone.
And if you can do that on aconsistent basis, Amanda, the
raises will come, the titleswill come.
And I often times share withpeople don't get caught up in
the titles.
I've given up titles in churchand other places, I don't do it
because I want a title, I wantto do things because I know it's
the right thing to do and I feelgood about what I'm doing.
Its funny, people keep comingback and asking me to help with
certain projects, but I don'twant a title, I just do it
because I want to do it, and Iwant to be successful.
And if you have that passionwith your job, the raises will
come.
There's an old saying, passionversus emotion.
Passion involves a belief aboutsomething, emotions involve a
feeling, feelings aboutsomething, and honestly feelings
come and go.
The belief system doesn't, so ifyou truly believe that you
deserve a raise, your actionsshould align with that and your
actions should align with thaton a daily and consistent basis,
and good things will happen.
But too often, we live in animmediate gratification society,
there's nothing sexy orattractive about it, it is what
it is.
Hopefully, your listeners willwalk away understanding that
consistency, and belief, andhaving a passion for what you do
is the key to being successfuland generating the fiscal
resources that you are lookingfor.
Amanda (39:32):
Yeah, I love that.
And I do think that it's goingto be very valuable.
Tell us a little bit about whatWells Fargo is up to in the
financial market that's reallygoing to make an impact in the
next few years.
Avery (39:44):
I will tell you, right now, Amanda, we are really into
the paycheck protection programand starting to work on the
mainstream lending program,which obviously those programs
are both designed to helpstimulate our economy, post
COVID-19.
We're excited about being ableto help our customers navigate,
(40:08):
the unsettling, unprecedentedtimes, but also too, what we're
doing in the community relativeto philanthropic services.
I'm excited about, obviously anyrevenue that we g enerate from
the paycheck protection program,w e'll g ive i t to charity.
We've also done a lot in thecommunity to help small
(40:29):
businesses be successful.
And obviously, Amanda, ourcompany, we focus on healthcare,
we focus on education, but I'mtalking because my environment
is that, well, we work withclosely with companies in that$5
million to$75 million range.
So, when I talk about what we'redoing philanthropically is
(40:51):
because it's what I do.
But we're helping smallbusinesses with, not only
research and helping them withcapital needs.
But, we got a lot going on, andI like what we're doing, not
only when it comes to theeconomic development side, but I
also like what we're doing whenit comes to being socially
(41:12):
responsible in our community.
And a lot of people don't talkabout that, Amanda.
In particular when it comes toWells Fargo because everything
you read has a lot to do withthe sales scandal from four or
five years ago.
But I just liked the way thatthe things that our company is
doing around philanthropicservices, and how we're helping
companies be successful via thepaycheck protection program as
(41:35):
well as the forthcoming mainstreet community program.
Amanda (41:40):
That's amazing.
So where can people connect withyou if they have any questions
about some of those things?
I do get some entrepreneurs thatlisten and so we might have some
that actually reach out, wherecan they find you?
Avery (41:52):
Obviously I am on LinkedIn, which is under Avery
Hall and obviously, Avery Halland Wells Fargo, I should pop
up.
I do try to balance work andfamily.
So, if you're that type ofperson, you can find me on
(42:14):
Facebook as well.
I'm not on Instagram.
My kids gave me a hard time, butI'm not, I have an Instagram
account but I'm not on thisscreen.
But LinkedIn and Facebook arethe best ways to connect with
me.
I look forward to potentiallyhearing from folks.
Amanda (42:31):
Nice.
Well Avery, thank you so muchfor coming on the show.
It's been amazing hearing yourstory and just all of the great
things that you're doing over atWells Fargo, so thank you.
Avery (42:43):
Thank you, Amanda for having me and you have a
beautiful family.
I love your husband and goodluck to you guys and if I can
ever help, let me know.
Okay?
Amanda (42:51):
Okay.
Thank you so much.
Hey, thanks for listening today.
If you enjoyed the podcast, youcan subscribe, share it with
your friends, you can click theshare button, take a screenshot
and share it on your socialstories and tag me at Amanda
LeFever.
Thanks again for listening and Iwill talk to you guys soon.
Bye.
The reason I've been able to grow with my company is
because I took care of mycustomers on a daily basis.
I didn't get to far out in front.
I didn't live in the pastworrying about things, but I
took care of my customers on adaily basis.
People notice that.
Then the raises come, and thenpromotions started to come.
(00:23):
The titles started to come, andnot only do you look back on it,
and say, okay, I've been able togrow within my company.
Man, I've established some greatcustomer and people
relationships along the waybecause I know that I'm going to
take care of them on a dailybasis.
Amanda (00:47):
Welcome to the Raise Up podcast, the one and only place
on the internet that talks abouthow to get a raise at work.
I'm your hostess, Amanda LeFeverand as you guys know, all
podcasts are different.
For example, some talk aboutsports, some talk about
investing, community service andgiving back.
Today I got all of that becausemy guest Avery Hall is a man of
(01:08):
many talents.
He's the Senior Vice Presidentof Wells Fargo Bank, a 25-year
veteran who currently coaches ateam of 10 bankers to support
financing, cash management,wealth management services, and
employee benefits services.
While an undergrad atAppalachian State University, go
Mountaineers.
(01:28):
Avery was a pretty dang goodfootball player.
He was a four-timeall-conference selection, and
two-time All American as adefensive tackle, and following
a pro career in the CFL, andarena leagues.
He was inducted into theAppalachian State, former
athlete's Hall of Fame, and sitsin the Northeast Georgia Sports
Hall of Fame.
He's a smart guy with a bigheart.
(01:50):
His MBA is from PfeifferUniversity.
He's a proud Rotarian and hecurrently sits on foundation
boards for both AppalachianState University, and Novant
Kernersville Medical Center.
Avery, thank you so much forbeing on the show.
Avery (02:06):
Amanda, thank you so much for having me.
You sound like a natural whenyou said go Mountaineers.
Go Mountaineers.
Amanda (02:15):
I knew I needed to be, after I saw that long
introduction, right?
We came up with that and Icouldn't leave out anything
because I admire all of thoseathletic accomplishments.
And I appreciate your communityservice and I even heard that
two of your kids are followingin your footsteps and also
college athletes.
(02:36):
Is that true?
Avery (02:37):
It is true, Amanda and I am truly blessed.
I say truly blessed because I dothink you're absolutely right.
There is some value in playingcollegiate athletics, and I tell
people oftentimes that, who Iam, and how I carry myself, it's
truly because of thoseexperiences.
And you learn a lot aboutaccountability.
(02:57):
You learn a lot aboutdiscipline.
You can't help but network anddevelop relationships,
particularly if you're talkingabout a football team, when
you've got 85 to 100 teammembers and you've got folks
from all walks of life, Amanda.
You got black guys, white guys,Latino guys, you got poor g uys,
rich guys, you got quiet guys, loud guys.
I guess w e say introvert,extroverts.
(03:19):
But the bottom line is you haveto come together each S aturday
t o win football games.
And you have to work well, andwork hard to get to know each
other, and love and trust eachother.
So those are some valuableexperiences.
But my kids, both of them,they've done well academically
(03:40):
in school.
We talk about my son again,National Honor Society,
graduated from high school, hada 4.2 GPA, and matriculated at
Appalachian State in the fall of2018.
He's a rising junior.
He's playing football there, andhe's not getting a lot of
playing time as I shared withyou a few moments ago.
(04:03):
He's able to experience thatenvironment, that cultural
college athletics, andeventually he'll get some
playing time.
But I'm excited about him.
And then Amanda, my daughter isa senior this year in high
school, she's going to graduatewith a 4.1 GPA, National Honor
Society, and she missed her promthis year because of COVID-19.
(04:23):
She's going to miss a formalgraduation, but she's excited.
She's staying focused on what'simportant.
That's family, that's faith, andthat's controlling what you can
control on a daily basis.
But she's looking to playbasketball at Winston Salem
State University, Amanda, andshe's excited about it, and
we're excited about it.
Obviously, you know, my wife'san NC State grad.
(04:45):
I'm an Appalachian grad.
Christie, my wife got hermaster's degree from
Appalachian, so we're an ASUfamily, but we're about to adopt
the Rams, and we're lookingforward to it.
Amanda (04:56):
That's awesome.
Wow.
It sounds like you guys areamazing at your house.
Oh my gosh, I need to learn someskills from you, parenting and
everything.
Avery (05:07):
Yeah, life is good.
And you we'll talk about thisprobably a little bit.
We talk about trying to secureraises and, being the very best
that you can do, Amanda, we'vebeen blessed again.
We take it one day at a time.
You know, destiny is not adestination.
Destiny is every day.
(05:28):
And when I say destiny, D.
E.
S.
T.
I.
N.
Y, everybody wants to get to acertain level as a parent, a
certain level as an employee,even at a certain level as a
business owner, Amanda.
But you have to have plans, youhave to plan ahead.
You have to lay out your goals,you have to adjust your
priorities.
You have to make sure thatyou're staying focused on what
(05:49):
you want to accomplish.
But at the end of the day, it'swhat you do on a daily basis
that makes you successful.
And that's why as parents, wetry and take one day at a time,
and people who know me will tellyou, Amanda, I say often when it
comes to my kids, thus far.
They've not made any mistakes,thus far.
(06:11):
They've not had any hiccups, butwe have to take it one day at a
time.
So parenting is what you make ofit.
They're going to be great days,good days, bad days, but we take
it one day at a time.
Amanda (06:22):
That's true.
And that kind of ties into wherewe're going to go in this whole
raise conversation, because I'vebeen reading this book called,
How Women Rise, and it saidsomething unique, it said that a
lot of people, men and womenthink that their contributions
will spontaneously get noticedand they'll get promoted or
offered a raise.
(06:43):
And you say, taking that day,one day at a time, do you think
that there's any truth to thestatement in how women rise?
Avery (06:55):
I'm old school, Amanda, and I firmly believe that the
secret of success in life,whether it's work, or your
career, whether it's the academyat school, or whether it's
sports, you have to be readywhen your time comes, and want
(07:16):
to be ready when your timecomes.
You have to make sure thatyou're focusing on continuous
improvement.
You have to make sure thatyou're focusing on being
positive each and every day.
You have to make sure you'refocused on leading and focusing
on doing the right things withinyour industry.
And you can't just turn it onand off.
(07:37):
This has to be, you have to beconsistent, and let's face it,
success has so many differentfacets, whether it's respect, or
experience or this emotionalstrength, whether it's
interpersonal skills, youraccountability, discipline,
(07:58):
timing sometimes plays a part ofit.
So, I'm old school Amanda.
I don't believe you come intowork and you overnight get a big
raise.
I think that what you do is on aconsistent basis, you're the
best that you can be, and you'rereally not focusing on that
raise.
You're focusing on being thevery best you can be.
(08:19):
And what I have seen incorporate America, a nd what
I've seen as an athlete, andwhat I've seen as a parent, if
you focus on the process, youfocus on being the very best
that you can be, good thingshappen.
Whether it's monetary o r there's a title, I firmly believe
you don't have to have a titleto lead.
(08:41):
You don't have to have a title to b e successful.
It becomes who you are.
And I promise you, if you'redoing the things that successful
people do, the fundamentalsbeing good every day, doing a
little more than what's expectedeach day.
I firmly believe those raiseswill come.
(09:01):
Now, a lot of people don't wantto hear that, Amanda, because
we're in an immediategratification society now, and
everybody wants what they wantright now.
Okay?
But I firmly believe that if youdo the little things on a daily
basis, and I'm going to beredundant with a lot of things I
say here, and I tell my kidsthis all the time, if I'm not
(09:21):
changing what I tell you everyday, I'm not principled, and I'm
also probably B'sing you.
What you do on a daily basis,and what you do consistently
becomes who you are.
And that's how you increase yourvalue to an employer.
(09:43):
What you earn is probably whatyou want, and Amanda, that
you've been very successful aswell.
What you earn, is probably whatyou're worth.
The investment you put into it: i s investment you will get out (09:54):
undefined
of it.
So if y ou're looking for araise, you have to sometimes
look yourself in the mirror t osay, okay, what have I done on a
daily basis, on a consistentbasis to add value to my team,
what does my brand look like?
Am I going to add long termvalue to my company?
(10:15):
And really this is not aboutcorporate America, Amanda, this
is about who a person is as anindividual.
I mean i f you have that type ofmindset, you can become an all
American football player, youcan become an all American
banker, you can become an allAmerican dentist, lawyer,
whatever you decide to be.
But it's how you look at life ona daily basis.
How do you perform on a dailybasis?
Amanda (10:37):
I love that.
So in your career, on and off ofthe field, what are some of the
things that you have donespecifically on a daily basis
that you feel has made you beconsistent and stand out?
Avery (10:52):
Amanda, again, most successful people, whether it be
a successful banker or footballplayer, we all say the same
thing.
You work hard, you stay focused,you stay positive, you have a
great desire to succeed.
But mechanically what that lookslike on a daily basis, Amanda,
(11:17):
success is about thefundamentals.
Well no, it's the tiny details,ordinary, rudimentary things,
that are often boring to mostpeople that make you successful.
Let's, look at banking.
When I was a young banker, mycharge was to make sure that I
(11:38):
go out and help customers besuccessful.
Okay.
Success looked like to them,growing their enterprise.
Because, I work with smallbusinesses, and success looked
like growing an enterprise,generating revenues, increasing
the retained earnings, buildingvalue in the company, and
subsequently building value foryour family, and wealth for your
(11:59):
family.
And so going out to work withthese companies, I h ad a choice
every day, to decide, w hetherI'm responsive to their needs,
I'm providing assurance, I'mfinding the right products a nd
services to take care of them.
And am I showing a littleempathy?
(12:20):
Okay, that's a part of it.
So, am I doing that on a dailybasis?
So, Amanda, some people look atthe fundamentals a s the next
greatest thing aroundtechnology, or fads, or phases,
the fundamentals o f the thingsyou do on a daily basis.
And so, the reason I've beenable to grow with my company is
(12:42):
because I took care of mycompany, my c ustomers on a
daily basis.
I didn't get to far out infront, I didn't live in the past
worrying about things.
But I took care of my customerson a daily basis.
People notice that, then theraises, and the promotions
started to come, the titlesstarted to come.
(13:05):
And not only do you look back onit, you say, okay, I've been
able to grow within my company.
Man, I've established some greatcustomer and people
relationships along the waybecause I know that I'm going to
take care of them on a dailybasis.
So, its really ordinary peopledoing simple things on a daily
(13:26):
basis and doing it well, nottaking shortcuts, not blowing
things off.
I used to have a saying, when Iwas a young banker here, still
do it today, Amanda.
If a task i s very, verydifficult or perceived to be v
ery, very d ifficult oruncomfortable.
I tackled it first, and that wayI can learn and grow from it,
(13:48):
but I t ackle it first and thenthat keeps me focused on doing
the little things that I need todo.
Paying attention to the detailsof client relationships on a
daily basis in order for myvalue to be high, to not only my
customers but to my company.
Again, we've talked about thisstaying in the moment.
(14:11):
Everybody wants to be the CEOtoday.
Well, if you take care of thethings that you're supposed to
take care of right now, in thecurrent job that you're in,
you'll be better positioned tobecome t he CEO.
You'll be better positioned tomove o nto the next
responsibility where you canlearn and grow.
(14:32):
But a lot of people forget thatnowadays, but you h ave to make
sure that you stay in themoment.
It's k ind o f like p layingfootball.
I mean the good football teams,the New England Patriots, the
Boston Celtics of the'80's, youlook at Duke, Carolina, NCAA
(14:54):
basketball, y ou look at Alabamaa nd college football, you look
at Appalachian State in collegefootball.
They focus on the fundamentalsand they do it very, very well.
And they don't worry about gamenumber 12.
They worry about game numberone.
(15:15):
I used to have a football coachat Appalachian, Amanda, he would
say to our team, you don't haveto be the best team in the
country, you just have to be thebest team on the field today.
So, successful people stay inthe moment, they stay in the
moment.
And if you do that, obviouslythe raises will come.
(15:36):
As I mentioned, successfulpeople don't focus on the past.
They fo cus o n the here andnow.
They don't get too far out in fr ont o f t he future because
you just don't want to pay taxes, on ta xes b efore they are
due.
And that's why I say people whoworry a lot, they're paying
taxes before taxes are due.
And that's hard sometimes,Amanda, not to do that, but
(16:00):
really sometimes you have tojust stay in the moment.
Really successful people want itmore, they want to be
successful.
They don't just talk about it,the things that you want in life
align with your actions.
Some people talk about beingsuccessful, they can talk a
(16:21):
great game, but their actionswill not align to what they're
talking about, and you canclearly see that.
But those are some of thethings.
I know I'm talking a littlelong, but you asked the
question, those are my thoughtsthat just kind of pop right up.
But hopefully I answered yourquestion.
Amanda (16:40):
Yeah, absolutely.
So, we're pivoting a little bitto mindset there.
And I know you're a positive guyand believe in the power of a
good attitude.
So, what advice or encouragementdo you have for folks in a toxic
work environment who feelthey're trapped with poor
leadership?
Or they're trying to lead up, ortrying to be successful, but
(17:02):
they feel like where they'replanted currently is not very
encouraging.
Avery (17:11):
Amanda, that's a great question.
And you may have a lot of peoplethat may fall into that bucket.
But first of all, I think anindividual with that type of
situation needs to ask the mostimportant question.
One, are you in the right job?
And if you're not in the rightjob, and you're not on the right
team, y ou've got to make somechanges.
(17:34):
I will tell you t hat nine timesout of ten, leadership can make
o r break a team.
Sometimes it seems like, if yougot a poor leader, most of the
time, that leader, they will notbe there long, Amanda, if
(17:58):
they're that kind of leader.
Hopefully you work for anorganization that wants to win
and be successful, and they willsee that.
But during that transitoryperiod, I think it's important
that a person understands, one,make sure you're in the right
job.
Make sure you're focused oncontinuous improvement.
Make sure you keep your mindsetpositive because again, you're
(18:20):
trying to stay in the moment,and then, figuring out what your
"why" is.
You need to find something thatkeeps you focused on a daily
basis that sees that poorleadership.
Well, because again, your goalis to, one, be successful.
Your goal is to take care ofyour family.
So, you got to find a way tonavigate a toxic environment
until that leader is no longerthere.
(18:42):
Now that's the answer mostpeople d on't want to hear.
But that's the reality of it.
Because again, most poor leaderswill work themselves out of a
job.
If the institution is trulyinterested in being successful.
But t hat's tough, but I mean,again, you have to figure out
(19:06):
what your"why" is Amanda.
And you have to make sure thatyou stay focused on what your
goals are because you're not going t o change poor leadership.
But at the end of the day, youcan change your destination b y
getting out of the toxicenvironment or working to be
that change agent to be thatleader.
(19:27):
You can actually change theenvironment because you don't
have to have a title to l eave.
You can leave without a titleand make that environment a
little better then what it is,if you d ecide to stay there.
But other than that, if youdon't want to focus on
continuous improvement and youdon't want to focus on waiting
out that core leadership, y ougot to make sure you have the
(19:48):
right job a nd that you're inthe right environment.
Amanda (19:50):
So I've heard you say a couple times, that you needed to
find your"why".
Do you feel you found your"why"early on?
Avery (19:59):
I did, and I found my "why" because when I get up
every morning, I don't say Ihave to go to work, I get to go
to work.
I'm excited to go to work.
I'm excited to work with my teammembers.
I'm excited to work with ourcustomers.
(20:20):
I'm excited about the ecosystemof banking.
I'm excited about how we canimpact the community and we can
enhance economic developmentwithin our community.
I'm excited about thephilanthropic efforts that Wells
Fargo is doing in the community,in all of our communities.
(20:41):
So, I have found my"why" becauseI don't feel like I have t o go
to work every day.
I g et to go do what I do.
That's how I look at it.
I'm blessed to be able to go towork e very d ay and l ead my
team.
I'm around some good teammembers.
I'm around good folks.
I feel there's value in what Ido.
And so I think I found my"why"but I also think Amanda, again,
(21:08):
going back to what I saidearlier, successful people, have
the ability to turn even a badevent into a good outcome.
So, even if I'm in a badsituation, I'm going to make it
positive, I w ill find a way,because failure is not an option
to me.
N ow do I fail?
(21:28):
Absolutely, Amanda.
So, I don't want anybody toleave this podcast thinking I'm
saying I've been successful, but I don't view failure like
other people.
I try to turn all bad eventsinto a positive event and if I
failed, or really didn't fail, Ijust l earn how to d o things
(21:50):
differently.
Amanda (21:53):
Right.
That's such a great way to lookat it too, that it wasn't really
a failure, it was investing inyourself almost, you learned
something new.
So you're a leader, and ifsomeone felt they deserved a
raise, what's a good way forthem to start a conversation
(22:15):
with their supervisor ormanager?
Avery (22:19):
Well.
Obviously the first thing youwant to do is focus on what you
do well, and then also to beprepared to talk about your
weaknesses.
Because nine times out of ten,think about this, Amanda, the
team members that you work withor around, you know what their
strengths are.
You also know what theirweaknesses are.
(22:42):
It's more difficult to talkabout your weaknesses, but if
you come to me as a team member,you sit down and you say,
listen, I've been at this twoyears and I'm looking for more
responsibility and ultimatelymore fiscal resources.
I know that I need to get betterat this, it's kind of like a
(23:07):
SWOT analysis.
But I also know that I'm prettydarn good at this.
I'm going to respect thatconversation on the front end
because you started with, hereare the things I think I need to
work on.
But here's the things I thinkI'm pretty good at it.
And not only w ill I kind ofhave that conversation with my
(23:30):
leader if I were sitting andtrying to secure a raise, but I
would also make sure y ou k nowthat one, I a sked for help.
I'm trying to get feedback.
How can I get to this level ofcompensation based on what I'm
(23:52):
doing i n my responsibilities?
Because sometimes your l eader needs to know where you'd like to
go.
And so you need to make sure youhelp them navigate that and help
your leader get you there.
But also too, I always ask, andI've been doing this 26 years,
so one, two, three, this is thethird thing, I always ask my
(24:15):
leader whenever we're doing aperformance review, Amanda, o r
w e're talking aboutcompensation.
Whether it's a merit increase ora bonus.
I always ask my leader, if youleft my salary out o n your desk
(24:37):
by mistake along with my peers.
Knowing what value, I bring andadd to the team and what value
they bring and add to the team.
If I h appened to walk by andsee these salaries, would I be
happy, o r would I bedisappointed?
(25:01):
And I leave it at that, and Ialways get a clear, transparent
answer from my leader, but I doask that question.
And so the answer to thatquestion, will also tell you
where you stand with thatleader.
Does that make sense to you?
So those are the things I wantto make sure that leader knows,
(25:26):
and I'm looking for a raise, butI'm looking for more fiscal
resources.
I want to make sure the leaderunderstands that I know my
weaknesses and my strengths.
And also, too, you don't everwant to compare yourself to
anyone else.
But, again, if all of oursalaries, my salary and my
peers, people with the sameresponsibility, same job
(25:49):
description that I have.
If you accidentally left ourstaff management, whatever
system of record you use,Amanda, you left that out on
your desk by mistake, and I sawit, would I be happy?
Would I be disappointed?
And then I'll leave it at that.
And then that way I go back towhat I talked about earlier.
(26:10):
I go back to taking care of whatI can control.
Because again, remember if I'mdoing a good job, and then I lay
those three things out to myleader, and I subsequently do
not get the raise that I desire,I've got choices.
If I'm doing a good job, notonly will my leader know it, and
(26:33):
think hard about thosequestions, but someone else is
going to notice it, in andaround our department, or within
our company, or I've alsoincreased my brain so that I can
go elsewhere.
Because I've worked oncontinuous improvement on my
own, I can go elsewhere.
So, I've given myself choices.
So what I'm saying, Amanda, alot of times is not sexy and
(26:57):
attractive cause people thinkthere's a magic mantra for
success and raises.
Amanda (27:01):
Like a special question?
Avery (27:05):
Well, it's not.
If you're adhering to be thebest you can be, you're doing
continues improvement.
You're in the right job, thevalue that you bring to your
company, you know what yourweaknesses, your strengths are.
You will be positioned well tobe successful in the current job
or on someone else's team.
(27:27):
And that's how you have to lookat it.
So that's why on a consistentdaily basis, you have to do
everything that you can to bethe best that you can so that
you can increase your value.
Amanda (27:37):
What does consistent, not consistent, continuous
improvement look like to you?
Avery (27:45):
Continuous improvement to me, Amanda, looks like knowing
my industry pretty well, knowingmy job very well.
Continuous improvement lookslike to me, for example, I know
what policy and procedures areat Wells Fargo.
(28:07):
I understand the philosophy ofWells Fargo, but I go beyond
that.
I read, other banking books andperiodicals.
I stay involved with NorthCarolina Bankers Association.
I'm in graduate school at LSUbanking program, and to learn as
much as I can around marketing,asset liability, committee work,
the regulatory environment andbanking, I'm doing different
(28:30):
things, not because I want to bethe CEO, but because I want to
be good at what I do, I want tobe able to help my clients be
successful because of theknowledge that I have.
And so that continuousimprovement, Amanda, I can
honestly tell you, in my 26years, I've only probably
(28:52):
applied or posted for one job.
I've had many promotions, but Ionly posted for one and that
one, I didn't get it.
But the other jobs that I've hadat Wells Fargo where there was
assistant branch manager, branchmanager, small business loan
(29:15):
officer, relationship manager orsenior relationship manager, a
business banking manager,commercial banking leader, all
of those various roles that I'vehad, Amanda, I've been tapped.
And I think I've been tappedbecause of the continuous
improvement that I just sharedwith you, which is, I'm
(29:37):
constantly reading.
I'm constantly trying to know asmuch as I can about my industry,
and not just Wells Fargo.
You know, a lot of people reallytry and learn a lot about the
company, which I do learn andknow a lot about my company, but
I try and learn a lot about justthe entire industry.
What are some of the headwindsand tailwinds of some of those
(29:58):
smaller banks in our industry?
What are some of the headwindsand tailwinds from a regulatory
perspective that we're going tohave to deal with?
What are some different thingsthat I can advise my clients,
our clients to be doing toprepare post COVID-19?
So how can I help my clients bewell-informed around PPP, the
(30:18):
main street lending club?
Just different things that youtry and do to make sure you're
differentiating yourself fromthe competition.
But that's a part of thatcontinuous improvement.
And I hope I answered thequestion.
But it's doing things or doing alittle more than what is
expected of you, and it's tryingto grow and develop within your
(30:41):
industry, and doing it beyondwhat your leaders asking.
Amanda (30:47):
Right?
So, it's like when you wereplaying football, and you had to
train with the team, and you allwork together.
But then, when you were off thefield, you had to watch, did you
have to watch your nutrition?
This story might not be a goodstory if I'm wrong.
Avery (31:10):
Amanda, you're right?
Where you're headed isabsolutely right, what your
thought process was.
As a football player, everybodyhas talent, bigger, faster, and
stronger these days.
But how do you differentiateyourself?
Do you cheat on the three setsof 20 that you need to do when
(31:35):
lifting weights, or do you dofour sets of 20, because you
want to be stronger?
Do you go in and watch film, doyou watch a video like you're
supposed to?
So that you know what yourcompetition is doing and what
the opponent's going to try anddo to attack you offensively or
defensively.
Are you eating healthy?
(32:00):
Are you getting enough rest?
And this is where I really tellpeople, football players like to
party all the time in college.
Are you getting enough rest?
Are you drinking enough water?
The guys who are doing thelittle things and doing them
consistently are the guys whoare going to perform well on
(32:21):
Saturday.
And the thing about Saturday,and it applies to business.
People, Amanda, see NFL games onSunday, they see college
football games on Saturdays,high school football games on
Friday.
That's 5% of the production, right?
(32:44):
95% of the work was done Januaryto August.
Lifting weights, running,nutrition, taking care of your
body.
Okay.
And then the payday is that 5%of the time, on a Saturday or
Friday night or Sunday.
I have a nephew w ho plays forthe Denver Broncos, he's a
(33:05):
little linebacker for the DenverBroncos.
Alexander Johnson, is mysister's son.
And people see him playing onSundays and they think, man,
that's awesome.
He's playing in the NFL, butthey just don't see how hard
he's working right now.
A nd i t's the same way withcorporate America, whether
you're in the constructionindustry, whether you're in the
(33:26):
banking industry, whether you'rein healthcare, the things that
you do on a consistent basisthat prepares you for game day,
and the people who do a littlebit more each day, and people w
ho truly focus, and people w hotruly want to be successful, u
ltimately are the ones who aresuccessful on game day.
(33:46):
Because again, I still believe,and I'm old school Amanda, I
still believe you get the returnon their investment that you put
into it.
I really believe that.
Maybe I'm wrong until someoneproves it to me or, or until I
see it not work in my life.
(34:07):
And then the lives of mychildren and my family members.
Because I watched my nephew,like I said, he plays for the
Broncos.
He's not a doctor, but he's aprofessional.
And I see how hard he works athis craft.
And so until I see somethingthat's different, I will always
believe t hat, you get what youput into any endeavor, and if
(34:29):
you put the work in, a r aisewill come, you may not even have
to ask for it.
And I will tell you, you talkabout stories, and I can't give
you names, but I've gotemployees that I've gone t oo
and said, o kay, h ere's a raise.
What did I do, Avery?
It's not what you've done, it'swhat you do on a daily basis
that I see, and I value.
(34:52):
So anyway, I'm going to pause there because I c an go on and
on, Amanda.
But I hope that answers yourquestion.
Amanda (35:00):
Yeah, absolutely.
And it's a little bit of amindset but it's also looking at
it, you've mentioned this acouple of times as a craft.
Like you are honing a craft andso you have to come at it from a
lot of different angles, andcontinuously work on it and be
consistent.
And so, I think sometimes wedon't think of it that way.
(35:23):
We think of it as a job, as ameans to an end.
And we don't kind of shift ourperspective, like you're
building something.
Would you say that you feel thatway?
Avery (35:34):
A little bit, but that has to be your mindset.
If you want to be successfulbecause you have to consistently
build your personal brand.
You have to consistently buildyour personal brand and your
body language, the way you carryyourself, the way you do things,
that becomes who you are, andpeople see that.
(35:57):
So, you have to work on yourcraft, you have to work on
gaining knowledge, you have towork on that stuff.
And some people are brilliant,Amanda.
Some people are highlyintelligent, and things come to
them easy.
Either way, most people have towork on their personal brand and
work on their craft on a dailybasis in order to be successful.
Amanda (36:17):
I like that.
So, is there anything else thatyou want to add to this national
conversation about how peopleare trying to get aligned on
what they think they're worthversus what they're getting
paid?
Avery (36:29):
Amanda, again, this podcast may not be successful
because this podcast doesn'toffer sexy and glamorous ways to
achieve a raise.
But I will tell you this podcastand what I'm communicating will
secure long term consistentability to earn money and to be
valuable.
Because again if you're notgrowing, you know, you never
stay the same.
So, I would challenge folks,people will say Generation Z,
millennials, baby boomers, weall have deficiencies when it
comes to staying in the moment,we all have deficiencies when it
comes to being the very best youcan be on a daily basis.
I would challenge your listenersto just make sure they focus on
how I can be the best that I canbe each and every day.
And how can I do the little,boring, rudimentary, tiny
details?
How can I do them very wellevery day?
And feel good about what I'vedone.
And if you can do that on aconsistent basis, Amanda, the
raises will come, the titleswill come.
And I often times share withpeople don't get caught up in
the titles.
I've given up titles in churchand other places, I don't do it
because I want a title, I wantto do things because I know it's
the right thing to do and I feelgood about what I'm doing.
Its funny, people keep comingback and asking me to help with
certain projects, but I don'twant a title, I just do it
because I want to do it, and Iwant to be successful.
And if you have that passionwith your job, the raises will
come.
There's an old saying, passionversus emotion.
Passion involves a belief aboutsomething, emotions involve a
feeling, feelings aboutsomething, and honestly feelings
come and go.
The belief system doesn't, so ifyou truly believe that you
deserve a raise, your actionsshould align with that and your
actions should align with thaton a daily and consistent basis,
and good things will happen.
But too often, we live in animmediate gratification society,
there's nothing sexy orattractive about it, it is what
it is.
Hopefully, your listeners willwalk away understanding that
consistency, and belief, andhaving a passion for what you do
is the key to being successfuland generating the fiscal
resources that you are lookingfor.
Amanda (39:32):
Yeah, I love that.
And I do think that it's goingto be very valuable.
Tell us a little bit about whatWells Fargo is up to in the
financial market that's reallygoing to make an impact in the
next few years.
Avery (39:44):
I will tell you, right now, Amanda, we are really into
the paycheck protection programand starting to work on the
mainstream lending program,which obviously those programs
are both designed to helpstimulate our economy, post
COVID-19.
We're excited about being ableto help our customers navigate,
(40:08):
the unsettling, unprecedentedtimes, but also too, what we're
doing in the community relativeto philanthropic services.
I'm excited about, obviously anyrevenue that we g enerate from
the paycheck protection program,w e'll g ive i t to charity.
We've also done a lot in thecommunity to help small
(40:29):
businesses be successful.
And obviously, Amanda, ourcompany, we focus on healthcare,
we focus on education, but I'mtalking because my environment
is that, well, we work withclosely with companies in that$5
million to$75 million range.
So, when I talk about what we'redoing philanthropically is
(40:51):
because it's what I do.
But we're helping smallbusinesses with, not only
research and helping them withcapital needs.
But, we got a lot going on, andI like what we're doing, not
only when it comes to theeconomic development side, but I
also like what we're doing whenit comes to being socially
(41:12):
responsible in our community.
And a lot of people don't talkabout that, Amanda.
In particular when it comes toWells Fargo because everything
you read has a lot to do withthe sales scandal from four or
five years ago.
But I just liked the way thatthe things that our company is
doing around philanthropicservices, and how we're helping
companies be successful via thepaycheck protection program as
(41:35):
well as the forthcoming mainstreet community program.
Amanda (41:40):
That's amazing.
So where can people connect withyou if they have any questions
about some of those things?
I do get some entrepreneurs thatlisten and so we might have some
that actually reach out, wherecan they find you?
Avery (41:52):
Obviously I am on LinkedIn, which is under Avery
Hall and obviously, Avery Halland Wells Fargo, I should pop
up.
I do try to balance work andfamily.
So, if you're that type ofperson, you can find me on
(42:14):
Facebook as well.
I'm not on Instagram.
My kids gave me a hard time, butI'm not, I have an Instagram
account but I'm not on thisscreen.
But LinkedIn and Facebook arethe best ways to connect with
me.
I look forward to potentiallyhearing from folks.
Amanda (42:31):
Nice.
Well Avery, thank you so muchfor coming on the show.
It's been amazing hearing yourstory and just all of the great
things that you're doing over atWells Fargo, so thank you.
Avery (42:43):
Thank you, Amanda for having me and you have a
beautiful family.
I love your husband and goodluck to you guys and if I can
ever help, let me know.
Okay?
Amanda (42:51):
Okay.
Thank you so much.
Hey, thanks for listening today.
If you enjoyed the podcast, youcan subscribe, share it with
your friends, you can click theshare button, take a screenshot
and share it on your socialstories and tag me at Amanda
LeFever.
Thanks again for listening and Iwill talk to you guys soon.
Bye.
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