October 1, 2025 • 27 mins
What if the soft stuff is actually the hardest—and most valuable—work leaders do? We sit down with Stephanie Ford, director at Warren Whitney and IFO-certified facilitator, to explore how a career built on banking rigor, board governance, and deep facilitation turns messy conversations into decisive progress. Stephanie shares how early years in commercial banking taught her to see the whole system—operations, financials, risk, and relationships—and why that end-to-end perspective makes strategic planning and succession work sharper and more humane.
We walk through her pivot from saying “no” in a regulated world to saying “yes” as a consultant who helps leaders think. You’ll hear tangible facilitation moves: one-on-ones to map the room, explicit trade-offs to unclog decisions, and a conductor’s mindset to manage pace, voices, and depth. She opens up about mentors, including the late John Steele, and the boardroom lessons that only show up when organizations hit turbulence—how consensus is built before meetings, why agendas must guard strategy time, and when to slow down so teams can actually align.
Rooted in Richmond and renewed by the river, Stephanie credits faith, partnership, and constant learning for the steadiness required to guide complex groups. From privately held companies and family businesses to nonprofits, her throughline is consistent: clear thinking precedes smart action. If you care about strategic planning, succession planning, board governance, and the craft of facilitation, this conversation offers a toolkit and a mindset you can use on Monday morning.
Please visit www.internationalfacilitatorsorganization.com to learn more about Mo Fathelbab and International Facilitators Organization (IFO), a leading provider of facilitators and related group facilitation services, providing training, certification, marketing services, education, and community for peer group facilitators at all stages of their career.
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:10):
Welcome to the Heart of Business Podcast.
I'm your host, Mo Fatabab, andit is a pleasure to be here with
you all today and our specialguest, Stephanie Ford, who is an
IFO certified facilitator and adirector at Warren Whitney.
And this program is sponsored byIFO, the marketplace for
facilitators.
(00:30):
Welcome, Stephanie.
Great to have you with us.
SPEAKER_01 (00:33):
Thank you, Mo.
Really appreciate the time andalways glad to be with you.
SPEAKER_00 (00:37):
Well, it is wonderful.
Stephanie, gosh, we've knowneach other what, 15 years
perhaps?
SPEAKER_01 (00:42):
Something at least like that, yes.
Through the Virginia CouncilCEOs, our original point of
connection.
SPEAKER_00 (00:49):
What a great organization that is.
SPEAKER_01 (00:52):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (00:53):
Well, a shout out to those folks and to Scott
McRoberts.
And really, they've just been uhbig fans and big, big uh
believers in the peer groupprocess, which is uh perhaps how
we came to meet.
But Stephanie, let's start withyou.
Tell us a little bit aboutyourself.
SPEAKER_01 (01:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, well, you know, I'm a proudRichmonder, uh born and raised,
I guess maybe fifth generationRichmonder and married to one as
well, and um love my hometown.
We love traveling the world, um,but glad to always come home.
Um I grew up right on the riveruh here in uh in Richmond.
(01:33):
And so the river holds a specialplace in my heart.
And uh we we moved back to theriver uh just a few years ago.
So love the nature, love thewildlife, and um and love being
in my hometown where I'm rootedwith um most all of my family.
SPEAKER_00 (01:52):
Amazing, amazing.
And so let's talk about yourprofessional career a little
bit.
Uh and I don't know if thatstarted for you before uh
college or after college orduring college, but when was
what was your first uh endeavorwhere you started to make some
money?
Let's put it that way.
SPEAKER_01 (02:09):
Okay, yeah, sure.
Um, well, I decided, I guess thethe path to making money um for
me began uh, I guess I'll say,well, some early entrepreneurial
experiences, but really decidingto be a business major in
college.
And then um sometimes I forgetto mention I did get my MBA
(02:30):
along the way as well.
And um, but really, you know, Ilove I love I love learning and
um and even though I really lovesciences, decided that business
would be a practical arena umfor my skills.
And so I graduated college andbegan uh my career as a
(02:51):
commercial banker at um BankAmerica, and that was a great
training ground for me.
I was both relationship managerand underwriter, and that meant
that um I got the pleasure ofmeeting all of the businesses,
working closely with the CEOs,the CFOs, taking the, if you
(03:12):
will, the plant tour, umlearning the operations of the
organization, and also beingresponsible for all the
analytical piece, theunderwriting, understanding the
financial statements,structuring credit, getting all
those internal credit approvals,um, and and then also doing all
the client negotiation and umand taking the entire process
(03:37):
all the way through to closingand documentation.
So that that job that I did umis now broken out into um, I
don't know, two or ten jobsdepending upon the bank.
But it was a great foundation inthe world of business because
really you got to learn theentire um you know process.
(03:59):
I I guess I'll say I felt like Iwas able to help my clients more
because I was in control of theentire process and had full
understanding of all of theissues.
Um, and and it was a chance forme to to really get insight into
so many different industries,work with different size
organizations, um, and um andreally make a difference, uh,
(04:24):
you know, providing credit tohelp organizations grow and um
improve and build and expand,um, you know, that's really
important for our economy.
SPEAKER_00 (04:35):
Yeah, that must be rewarding as well.
SPEAKER_01 (04:37):
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_00 (04:39):
Yeah.
And from there, where did you goafter that?
SPEAKER_01 (04:43):
Well, you know, I spent a short time.
I was wondering, you know, whatdo I want to do next?
Um, seeing banking as a as agood foundation, but maybe a
stepping stone to somethingelse.
I did spend a little bit of timeexploring um the world of
finance uh at what's nowGenworth, which was part of GE
Capital.
(05:03):
That was quite intense.
Um and I took what I could learnfrom Jack Welch in the Six Sigma
process, um, spent a little bitmore time in commercial banking
at BBNT, which had a lovelyculture, and um got to more make
more friends uh in banking thereand continued to build my client
(05:26):
base.
Um and it's really in during mybanking times that I got to know
uh Warren Whitney, um, who I'vebeen with a long time now.
You know, as a banker, I got tosee so many companies
unfortunately struggle with umthe fundamentals of financial
reporting.
Um, and uh that's one area thatwe can help organizations and um
(05:50):
and and also you know,entrepreneurs that had great
business ideas, but um sometimesdidn't see, you know, didn't
have the insight into businessplanning um or had great visions
but couldn't quite articulatehow to get them, how to get from
here to there.
Um and so there would be timeswhere um, well, one, I I just I
(06:15):
love the consulting piece, um,but in my in my banking days, I
was limited as to how much Icould consult.
Um and uh and so so anyhow, Igot to know this firm called
Warren Whitney.
I kept uh referring clients tothat organization and ultimately
they asked me to come join them.
Um, and I've been there um overtwo decades now.
(06:38):
And um, so it's been a been agood group for me to be a part
of.
SPEAKER_00 (06:43):
That sounds like a lovely journey.
And so when you compare yourtime at Warren Whitney with your
time at finance, because theyseem a little bit different, uh
what of those two is is moremeaningful for you?
Uh and in what way is it so?
SPEAKER_01 (07:01):
Well, the hard hard part of commercial banking, I
think, is is having to say no somany times.
And um, and just you know, somuch regulation, so many rules.
Um, the world of consultingoffer uh uh affords many more
opportunities to say, yes, Ithink I can help with that.
And we're not quite bound by youknow all the rules and
(07:25):
regulations.
And um so it's really for me, Iguess I'll say, you know, I
really love helpingorganizations, helping people,
helping companies grow andproviding them the right
resources.
And um, and so, you know, in myconsulting role, I'm either able
(07:46):
to do that directly or havecoworkers that can do that, or
just through the network thatI've built, um, can connect, you
know, the my clients and andother folks that I encounter to
a whole host of resources.
And so so that's fun for me, thethe problem solving and the
(08:07):
connecting.
And um so so that's maybehopefully uh answers some of
your question, but absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (08:17):
And so uh Stephanie, I always um find that you're so
uh just incredibly sharp andpolished and and always on point
and on message.
I'm just always so impressed.
And I see your career and itjust seems like it's up and up
and up.
I wonder any blips along theway, any times that were
(08:39):
challenging that you had tofight to overcome some some
difficulties?
SPEAKER_01 (08:44):
Uh yeah, absolutely.
I mean, I alluded to that thatuh Jenworth role.
That was tough.
Um it, you know, I I've Irealized pretty early in that it
was um not everything I thoughtit might be.
Um and working a hundred hours aweek is also not something that
I would find uh sustainable.
(09:05):
Um so, but you know, I I'm stuckit out.
I'm like, I'm here to learn umand and then go from there.
And um, you know, I've had evenum, you know, a lot of my career
too has been, I'll say,augmented or um enhanced uh by
(09:25):
my role with boards and servingon a number of boards.
So I've probably served on a, Idon't know, about 10 different
uh predominantly nonprofitboards.
And I will say, in some ofthose, um, they've almost been
like second jobs in that myleadership role has been so
(09:46):
involved, either becoming um,you know, chair of the board,
chair of many committees, um,chair of some big processes,
chair of campaign campaigns.
And um, and so it's almost evenin some of those situations,
I've faced some really hard umtimes because I don't know if I
(10:10):
if if it's just luck or thatthey find me.
But organizations going throughtransition um has been a theme.
So whenever I've um in in anumber of cases when I've been
involved in boards, it's reallyduring a very pivotal time in in
the organization's life and theleadership of the organization.
(10:34):
And so um I'd say some of thosesituations have have tested me
considerably.
Um, but also, of course, that'swhere we learn, right?
Um and and I've really um hadthe chance in those in cases to
really be surrounded by someamazing leaders um and some
(10:56):
mentors as well.
And so I'm thankful for that.
SPEAKER_00 (11:00):
Yeah.
What do you lean on internallywhen you are being tested?
SPEAKER_01 (11:07):
Um, well, certainly my faith.
Um, you know, I I think havingthat foundation is so important.
Um, prayer is important.
Uh absolutely my family.
Um, you know, of course, Iwouldn't be here if I didn't
have amazing parents, right?
Um, that that gave me thatstrong foundation in life.
(11:30):
Um, and then of course myhusband, uh, who I have been
with for a long time now.
Um next year will be it's hardto believe, 40th anniversary of
our first date.
SPEAKER_00 (11:44):
Oh my God, amazing.
SPEAKER_01 (11:45):
We were very young.
SPEAKER_00 (11:47):
Yes, of course.
SPEAKER_01 (11:49):
Yes, and um, and last year was our 30th wedding
anniversary.
So um, so my husband Brian hasbeen a really an you know my
best friend um and life partnerand and and certainly um you
know an important part of my ummy life and and really my
(12:10):
development um as well.
So we we have I feel likeoverall made each other stronger
over the years, um, and we'velearned from each other, which
is great.
SPEAKER_00 (12:22):
Um what a beautiful story.
And what about some of yourmentors?
Who are two or three of thosefolks that have really made a
difference for you?
And and in what way did theyreally help you?
SPEAKER_01 (12:35):
Yeah, certainly.
Well, you know, there there havethere have been many over the
years.
Um, you know, some early in theat the bank, um, you know,
there's a female that comes tomind, super strong, courageous,
really dynamic.
Um a gentleman that um I'mthinking of that was just very
(12:56):
charismatic, um, not afraid totalk about his feelings and what
is the hard stuff.
And I think we've we've learned,you know, the soft stuff is the
hard stuff.
And um, you know, we can betechnically proficient, but if
we don't have those othercomponents to our uh working
(13:18):
relationships and um, if youwill, the ability to finesse
certain situations, um, then thetechnical skills will fall flat.
And um, but you know, what Iguess one in particular uh
mentor is is coming to mind.
Um, sadly, he he just passed.
Um he had been ill for some timeand so had been in decline, but
(13:43):
um still really sad for thisloss.
And and he was somebody that Iserved with on Henraiko's
economic uh Henraiko County'sEconomic Development Authority
Board.
I was on that board for uh 14years, and and he really um
became a great friend.
(14:04):
And he uh helped to mentor methrough the ranks of rising in
on in, if you will, in boardstatus from treasurer to vice
chair to chair.
Um there was actually asurprising amount of tumult
during my ascent uh in in theorganization.
(14:27):
And so we had some interestingtimes and some interesting
topics that we had to workthrough.
And so he helped really to showme um some of the best
techniques for managing, forbuilding consensus for um for
what needs to happen outside ofthe boardroom so that what
happens inside the boardroom canbe a success.
(14:50):
And um, and all of these thingstake time, you know.
It's it's um, you know, thereoften aren't easy answers, and
it's often about umthoughtfulness, diligence, um,
and and and really, you know,being um both creative and
caring.
(15:10):
And uh so so I'm thankful, andof course he did it all with a
great sense of humor, um and andand and just but also a
pragmatic approach, um, which Iappreciate.
So um so so yes, so thank you toJohn Steele um for his
(15:32):
leadership and and friendship.
SPEAKER_00 (15:36):
That's lovely.
Thank you to John Steele.
So what are maybe one or two ofthose techniques that you
learned uh from John uh as itrelates to dealing with those
tumultuous situations?
SPEAKER_01 (15:49):
Well, a lot of it is knowing where everybody in the
room is coming from and reallygetting to understand each of
their perspectives and um havingthose individual one-on-one
conversations and and really umyou know using that time um to
learn, to think, to process, andto evaluate options.
(16:15):
And and I'm really I, you know,I love I love doing that.
I'm analytical and I and I likeexploring choices.
Um in the end, though, you know,we're here to help our clients
think.
And I think that's one of themost important things that I
bring to my client relationshipsis helping them think and
helping them evaluate theiroptions and really understanding
the pros and cons of eachoption, because there's always
(16:38):
there are always choices, butthey're always trade-offs.
And usually in life, you justget to make the one choice.
Um, and and so part of the valuethat I think I bring to the
table is um now at this point inmy career, having worked with so
many different industries, somany different size companies,
(17:00):
um, from startups to to really,you know, Fortune 1000
companies, um, and everything inbetween, and also having seen
different types of leaders anddifferent types of teams.
Um, so it's it's really abouttaking taking all of that in and
(17:20):
having been able to process andsynthesize that over the years
and um and really being able tohelp them understand what are
best practices, what arerecommendations, what are their
choices, and and helping themthink through the pros and cons,
and ultimately being able torecommend one to say, you know,
(17:41):
and based on everything I'veseen and what I know about you
and your team and yourorganization and your industry,
this is what I think would workbest for you at this point in
time.
And so really helping to them,helping them to walk through um
those decision points um and beright there alongside with them.
SPEAKER_00 (18:05):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I love that.
So uh Stephanie, as you umconsidered joining uh IFO and
becoming one of our certifiedfacilitators, uh I'm curious as
to what was uh interesting foryou in that proposition and why
you made that decision.
SPEAKER_01 (18:24):
Absolutely.
Well, I can tell you, of course,the the short answer is to be
better at facilitation.
And that is that has, you know,I feel been accomplished.
Um the plus along the way that II can't overlook because it's so
valuable are the are thefriendships and the
relationships made during thatprocess and ongoing um as part
(18:47):
of IFO.
So I I don't want to uh I wantto make sure we we hit on that
one.
Um I really enjoyed thefacilitation, you know, in my
work um now I probably, youknow, my my my career's been a
mixture of finance, marketing,and strategy.
And um, and even for example, onthe marketing side, uh, you
(19:08):
know, I've enjoyed um sales,I've enjoyed marketing
analytics, I enjoy um, you know,the strategy piece of it.
A lot of folks don't get theopportunity.
You know, our world is socomplicated now, and people are
very much um siloed, um, Ithink.
(19:28):
And so that's where um I feelthat my career has given me such
a broad set of experiences.
It is oftentimes aboutconnecting the dots and seeing
the big picture and being able,because of that, to look around
the corner and know what's aheadand help help clients through
(19:52):
that.
Um so in my work, you know, I'mspending these days a lot of my
time is predominantly spent onstrategic planning, succession
planning, and working withboards on governance.
And so my clients are a mixtureof privately held companies,
family-owned businesses, andnonprofit organizations.
(20:14):
And um, and so so that puts mein lots of different situations.
But I'll say the one skill, oneof the main skills that's needed
to navigate all of that isfacilitation, facilitation
skills.
And and so, for example,strategic planning will last,
(20:37):
uh, I'll say on average, I saynine months with my clients, but
six to twelve months, dependingon how robust of a process we we
do.
In some cases, I do a lot offinancial modeling with my
clients um and scenarioplanning.
So um in some cases I'm gettingheavily involved in surveys.
(20:57):
Um, so it could take many shapesand forms, but um part of what I
really love the best is thefacilitation in the room.
And um, and I I I think it'ssort of akin to in many ways,
kind of like being the orchestraof a symphony.
And, you know, you're reallyyou're conducting the
(21:20):
conversation and you're tryingto um, you know, figure out
which voices need to be louder,and maybe some voices not so
loud, um, so that they don'tdominate the overall uh
conversation or piece of music,so to speak.
And um, and you're trying insome cases to increase the
(21:42):
tempo, to to move us along theagenda a little bit more, and in
other cases, it's important topause and take it a little
slower and um and and and maybego in depth on something because
there needs to be thatexploring.
Um but by the end, you know, thewhole idea is to to, if you
(22:07):
will, um, you know, to workthrough the conversation and to
kind of, you know, I guess adifferent analogy, land the
plane on time, you know, in inthe right location, in the right
spot.
Um, and so when you uh yeah,anyhow, I'll say I enjoy leading
the room, you know, theboardroom, the the client team,
(22:29):
the peer group, um, this theleadership team through the
conversation.
And it's just satisfying whenyou're able to get consensus,
you get an understanding, youget discussion, you get some
healthy questioning, but in theend, there's generally
consensus, agreement, and andthen wrap it up and and finish
(22:52):
on time and tie it up with abow.
Um, I I love it.
I think it's a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_00 (22:57):
I always say that.
I want to I want to tie it upwith the bow at the end, right?
SPEAKER_01 (23:00):
Exactly.
Exactly.
So I think there's um so I enjoythat.
And so I think that's why Iwanted to, I guess, make my uh
commitment to facilitation moreformal and and make sure that
I'm using the best tools thatare out there, get the best
(23:21):
training possible.
And um, and that's where I say,you know, I think I want to make
sure that that's you know, if ifyou're thinking, you know, well,
what's next or what's for thefuture, I want to make sure that
facilitation is a big piece ofthat.
SPEAKER_00 (23:37):
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
I think that is uh just lovelyto hear.
And it's been a pleasure havingyou in our community.
I know that we've learned a lotfrom you, and uh that's part of
what it's about is is sharingwith each other.
Exactly.
Exactly, absolutely.
We grow together.
Yeah.
Uh so Stephanie, what is uh onething that inspires you day in
(24:01):
and day out?
SPEAKER_01 (24:02):
Oh, that's that's a good one.
Um I'll say you know, manythings.
Um you know, I I I do lovenature, and I'm gonna come back
to that because I I find thatthat is um sometimes if I need
to take a break, that's whatallows me to um refresh and um
(24:27):
and renew.
And so I'm thankful to besurrounded by um, you know, I
mentioned the river at thebeginning and and the wildlife,
etc.
Uh, I have been um, and I, youknow, I guess I'll mention uh
faith again uh in terms ofinspiring and people.
(24:48):
Um you know, I will say I was aborn introvert and was a little
shy growing up, um, but I'vereally come to love people, and
um, we have so many wonderful umrole models uh to look to from
um individuals that I knowpersonally that have just
(25:09):
overcome tragedy and stillpersevere and positively
persevere and um and greatbusiness leaders in our
community that are you know theentrepreneurs that are so
creative all the way to you knowbusiness leaders leading very
(25:32):
large organizations.
Um, you know, it's amazing.
It's amazing.
So, you know, we all have manytalents and uh there the
possibilities are limitless whenwe put our uh good talents to
work in the right places.
SPEAKER_00 (25:48):
And we are truly blessed to be able to work in
these places in these very uhsensitive and important
conversations that can have sucha big impact.
And uh what a privilege to dothat, right?
SPEAKER_01 (26:01):
I know.
I really, you know, I lovelearning.
And so part of my world is thatI get to one, be constantly
surrounded by other greatbusiness leaders, and um, and
that's that's fun for me.
And um, and then always thechance to go to you know
seminars and and more officialthings where um I get to always
(26:26):
be learning.
So the books, you know, it's youknow, even though I I love
school, it's not always justabout being in the classroom and
just about being a student.
I think we're always um alwayscan be learning and and as I
maybe said earlier, you know, Ireally love solving problems.
So it's about helping others,um, figuring things out.
(26:47):
And um and and so it's acontinuous process of both
learning and then using it toapply for solutions for others.
SPEAKER_00 (26:58):
Stephanie Ford, what a pleasure.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
Thank you to our audience.
And as a reminder, podcastreviews have a real impact on a
podcast visibility.
So please leave a review to helpothers find the show.
Thank you for watching, or thankyou for listening, and have a
great day.
Welcome to the Heart of Business Podcast.
I'm your host, Mo Fatabab, andit is a pleasure to be here with
you all today and our specialguest, Stephanie Ford, who is an
IFO certified facilitator and adirector at Warren Whitney.
And this program is sponsored byIFO, the marketplace for
facilitators.
(00:30):
Welcome, Stephanie.
Great to have you with us.
SPEAKER_01 (00:33):
Thank you, Mo.
Really appreciate the time andalways glad to be with you.
SPEAKER_00 (00:37):
Well, it is wonderful.
Stephanie, gosh, we've knowneach other what, 15 years
perhaps?
SPEAKER_01 (00:42):
Something at least like that, yes.
Through the Virginia CouncilCEOs, our original point of
connection.
SPEAKER_00 (00:49):
What a great organization that is.
SPEAKER_01 (00:52):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (00:53):
Well, a shout out to those folks and to Scott
McRoberts.
And really, they've just been uhbig fans and big, big uh
believers in the peer groupprocess, which is uh perhaps how
we came to meet.
But Stephanie, let's start withyou.
Tell us a little bit aboutyourself.
SPEAKER_01 (01:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, well, you know, I'm a proudRichmonder, uh born and raised,
I guess maybe fifth generationRichmonder and married to one as
well, and um love my hometown.
We love traveling the world, um,but glad to always come home.
Um I grew up right on the riveruh here in uh in Richmond.
(01:33):
And so the river holds a specialplace in my heart.
And uh we we moved back to theriver uh just a few years ago.
So love the nature, love thewildlife, and um and love being
in my hometown where I'm rootedwith um most all of my family.
SPEAKER_00 (01:52):
Amazing, amazing.
And so let's talk about yourprofessional career a little
bit.
Uh and I don't know if thatstarted for you before uh
college or after college orduring college, but when was
what was your first uh endeavorwhere you started to make some
money?
Let's put it that way.
SPEAKER_01 (02:09):
Okay, yeah, sure.
Um, well, I decided, I guess thethe path to making money um for
me began uh, I guess I'll say,well, some early entrepreneurial
experiences, but really decidingto be a business major in
college.
And then um sometimes I forgetto mention I did get my MBA
(02:30):
along the way as well.
And um, but really, you know, Ilove I love I love learning and
um and even though I really lovesciences, decided that business
would be a practical arena umfor my skills.
And so I graduated college andbegan uh my career as a
(02:51):
commercial banker at um BankAmerica, and that was a great
training ground for me.
I was both relationship managerand underwriter, and that meant
that um I got the pleasure ofmeeting all of the businesses,
working closely with the CEOs,the CFOs, taking the, if you
(03:12):
will, the plant tour, umlearning the operations of the
organization, and also beingresponsible for all the
analytical piece, theunderwriting, understanding the
financial statements,structuring credit, getting all
those internal credit approvals,um, and and then also doing all
the client negotiation and umand taking the entire process
(03:37):
all the way through to closingand documentation.
So that that job that I did umis now broken out into um, I
don't know, two or ten jobsdepending upon the bank.
But it was a great foundation inthe world of business because
really you got to learn theentire um you know process.
(03:59):
I I guess I'll say I felt like Iwas able to help my clients more
because I was in control of theentire process and had full
understanding of all of theissues.
Um, and and it was a chance forme to to really get insight into
so many different industries,work with different size
organizations, um, and um andreally make a difference, uh,
(04:24):
you know, providing credit tohelp organizations grow and um
improve and build and expand,um, you know, that's really
important for our economy.
SPEAKER_00 (04:35):
Yeah, that must be rewarding as well.
SPEAKER_01 (04:37):
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_00 (04:39):
Yeah.
And from there, where did you goafter that?
SPEAKER_01 (04:43):
Well, you know, I spent a short time.
I was wondering, you know, whatdo I want to do next?
Um, seeing banking as a as agood foundation, but maybe a
stepping stone to somethingelse.
I did spend a little bit of timeexploring um the world of
finance uh at what's nowGenworth, which was part of GE
Capital.
(05:03):
That was quite intense.
Um and I took what I could learnfrom Jack Welch in the Six Sigma
process, um, spent a little bitmore time in commercial banking
at BBNT, which had a lovelyculture, and um got to more make
more friends uh in banking thereand continued to build my client
(05:26):
base.
Um and it's really in during mybanking times that I got to know
uh Warren Whitney, um, who I'vebeen with a long time now.
You know, as a banker, I got tosee so many companies
unfortunately struggle with umthe fundamentals of financial
reporting.
Um, and uh that's one area thatwe can help organizations and um
(05:50):
and and also you know,entrepreneurs that had great
business ideas, but um sometimesdidn't see, you know, didn't
have the insight into businessplanning um or had great visions
but couldn't quite articulatehow to get them, how to get from
here to there.
Um and so there would be timeswhere um, well, one, I I just I
(06:15):
love the consulting piece, um,but in my in my banking days, I
was limited as to how much Icould consult.
Um and uh and so so anyhow, Igot to know this firm called
Warren Whitney.
I kept uh referring clients tothat organization and ultimately
they asked me to come join them.
Um, and I've been there um overtwo decades now.
(06:38):
And um, so it's been a been agood group for me to be a part
of.
SPEAKER_00 (06:43):
That sounds like a lovely journey.
And so when you compare yourtime at Warren Whitney with your
time at finance, because theyseem a little bit different, uh
what of those two is is moremeaningful for you?
Uh and in what way is it so?
SPEAKER_01 (07:01):
Well, the hard hard part of commercial banking, I
think, is is having to say no somany times.
And um, and just you know, somuch regulation, so many rules.
Um, the world of consultingoffer uh uh affords many more
opportunities to say, yes, Ithink I can help with that.
And we're not quite bound by youknow all the rules and
(07:25):
regulations.
And um so it's really for me, Iguess I'll say, you know, I
really love helpingorganizations, helping people,
helping companies grow andproviding them the right
resources.
And um, and so, you know, in myconsulting role, I'm either able
(07:46):
to do that directly or havecoworkers that can do that, or
just through the network thatI've built, um, can connect, you
know, the my clients and andother folks that I encounter to
a whole host of resources.
And so so that's fun for me, thethe problem solving and the
(08:07):
connecting.
And um so so that's maybehopefully uh answers some of
your question, but absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (08:17):
And so uh Stephanie, I always um find that you're so
uh just incredibly sharp andpolished and and always on point
and on message.
I'm just always so impressed.
And I see your career and itjust seems like it's up and up
and up.
I wonder any blips along theway, any times that were
(08:39):
challenging that you had tofight to overcome some some
difficulties?
SPEAKER_01 (08:44):
Uh yeah, absolutely.
I mean, I alluded to that thatuh Jenworth role.
That was tough.
Um it, you know, I I've Irealized pretty early in that it
was um not everything I thoughtit might be.
Um and working a hundred hours aweek is also not something that
I would find uh sustainable.
(09:05):
Um so, but you know, I I'm stuckit out.
I'm like, I'm here to learn umand and then go from there.
And um, you know, I've had evenum, you know, a lot of my career
too has been, I'll say,augmented or um enhanced uh by
(09:25):
my role with boards and servingon a number of boards.
So I've probably served on a, Idon't know, about 10 different
uh predominantly nonprofitboards.
And I will say, in some ofthose, um, they've almost been
like second jobs in that myleadership role has been so
(09:46):
involved, either becoming um,you know, chair of the board,
chair of many committees, um,chair of some big processes,
chair of campaign campaigns.
And um, and so it's almost evenin some of those situations,
I've faced some really hard umtimes because I don't know if I
(10:10):
if if it's just luck or thatthey find me.
But organizations going throughtransition um has been a theme.
So whenever I've um in in anumber of cases when I've been
involved in boards, it's reallyduring a very pivotal time in in
the organization's life and theleadership of the organization.
(10:34):
And so um I'd say some of thosesituations have have tested me
considerably.
Um, but also, of course, that'swhere we learn, right?
Um and and I've really um hadthe chance in those in cases to
really be surrounded by someamazing leaders um and some
(10:56):
mentors as well.
And so I'm thankful for that.
SPEAKER_00 (11:00):
Yeah.
What do you lean on internallywhen you are being tested?
SPEAKER_01 (11:07):
Um, well, certainly my faith.
Um, you know, I I think havingthat foundation is so important.
Um, prayer is important.
Uh absolutely my family.
Um, you know, of course, Iwouldn't be here if I didn't
have amazing parents, right?
Um, that that gave me thatstrong foundation in life.
(11:30):
Um, and then of course myhusband, uh, who I have been
with for a long time now.
Um next year will be it's hardto believe, 40th anniversary of
our first date.
SPEAKER_00 (11:44):
Oh my God, amazing.
SPEAKER_01 (11:45):
We were very young.
SPEAKER_00 (11:47):
Yes, of course.
SPEAKER_01 (11:49):
Yes, and um, and last year was our 30th wedding
anniversary.
So um, so my husband Brian hasbeen a really an you know my
best friend um and life partnerand and and certainly um you
know an important part of my ummy life and and really my
(12:10):
development um as well.
So we we have I feel likeoverall made each other stronger
over the years, um, and we'velearned from each other, which
is great.
SPEAKER_00 (12:22):
Um what a beautiful story.
And what about some of yourmentors?
Who are two or three of thosefolks that have really made a
difference for you?
And and in what way did theyreally help you?
SPEAKER_01 (12:35):
Yeah, certainly.
Well, you know, there there havethere have been many over the
years.
Um, you know, some early in theat the bank, um, you know,
there's a female that comes tomind, super strong, courageous,
really dynamic.
Um a gentleman that um I'mthinking of that was just very
(12:56):
charismatic, um, not afraid totalk about his feelings and what
is the hard stuff.
And I think we've we've learned,you know, the soft stuff is the
hard stuff.
And um, you know, we can betechnically proficient, but if
we don't have those othercomponents to our uh working
(13:18):
relationships and um, if youwill, the ability to finesse
certain situations, um, then thetechnical skills will fall flat.
And um, but you know, what Iguess one in particular uh
mentor is is coming to mind.
Um, sadly, he he just passed.
Um he had been ill for some timeand so had been in decline, but
(13:43):
um still really sad for thisloss.
And and he was somebody that Iserved with on Henraiko's
economic uh Henraiko County'sEconomic Development Authority
Board.
I was on that board for uh 14years, and and he really um
became a great friend.
(14:04):
And he uh helped to mentor methrough the ranks of rising in
on in, if you will, in boardstatus from treasurer to vice
chair to chair.
Um there was actually asurprising amount of tumult
during my ascent uh in in theorganization.
(14:27):
And so we had some interestingtimes and some interesting
topics that we had to workthrough.
And so he helped really to showme um some of the best
techniques for managing, forbuilding consensus for um for
what needs to happen outside ofthe boardroom so that what
happens inside the boardroom canbe a success.
(14:50):
And um, and all of these thingstake time, you know.
It's it's um, you know, thereoften aren't easy answers, and
it's often about umthoughtfulness, diligence, um,
and and and really, you know,being um both creative and
caring.
(15:10):
And uh so so I'm thankful, andof course he did it all with a
great sense of humor, um and andand and just but also a
pragmatic approach, um, which Iappreciate.
So um so so yes, so thank you toJohn Steele um for his
(15:32):
leadership and and friendship.
SPEAKER_00 (15:36):
That's lovely.
Thank you to John Steele.
So what are maybe one or two ofthose techniques that you
learned uh from John uh as itrelates to dealing with those
tumultuous situations?
SPEAKER_01 (15:49):
Well, a lot of it is knowing where everybody in the
room is coming from and reallygetting to understand each of
their perspectives and um havingthose individual one-on-one
conversations and and really umyou know using that time um to
learn, to think, to process, andto evaluate options.
(16:15):
And and I'm really I, you know,I love I love doing that.
I'm analytical and I and I likeexploring choices.
Um in the end, though, you know,we're here to help our clients
think.
And I think that's one of themost important things that I
bring to my client relationshipsis helping them think and
helping them evaluate theiroptions and really understanding
the pros and cons of eachoption, because there's always
(16:38):
there are always choices, butthey're always trade-offs.
And usually in life, you justget to make the one choice.
Um, and and so part of the valuethat I think I bring to the
table is um now at this point inmy career, having worked with so
many different industries, somany different size companies,
(17:00):
um, from startups to to really,you know, Fortune 1000
companies, um, and everything inbetween, and also having seen
different types of leaders anddifferent types of teams.
Um, so it's it's really abouttaking taking all of that in and
(17:20):
having been able to process andsynthesize that over the years
and um and really being able tohelp them understand what are
best practices, what arerecommendations, what are their
choices, and and helping themthink through the pros and cons,
and ultimately being able torecommend one to say, you know,
(17:41):
and based on everything I'veseen and what I know about you
and your team and yourorganization and your industry,
this is what I think would workbest for you at this point in
time.
And so really helping to them,helping them to walk through um
those decision points um and beright there alongside with them.
SPEAKER_00 (18:05):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I love that.
So uh Stephanie, as you umconsidered joining uh IFO and
becoming one of our certifiedfacilitators, uh I'm curious as
to what was uh interesting foryou in that proposition and why
you made that decision.
SPEAKER_01 (18:24):
Absolutely.
Well, I can tell you, of course,the the short answer is to be
better at facilitation.
And that is that has, you know,I feel been accomplished.
Um the plus along the way that II can't overlook because it's so
valuable are the are thefriendships and the
relationships made during thatprocess and ongoing um as part
(18:47):
of IFO.
So I I don't want to uh I wantto make sure we we hit on that
one.
Um I really enjoyed thefacilitation, you know, in my
work um now I probably, youknow, my my my career's been a
mixture of finance, marketing,and strategy.
And um, and even for example, onthe marketing side, uh, you
(19:08):
know, I've enjoyed um sales,I've enjoyed marketing
analytics, I enjoy um, you know,the strategy piece of it.
A lot of folks don't get theopportunity.
You know, our world is socomplicated now, and people are
very much um siloed, um, Ithink.
(19:28):
And so that's where um I feelthat my career has given me such
a broad set of experiences.
It is oftentimes aboutconnecting the dots and seeing
the big picture and being able,because of that, to look around
the corner and know what's aheadand help help clients through
(19:52):
that.
Um so in my work, you know, I'mspending these days a lot of my
time is predominantly spent onstrategic planning, succession
planning, and working withboards on governance.
And so my clients are a mixtureof privately held companies,
family-owned businesses, andnonprofit organizations.
(20:14):
And um, and so so that puts mein lots of different situations.
But I'll say the one skill, oneof the main skills that's needed
to navigate all of that isfacilitation, facilitation
skills.
And and so, for example,strategic planning will last,
(20:37):
uh, I'll say on average, I saynine months with my clients, but
six to twelve months, dependingon how robust of a process we we
do.
In some cases, I do a lot offinancial modeling with my
clients um and scenarioplanning.
So um in some cases I'm gettingheavily involved in surveys.
(20:57):
Um, so it could take many shapesand forms, but um part of what I
really love the best is thefacilitation in the room.
And um, and I I I think it'ssort of akin to in many ways,
kind of like being the orchestraof a symphony.
And, you know, you're reallyyou're conducting the
(21:20):
conversation and you're tryingto um, you know, figure out
which voices need to be louder,and maybe some voices not so
loud, um, so that they don'tdominate the overall uh
conversation or piece of music,so to speak.
And um, and you're trying insome cases to increase the
(21:42):
tempo, to to move us along theagenda a little bit more, and in
other cases, it's important topause and take it a little
slower and um and and and maybego in depth on something because
there needs to be thatexploring.
Um but by the end, you know, thewhole idea is to to, if you
(22:07):
will, um, you know, to workthrough the conversation and to
kind of, you know, I guess adifferent analogy, land the
plane on time, you know, in inthe right location, in the right
spot.
Um, and so when you uh yeah,anyhow, I'll say I enjoy leading
the room, you know, theboardroom, the the client team,
(22:29):
the peer group, um, this theleadership team through the
conversation.
And it's just satisfying whenyou're able to get consensus,
you get an understanding, youget discussion, you get some
healthy questioning, but in theend, there's generally
consensus, agreement, and andthen wrap it up and and finish
(22:52):
on time and tie it up with abow.
Um, I I love it.
I think it's a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_00 (22:57):
I always say that.
I want to I want to tie it upwith the bow at the end, right?
SPEAKER_01 (23:00):
Exactly.
Exactly.
So I think there's um so I enjoythat.
And so I think that's why Iwanted to, I guess, make my uh
commitment to facilitation moreformal and and make sure that
I'm using the best tools thatare out there, get the best
(23:21):
training possible.
And um, and that's where I say,you know, I think I want to make
sure that that's you know, if ifyou're thinking, you know, well,
what's next or what's for thefuture, I want to make sure that
facilitation is a big piece ofthat.
SPEAKER_00 (23:37):
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
I think that is uh just lovelyto hear.
And it's been a pleasure havingyou in our community.
I know that we've learned a lotfrom you, and uh that's part of
what it's about is is sharingwith each other.
Exactly.
Exactly, absolutely.
We grow together.
Yeah.
Uh so Stephanie, what is uh onething that inspires you day in
(24:01):
and day out?
SPEAKER_01 (24:02):
Oh, that's that's a good one.
Um I'll say you know, manythings.
Um you know, I I I do lovenature, and I'm gonna come back
to that because I I find thatthat is um sometimes if I need
to take a break, that's whatallows me to um refresh and um
(24:27):
and renew.
And so I'm thankful to besurrounded by um, you know, I
mentioned the river at thebeginning and and the wildlife,
etc.
Uh, I have been um, and I, youknow, I guess I'll mention uh
faith again uh in terms ofinspiring and people.
(24:48):
Um you know, I will say I was aborn introvert and was a little
shy growing up, um, but I'vereally come to love people, and
um, we have so many wonderful umrole models uh to look to from
um individuals that I knowpersonally that have just
(25:09):
overcome tragedy and stillpersevere and positively
persevere and um and greatbusiness leaders in our
community that are you know theentrepreneurs that are so
creative all the way to you knowbusiness leaders leading very
(25:32):
large organizations.
Um, you know, it's amazing.
It's amazing.
So, you know, we all have manytalents and uh there the
possibilities are limitless whenwe put our uh good talents to
work in the right places.
SPEAKER_00 (25:48):
And we are truly blessed to be able to work in
these places in these very uhsensitive and important
conversations that can have sucha big impact.
And uh what a privilege to dothat, right?
SPEAKER_01 (26:01):
I know.
I really, you know, I lovelearning.
And so part of my world is thatI get to one, be constantly
surrounded by other greatbusiness leaders, and um, and
that's that's fun for me.
And um, and then always thechance to go to you know
seminars and and more officialthings where um I get to always
(26:26):
be learning.
So the books, you know, it's youknow, even though I I love
school, it's not always justabout being in the classroom and
just about being a student.
I think we're always um alwayscan be learning and and as I
maybe said earlier, you know, Ireally love solving problems.
So it's about helping others,um, figuring things out.
(26:47):
And um and and so it's acontinuous process of both
learning and then using it toapply for solutions for others.
SPEAKER_00 (26:58):
Stephanie Ford, what a pleasure.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
Thank you to our audience.
And as a reminder, podcastreviews have a real impact on a
podcast visibility.
So please leave a review to helpothers find the show.
Thank you for watching, or thankyou for listening, and have a
great day.
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