EVP, Chief Technology and Information Officer
For Zions Bancorp.’s Jennifer Smith, an effort to address unconscious bias ultimately morphed into a new development program for promising midcareer bankers.
With emotions running high following the murder of George Floyd last year, Smith met with small groups of employees from a variety of backgrounds and listened as they talked about how bias played a role in their own lives. As those conversations evolved, Smith learned that many employees of the Salt Lake City-based company felt “stuck” in their careers in one way or another and she realized that Zions could be doing more to support them.
Those listening sessions led Smith to start a new development program for those employees. She sought out just over two dozen colleagues across the $80 billion-asset organization, ensuring the program had more women and people of color than previous development programs had.
She incorporated feedback from those sessions into the program’s design to ensure those employees got what they needed out of it, such as networking, career development, exposure to leadership and clarity on opportunities. More than 50 senior leaders volunteered their time to support the program, too.
The resulting six-month program, delivered virtually, incorporated teaching, mentoring and design, and within 30 days after the first round wrapped up, 15% of those employees had already moved on to bigger roles within Zions.
“What surprised me about the program was how deep the hunger was to connect with one another, to be seen as a leader, and to be given an opportunity to develop new capabilities,” Smith said. “After seeing their passion and commitment, it humbled me as a leader to realize there was an important part of our organization that had immense talent that we had yet to fully tap.”
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Smith, who heads technology and operations at Zions, is also overseeing two major tech initiatives: the conversion of the company’s core banking systems and the construction of a new, 400,000-square-foot technology center.
As the leader of more than 2,000 employees across multiple functions, Smith also had to adjust her communication style during the pandemic. She reached out to her teams more frequently and made a special effort to connect with colleagues she rarely saw in person.
“The pandemic forced me to think differently in how I was building relationships,” she said.
