ABA Banking Journal
No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive
SUBSCRIBE
ABA Banking Journal
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home ABA Banking Journal Podcast

Podcast: How a Georgia community bank engaged employees at 3X the national rate

April 18, 2024
Reading Time: 2 mins read
Podcast: How a Georgia community bank engaged employees at 3X the national rate

Neil Stevens
President and CEO
Oconee State Bank

According to newly released Gallup figures, just 30 percent of American workers are engaged in their work. The rest are described as disengaged, with 17 percent actively disengaged, “which means they are literally trying to sabotage the organization,” notes Neil Stevens, president and CEO of Oconee State Bank in Oconee, Georgia. “Gallup also says that if you have a 70 percent or higher engagement score, you’re 23 percent more profitable than those with lower engagement scores. So engaged teams truly, in my mind, lead to healthier cultures, better customer retention.”

On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by R&T Deposit Solutions — Stevens discusses his approach to cultivating a bank where engagement scores have climbed to 89 percent, triple the national average. Stevens works to build this culture through a framework called Leading Life on Life that emphasizes loving, equipping, affirming and developing (“LEAD”ing) team members. Among other topics on the show, Stevens discusses the role of love in bank management, the importance of active listening and how an environment of healthy affirmation actually allows leaders to hold their teams to higher standards.

  • If you can’t see the audio player above, click here to listen to this week’s episode.
  • Hear Stevens discuss bank culture and employee engagement at the ABA Annual Convention, Oct. 27-29 in New York City.

This episode is presented by R&T Deposit Solutions.

In this episode:

Neil Stevens
President and CEO
Oconee State Bank

Tags: ABA Banking Journal PodcastCultureEmployee engagementLeadershipTraining
ShareTweetPin

Author

Evan Sparks

Evan Sparks

Evan Sparks is editor-in-chief of the ABA Banking Journal and senior vice president for member communications at the American Bankers Association.

Related Posts

Podcast: A Lone Star banking perspective

Podcast: A Lone Star banking perspective

ABA Banking Journal Podcast
January 15, 2026

If Texas were an independent country, its economy would rank as the world's eighth-largest. "France is seventh, and I don't think it'll take as much time at all to catch them," laughs TBA Chairman Ron Butler.

CFPB issues decision on TILA preemption of state laws

Study: FHLBank advances boost community lending

Ag Banking
January 15, 2026

Federal Home Loan Bank advances are “strongly associated” with higher lending across banks and credit unions, particularly following the 2008 financial crisis, according to new research by the Urban Institute.

Recycling the narrative on cash

Recycling the narrative on cash

Community Banking
January 14, 2026

Cash may not be king, but consumers have not dethroned it completely. What can U.S. banks do to handle cash more efficiently?

Getting ready for the great wealth transfer

Getting ready for the great wealth transfer

Wealth Management
January 13, 2026

A good first step for banks to confront this challenge is to focus very intentionally on intergenerational wealth management.

ABA urges ‘same risk, same regulation’ for digital assets

ABA, associations: Stablecoin loophole threatens local lending

Community Banking
January 12, 2026

Trillions of dollars for community lending could be lost if lawmakers fail to close a loophole crypto firms could use to bypass the Genius Act’s prohibition on paying interest or yield on payment stablecoins, ABA and seven banking...

Chair’s View: Beacons of hope

Chair’s View: Beacons of hope

Community Banking
January 12, 2026

Banks represent the aspirations of their communities by providing credit to materialize the visions of so many citizens and organizations.

NEWSBYTES

Mortgage rates fall

January 15, 2026

Nichols: Credit card rate cap would harm those it is meant to help

January 15, 2026

Study: FHLBank advances boost community lending

January 15, 2026

SPONSORED CONTENT

Seeing More Check Fraud and Scams? These Educational Online Toolkits Can Help

Seeing More Check Fraud and Scams? These Educational Online Toolkits Can Help

November 1, 2025
5 FedNow®  Service Developments You May Have Missed

5 FedNow® Service Developments You May Have Missed

October 31, 2025

Cash, Security, and Resilience in a Digital-First Economy

October 20, 2025
Rethinking Outsourcing: The Value of Tech-Enabled, Strategic Growth Partnerships

Rethinking Outsourcing: The Value of Tech-Enabled, Strategic Growth Partnerships

October 1, 2025

PODCASTS

Podcast: A Lone Star banking perspective

January 15, 2026

Podcast: The incredible shrinking penny (circulation)

January 8, 2026

Podcast: Cybersecurity in a mobile-first banking landscape

December 18, 2025

American Bankers Association
1333 New Hampshire Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036
1-800-BANKERS (800-226-5377)
www.aba.com
About ABA
Privacy Policy
Contact ABA

ABA Banking Journal
About ABA Banking Journal
Media Kit
Advertising
Subscribe

© 2026 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive

© 2026 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved.