In this conversation, Eric R. Alexander speaks with Chris Kelley and Byron Earnheart about stewardship, leadership development, and the responsibility of bankers to serve their communities.

• Leadership begins with self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
• Community bankers must balance technical expertise with people-centered leadership.
• Stewardship frames banking as care for people, not just money.
• Developing leaders requires understanding individual strengths and limits.

Chris Kelley has been the Executive Director & President of the Barret School of Banking in Memphis, TN since 2003. Chris regularly speaks at banking conventions and events across the US. He is a graduate of the Barret Class of 2000, and served as the Alumni Association President. Chris was a Board member prior to becoming the Executive Director. He began his banking career in 1995 in a management trainee position with National Bank of Commerce in Memphis. His final role was Senior VP in Branch Administration. Prior to starting his banking career, Chris played professional baseball for the Texas Rangers. Chris has an undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Tennessee, where he played baseball, and received his MBA from Christian Brothers University. He was born and raised in Andalusia, Alabama, and moved to Memphis in 1995. He is married with two children. Chris has served for a number of civic organizations in the Memphis area, including board member of Leadership Memphis and the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis. He has served on the PTA of his children’s schools for more than 10 years. He has been a volunteer youth sports coach for the past 15 years

Byron Earnheart is the Programming Director for the Barret School of Banking and the host of the “Main Street Banking” podcast. He has nearly 25 years of experience in the financial services industry; 11 of which have been in banking in various roles from teller work to branch management to lender and all points in between. He spends his time playing guitar and singing in Delta Heart (the “house band of the Mississippi Delta”), songwriting, cooking, reading, teaching Sunday School and enduring the University of Tennessee Volunteers athletic seasons. You can hear his original music on iTunes, Spotify, or any musical streaming service. He is married to his wife Kelly of 17 years and has two children, John Aubrey (15) and Mary Laura (12).

More about the Barret School of Banking: Barret School of Banking

More about the Main Street Banking podcast: Main Street Banking

For more episodes and additional information about the show: stewardleaderspodcast.com

For more about Eric: ericralexander.com sixarrowsconsulting.com

See also the LinkedIn newsletter: Musings for Steward Leaders

Intro/outro music: "Fairest" performed and arranged by Eric, based on the hymn "Fairest Lord Jesus" (from a 17th century German hymn and folk tune).