Empowering Others To Achieve Excellence

By Christopher Reardon

​Linda Bowden seemed a bit unsure of why she had been selected to speak to more than 500 people about leadership. She asserted that every attendee at the 99th Annual Meeting Luncheon of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce had a story of success.

Yet during the next 30 minutes it became very clear  to the audience just why Bowden was at the podium. She has this leadership thing down pat. Bowden is New Jersey regional president for PNC Bank. She has been named among the 25 Women to Watch by U.S. Banker magazine, was recognized as one of the Best 50 Women in Business and Power 100 by NJBIZ and is chair of the board of directors of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

Bowden served as the keynote speaker at the meeting, held at the Hanover Marriott Hotel. She  began her discussion, entitled “Leadership Evolution: Empowering Others to Achieve Excellence,” by telling the audience leadership is not about organizational charts. “Leadership is really about what you do on the job,” she said. “Every day you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your leadership.”

Bowden said her lessons about leadership were greatly shaped by significant changes that took place in the banking industry. For example, with low interest rates cutting into banks’ ability to make money, they have had to become creative. “We had to be nimble and find new sources of revenue streams,” she said, citing wealth management and financial technology. “The banks are figuring out if you want to beat them, join them.”

The Great Recession left banks facing mass consumer distrust, forcing them to rebuild their brand. Community investment was one of the ways they did that, she said. Technology also changed the way banks operate, Bowden added. She noted banks used to be social hubs where community members would gather. Today, very few consumers go into their banks, she said, citing that 71 percent of PNC customers used online and mobile banking in 2019 and 58 percent of deposits were online.

With these and other changes as the backdrop, Bowden talked about leadership as an ADVENTURE, using that acronym. She said A stood for Adaptability. Bowden started her career as a teacher before moving into banking. “For many years I felt like an imposter,” she said. “I felt like it was a matter of time before these people figured out I don’t know what I’m doing.” But she adapted and learned, including how to be determined, the D in her acronym. Bowden called determination critical to success as a leader.

​“If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not pushing yourself hard enough,” she said. V stood for vision – “The power of imagination of what might be,” she said, recalling when she started her banking career, leadership was almost all male. Bowden said energy (the E) is a leader’s most precious resource and they must do more of what gives them pleasure outside work to continually recharge their batteries. N stands for nurturing, Bowden said. “If you had a mentor, make sure you reach down and mentor someone else,” she said. “You will get a million compliments in your career but the person who takes the time to give you constructive criticism…is the one you will remember.” In her acronym, T stood for team play and U for uprightness. “Upright means integrity,” Bowden said. “You all have the ability to succeed in your career but it will not be worth it if you do not also succeed in your personal integrity.” R stood for rebel – “All of us need to take a stand sometimes and not stand in the background,” she said

– while E stood for enterprising – “Find a way to learn something every day of your life,” she said. “Be a lifelong leaner.” The chamber also awarded its annual William P. Huber Award for Outstanding Community Leadership to Raymond Nisivoccia, founding partner of accounting and management advisory firm Nisivoccia LLP.

Raymond Nisivoccia has a long history of community commitment throughout Morris County and beyond, having been active in such community organizations as the Hackettstown Regional Medical Center, the 200 Club of Morris County, Centenary University, NourishNJ, the Boy Scouts and Kiwanis. He has been honored for his community activities by the Morris County Organization for Hispanic Affairs, NJBIZ, the Morris County Police Chiefs, Centenary College and the Boy Scouts, among many.

“It’s important that we all want to give of ourselves,” he said. “It’s very easy to say, ‘Let someone else do that.’ We have to dig down and say, ‘I believe I can do this.’” The chamber also welcomed Morris County Freeholder Director Deborah Smith to the meeting, who noted that the county is home to 800 corporate headquarters, including Fortune 500 companies. “We will work with the Morris County Chamber of Commerce to make sure Morris County remains the #1 county in New Jersey in which to do business,” she said.