I was a young bank Manager living in Blackfoot, Idaho in l986. Growing up in Pocatello, I let the management team know that the only place I would not live in Eastern Idaho was Blackfoot. We had a bitter rivalry in high school, and it had left a negative impression. My first meaningful promotion—a move to Blackfoot. Well, after nearly seven successful years in Blackfoot I was offered a job in Boise by my Credit Administrator and Chief Operating Officer, Gene Heil. I had worked for Gene for several years and admired and respected him. He was a great boss, mentor and eventually friend. Gene passed away this week after a long and productive life, it is a good time to tell you what he meant to me and other KeyBank folks.
Gene was an unusual banker as he was not paranoid about risk. The difference was he had an accurate sense of the character and traits that increased the odds of success. The Bank got into a liquidity crunch as our mortgage lender failed to presell that portfolio before a rapidly rising rate environment in the early 1980’s. Many bankers would have been paralyzed by fear, Gene determined we would need to take the rate losses on the portfolio and lend our way out of the future threatening situation. Gene managed an unprecedented lending spree that literally kept the bank financially secure and positioned for the future.
As a young lender and Manager Gene quickly observed that I was anxious about any contentious issue and often put off necessary action. For many months, Gene called me most mornings and asked, “what is the most difficult thing you must do today?” I would reply and he would say, “call me back when you have that done?” It is too easy to defer the important for the easy and mundane tasks of the day.
“Effective training is like a tennis match. Think of the problem to be solved as the ball, the manager’s role is to continually hit the ball back as each possible solution is posed, you do not put away a shot by answering the question you continue the rally until an acceptable solution is found. “When I told Gene that the loss of one of our great employees would be catastrophic, he would repeat this allegory. “Imagine a bucket of water, push your fist into the liquid, when you pull it out notice how long it takes to fill that void”. Gene believed there are no “irreplaceable people” in the business setting.
When we moved to Boise, Gene informed me my work ethic must have an appropriate counterbalance for the sake of my family. “You need a place in McCall.” We looked for a place and when it took too long to meet his expectation for my family, he found us a place. 37 years later we still value our McCall family home and so do the grandkids. Thanks Gene.
Gene could come off as very intimidating. I could on with stories about what he did behind the scenes for our many employees. Suffice it to say, when Gene told me “No one needs to know about this” it stayed our secret.
The voice message was always the same, I missed your call, “sorry for any angst this may cause”. Gene was a complex soul. Join me in sending his excellent family and many friends our condolences.
When Gene retired, we had going away party. We wrote a poem that included much of the above and presented him with the picture taken in the Latah Cemetery, the caption is “Irreplaceable People”. His son told me the poster hung in his garage by the door to the house all those many years.
This is a reminder to find the time to thank those who make a difference in your life. Gene would not approve of any procrastination.
Happy 53rd Wedding Anniversary to Karen, the love of my life. Mike
Old Acquittances
