With more than 30 years’ experience leading highly effective teams, Lisa Cisneros has learned a thing or two about running a successful operation and employee engagement.
Cisneros, a regional manager for Bank of Marin’s Retail Banking division, manages and oversees all retail services in four Northern California counties, including Napa, Sacramento, Placer and Amador. She was integral in guiding the retail division through a successful system conversion — the final step in the Bank of Marin/American River Bank merger. Her leadership and unwavering support of her teams resulted in 100-percent manager retention, creating the best possible employee and client experience.
“The way to retain great employees is to treat them well, treat them with respect and provide opportunities to grow and succeed.” — Lisa Cisneros, Regional Manager, Bank of Marin
It’s easy for Cisneros to come to work each day because she gets to lead and collaborate with outstanding, high-producing teams. “They are a great team of dedicated individuals,” Cisneros says. “We have worked together through some very challenging times and they continue to perform at a high level at every opportunity. They are exceptional professionals, committed to excellence … always looking to improve our service, systems and processes.”
If you ask Cisneros’ team what they appreciate most about her, you’ll hear recurring themes of support, respect and encouragement. “Lisa manages through inclusion, empowerment and clear direction. I always feel appreciated and that my opinion matters. She genuinely cares and loves seeing success within her teams,” says one long-time branch manager.
Echoing those sentiments is another branch manager, who says, “Lisa encourages and motivates us to reach our goals in a way that we do not feel overwhelmed. She is fair and is always looking out for us, especially during these challenging times. She makes our workplace feel like a community and really cares about not only the employees, but their families, too. She is a role model and I have learned so much from her, which has really helped me to become a better leader.”
Cisneros acknowledges she has worked hard to earn the respect of her team, but ultimately, she knows you reap what you sow. “The way to retain great employees is to treat them well,” she says. “Treat them with respect and provide opportunities to grow and succeed. When you do that, it creates a team of committed and loyal colleagues.”
