Client Spotlight: Interview with Carol Carter at Octane Lending, a US FinTech
We interviewed a recent simulation workshop participant in order to understand the value of simulation for those with decades of experience. While the simulations directly address technical knowledge about portfolio management, it’s notable to hear about the impact on company risk culture, employee retention, and diversity and inclusion.
BL: Please describe your role at Octane.
Carol: Operations Manager of Training, QA Call Monitoring, Customer Engagement. With 47 years of experience, I am not confined to these roles and help out in several other capacities as well.
BL: Do you think that the training needs & preferences for our industry have changed over the course of your career?
Carol: Probably preferences, but I’ve seen needs my whole career and that never changes. The successful systems I’ve worked in readily share knowledge and want educated employees and those that were not saved the training for managers only. Regarding preferences, I’ve done simulation training most of my career but it was early and now late in my career. I did see big swaths of time where again, training was reserved for those considered to be elite employees.
BL: You have many years of subject matter expertise yourself. What type of elements did you pick up from participating in the simulation workshops?
Carol: The paradigm shift for me was that when I joined the company I kept hearing about “speed and ease”, scary words for a risk averse person. Once I understood that speed and ease are actually data points where several variables are optimized, I am no longer afraid of risk. I embrace it wholeheartedly as an important component of the dance of risk and reward optimization.
BL: You’re now in a rapidly growing FinTech. What role do you suppose training plays in that growth?
Carol: It plays a huge role. If we cannot lay a solid foundation of expertise and understanding, we cannot scale.
BL: On a related note, what role does training play in developing a positive company culture? People fear what they don’t understand.
Carol: The more people understand not only their role but where they fit into the whole, the more confident and effective they will become. Competence supports a positive culture. Additionally, training around DEI brings a more positive culture.
BL: In the simulation workshops, we spent quite a bit of time working in teams. Did you learn anything new about your colleagues as part of the process?
Carol: One of the things I love about the company is its diversity. We all brought something solid to the table based on our experiences and strengths. The exercises were dynamic and fun and reminded me of the upside of teamwork I saw in graduate school.
BL: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Yes, there is a hidden message in being selected to attend training classes and it is this: You matter. I think being invested in at any stage of your career helps you want even more to lean into your work with excitement and a sense of purpose. At the end of the day, Training matters on very many levels.
If you’d like to ‘game out’ your strategy with us in our simulation, drop us a note! info@bankerslab.com