I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Phoenix, Arizona. The hotel was right by Camelback Mountain. I went with my boss and one of our bank directors, a retired business entrepreneur. On the second day, my boss said to us, “Let’s skip tomorrow afternoon sessions and let’s go climb Camelback Mountain.”
I immediately said yes, and the next day we went on our adventure.
To climb a mountain can take months of preparation to be physically fit to endure the hike. You need some tools and equipment to make it to the top. The only reason I was confident I could climb the mountain is because I had been working out a lot harder in the previous year than I ever had before. I know this was a little mountain—only 1.2 miles up—but it was my first mountain. I was very excited to make the climb.
Part of being prepared was to have the right clothing. My boss and I both had workout clothes. Our friend had tennis shoes but no workout clothes. He also had an issue with his knee, so after the first five minutes into the trip, our friend decided to go to the side and enjoy the view and the restful time. He encouraged us to continue the journey without him. I had also brought a bottle of water, but my boss had to carry it for me in his shorts’ pocket because I needed both hands to climb up. He didn’t bring water, which he regretted later.
As we continued to climb up the one- and two-feet high rocks, we started to sweat and needed the water. But guess what? I was the only one with the water bottle. No matter how many times I offered to share my water, my boss said no, that he was fine. At one point, he was lightheaded and told me to say good-bye to his wife and kids for him (kiddingly).
Several times he wanted to go back because he felt bad that our friend was alone waiting for us at the bottom of the mountain. I gave him a hard time and told him, “Are you using that as an excuse so you can stop and go back?” Before he had time to respond, I said, “No way, we’re climbing up and are going all the way up to the top!” And we did.
We stopped a couple of times to enjoy the view (and catch our breath). When we finally made it to the top, we had a 360-degree view of the city. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience. When it was time to come down—the descent was scarier than going up. If I missed a step, I was going down! When we reached the bottom, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment that I’ve never felt before.
So here is what I learned from this experience:
During our lives we will have a mountain or mountains to climb, and we need to be ready when the moment comes. These mountains are the job opportunities that come our way, struggles we encounter, and experiences we live through during the course of our lives. God will open up opportunities for each of us, and we need to be ready to jump with both feet and take the step in faith.
The preparation needed is threefold: physical, mental, and spiritual. If you follow the analogy of climbing the mountain, physically you need to be in good cardio shape so you can climb. It takes a lot of effort and training to go up and actually make it to the top. Right there on Camelback they told us that, on average, three people die per year—one of a heart attack and two others get off the trail and fall off a cliff. Part of the physical preparation you need is to acquire knowledge, which starts in school. Formal education is key to succeed in the business world.
You will also need to study the mountain you decide to climb. Learn what the dangers are, what the opportunities are, and the challenges you may encounter. You need to do your homework. Then you will need to create a plan and follow it, but be flexible for unforeseen circumstances that will require a change in course. However, don’t get so off course that you lose sight of where you were going in the first place and end up falling off a cliff. Get used to asking yourself the questions, Why am I here? What does God want me to learn from this situation (good or bad)? What am I afraid of? Am I having fun? Being aware of your circumstances can help you make decisions down the road or even save your life.
You need to prepare and train yourself mentally to stay focused, dedicated, and disciplined enough to not quit. You need to be prepared to make tough decisions when you are presented with more than one way to climb the mountain but both are difficult. You need to be okay when one of your friends is left behind. You need to accept the fact that not everyone will make it to the top. Many will choose to go back. Others will simply stop at a certain level and stay there. Yet others will follow you to the top and be right there with you. You need to know if you are ready and willing to take the responsibility to lead the team, which means you need additional training and strength. You also need to be okay following others. During the journey, you may start following the leader, but during the hike, he or she may turn the leadership to you for whatever reason. You need to be ready to help others, share your resources, and help coworkers when they are tired and need a hand to climb over that hard spot.
When you follow, make sure you follow by choice. Look where your leader is going, make an assessment of his or her route and then choose to follow him or her. Sometimes you may choose to go another route that will get you to your goal as well but was easier for you. Sometimes you will make a mistake and what you thought was best turned out to be worst. Be ready in those times to admit you made a mistake and apologize, if necessary. Share what you learned with others who come after you.
Marcia Malzahn (Marci) was born in Nicaragua, Central America. In 1979 she left Nicaragua due to a revolution and moved to the Dominican Republic and lived there for seven years. Marcia moved to Minnesota in 1986 and started a career in banking with Marquette Banks that continued for the next thirteen years in the areas of Cash Management, Private Banking, and Retail Banking. In 1995 Marcia became the first Online Banking Specialist in the Twin Cities.
In 1999, she moved to the IT field and started working for Living Word Christian Center (LWCC), a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. At LWCC, she held the positions of Y2K Project Manager, Director of IT, Associate in charge of Finance, Human Resources and IT, and was Corporate Assistant Secretary of the Board. She managed a budget of $31.5MM and 28 employees.
In January 2005, Marcia moved back to the banking field and helped start a new bank in Edina, MN, Tradition Capital Bank, now at over $400 million in assets. From 2005 to 2013, Marcia was the Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of the bank. In January, 2014, Marcia’s role changed to EVP/COO and was promoted to Chief Risk Officer. Marcia was also the Corporate Secretary of the bank’s Board and of the holding company’s Board.
In October 2014, Marcia started her own bank consulting firm, Malzahn Strategic, focusing on Strategic Planning, Enterprise Risk Management, and Talent Management for community banks. Marcia is also a public speaker and speaks on motivational/inspirational/leadership topics as well as banking topics such as Enterprise Risk Management. She holds an Associates of Arts degree from North Hennepin Community College and graduated with a B.A. in Business Management from Bethel University. Marcia also graduated from the Graduate School of Banking in Madison, WI.
Marcia is involved in the community. She was a member of Financial Women International for sixteen years and held several board positions including president of the local group and of the District. She is a member of the Minnesota Women Economic Roundtable and served as treasurer for two years. Marcia is also chair of the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities. Marcia has also volunteered in other organizations including Matter, Pulse Movement, Opportunity International, Way to Grow, Feed My Starving Children, HopeKids, Meals on Wheels, and Farmers Market Youth Project.
Marcia was the recipient of many awards including:
• 25 On The Rise award given by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in December, 2005.
• Forty Under 40 award given by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal in May, 2006
• Virginia D. H. Furman Outstanding Woman of the Year award from Financial Women International in September, 2006
• Top Women in Finance award from Finance and Commerce Newspaper in November, 2008
• Outstanding Women in Banking award given by the North Western Financial Review magazine in November, 2009
Marcia is the author of her book Devotions for Working Women – A Daily Inspiration to Live a Successful and Balanced Life published in 2006. Marcia published her second book The Fire Within – Connect Your Gifts with Your Calling in October 2015. Marcia and her husband Tim live in Minnesota and have two children: Nicole and Patrick. Marcia enjoys spending time with her family, working out, singing, writing, and public speaking.
