During your working life you will likely work with the four generations: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials or Gen Y. Some of your coworkers will be from the Traditionalist generation who already climbed their mountain and will be happy to stay at the bottom and watch you go up your own mountain. They will mentor you, cheer you up, and encourage you to finish your journey. Respect them, ask them questions, and learn all you can from them. They want to help you succeed. Don’t see them as an obstacle but as an opportunity to learn and grow.
You will also work with Baby Boomers who are probably the ones at the top of the mountain right now and are thinking on how to get down without hurting themselves. They can also help you get to the top and will provide you with opportunities to take over their leadership. You will be climbing your mountain with Generation X coworkers who will work hard alongside you. Gen X coworkers have great opportunities to work together and climb even higher than their Baby Boomer colleagues. If you are a Gen X, then you can help those behind you, the Gen Y’s, and you can also help the Baby Boomers reach their goals to get to the top or start their descent, depending on their situation.
Lastly, you will also work with the younger generation or Gen Y. They will help you with new ideas and can teach you new technologies that you have not used in the past. If you are a Gen Y, then you have a lot of opportunities to climb up your mountain. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and learn from all the other generations that went before you. Earn their respect by working hard and being humble, knowing you have a lot to learn from them.
We cannot forget that most of the time, no matter how long we stay at the top of the mountain, at some point, we will come down. I envision that in a couple of ways: There may be smaller mountains we will need to climb early in our careers, and they will be preparation for bigger mountains, larger assignments that God has in store for us. We’ll need to come down the smaller mountains and embark in the journey to climb the bigger mountain. Then we will have the experience and knowledge to conquer larger mountains. We will be more careful to not make the same mistakes and will do some things differently. There will be the time to step down and let the younger generation take over. We need to take the time to mentor them and teach them what we’ve learned without feeling threatened. We need to enjoy the journey coming down, enjoy the views, and know that at the bottom lies rest and the satisfaction of knowing we accomplished much in our lives. We finished our race.
Spiritually, the journey starts with an open heart to God, allowing Him to fill us up with his Holy Spirit and wisdom. Spiritual training means we spend time with God, just in His presence, enjoying His love for us. It also means we read His Word so we can acquire the real wisdom we need to be successful in the world. We also need to spend time meditating, reflecting on our actions, our experiences, and thinking through plans for our future. We plan and then we let God act and help us achieve those plans.
On your journey, don’t forget to bring Jesus along as your companion. He will be there for you when you have to make the tough decisions, when you’re tired and think you can’t go on anymore. He will be your inner source of strength and encouragement. He will be there for you when no one else is. He will give you ideas, brilliant ideas on how to solve problems, how to create new things, how to mend a broken relationship, how to build teams, how to follow your leader, and how to lead your team. When you have a daily relationship with God, He will show you His vision for your life. He will show you the way and let you know when your mission is complete at every stage of the journey.
Final tips to be successful in the business world:
- Be prepared—physically, mentally, and spiritually—so when opportunities come you don’t miss them.
- Continue to learn always—each job, every new responsibility you get, learn so you are ready for the next step.
- Have faith—believe in God and trust Him. Make the step. He will be there for you and with you along the way.
- Take others with you so you can enjoy the journey. Always include Jesus in your team!
- Plan ahead—you plan and God helps you get there. Without a plan you will get nowhere because you won’t even know where you’re going.
- Be a good follower and choose the mountain you want to climb. If you don’t believe in the mission and vision of a company, don’t join that company. Find one where your beliefs align with the organization. Otherwise, you’ll have a hard time following.
- Climb your own mountain—you will always have choices. Ask God for the wisdom to discern which mountain to climb. Don’t climb a mountain just because somebody else is doing it. Choose your own. Choose wisely and enjoy the journey!
My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
(Isa. 55: 8-9 NLT)
Questions to ponder
1. What does your mountain look like?
2. How are you allowing God to help you climb your mountain?
3. What are you doing to help others climb their mountains?
Action items
1. If you are already climbing your mountain, make sure you have all the tools (i.e., education, special skills, etc.)
2. Allow God to help you along the way. You are not alone in your journey.
3. Help one person climb their mountain and you will be blessed.
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.
