TPO@20! Interview with John Ryan, CEO of CSBS: The End of the “Because I Said So!” Era

July 16th, 2014
Written by: TPO

This interview is part of a yearlong retrospective blog series commemorating TPO@20! – TPO’s 20th Birthday. These conversations with TPO partners, clients and executives focus on what has and hasn’t changed in “how we work” over the last two decades–and what we can learn for the next 20 years. This interview is with John Ryan, President and CEO of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), which has been a TPO client since 2002.

TPO: John, thanks for participating in TPO@20!  Why don’t you start by telling us what you do?

John Ryan: I’m President and CEO of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), which is a group of 50 state banking regulators. We facilitate coordination between state regulators, the Federal government and Congress. Essentially we are the D.C. field office of state financial regulators.

TPO: Let’s go back to 1994–what were you doing around that time?

John Ryan: I was wrapping up eight months in Europe on a fellowship with the European Commission and had just started working in the financial services practice of a public policy consulting firm in Washington, DC.

TPO: What was your first email address?

John Ryan: Around that time I had just gotten AOL. What sticks in my mind is that I had to be near the forefront of electronic communications because I was working with companies in the financial sector who were already anticipating changes that would be brought on by technology.  They wanted to know how those changes would intersect with law and public policy, particularly in areas like online banking, online payments, and other related services such as digital signatures and managing legal documents online.  They needed our firm’s assistance in answering a lot of questions about how they would navigate and capitalize on all of that.

So I would say I was an early-ish adopter.  I brought AOL with me into the office and got my company to give me a dedicated phone line to access it.  Within a year or two, I was getting documents from Capitol Hill—although, because of the terrible Internet speeds they took forever to download.  That reminds me of one of the things that has changed over the last 20 years or so: You used to see a lot more bike couriers running all over town carrying these documents.

TPO: Do you remember the first things you did online?

JR: I always enjoyed traveling, so I liked that I could be my own travel professional and look up information all over the world.  To me, planning was part of the fun of the trip.  In 1996, I planned a trip to London using the Internet. I recall having to fax over the payment information since hotels had concerns about accepting online payments.

TPO: In terms of changes in your industry that have had a significant impact on “how you work,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

JR: Of course the Web dramatically transformed just about everything in financial services. More specifically, here at CSBS we maintain the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS).  NMLS is a web-based system state regulators use to manage applications, licenses, and supervision of non-depository financial services providers.  Through NMLS, we serve as the back office for 50 state regulators that are embracing a common platform to share things they couldn’t before. This is possible only because of these technology advances.

We’ve also been able to structure ourselves differently because our people are more self-sufficient. We need less administrative support —it’s easier to schedule meetings, communicate and make travel arrangements ourselves using technology.

And like many workforces, we are now accessible just about everywhere and anytime. The expectation is that I’m within reach–if not immediately then within a relatively short period of time.

TPO: On balance, has this increase in real-time, always-on communications been a good thing–or not so good?

JR: Positive.  As an example, during the financial crisis a few years ago, when things were moving quickly, we were having lots of weekend and late night phone calls.  I had a trip to Europe planned, and I thought, “Well, I’ll have to cancel.” But I ended up going, and I think in many cases, the members and staff didn’t know I was gone.  I worked from 6 pm – midnight and was able to be responsive.  I wouldn’t have been able to take that trip before.

On the other side of the equation, I think there’s a lot less processing and filtering of information and communications, which makes it tough.  The ease of communications can bring too much information and sometimes, miscommunication.  These days, we really should think more before we communicate.

TPO: Thinking back 20 years, what was your definition of Human Resources then and what is it now?

JR: The HR person was someone you talked to on your first day and last day on the job. I’m sure they had a job, but I just didn’t come into contact with them—I guess I stayed out of trouble. Today it’s a very different role. As CEO I’m interacting with HR a lot as business and people issues are so intertwined.

TPO: Do you remember the first performance review you received?

JR: There were no performance reviews. Every day was considered a performance review. Something I’ve come to value is the process of setting and discussing expectations. Make it meaningful–not just something you have to do. In the past, reviews weren’t a value add. But we owe it to people to add value in that process.

TPO: What was the definition of leadership? Has it changed?

JR: The world is becoming a bit more flat as it relates to organizations. There’s much more collaboration, and less “It’s so because I say its so.” This type of collaboration works well in my environment. But of course, ultimately someone has to make decisions, set the tone and set goals.

TPO: Name something about “how we work” that hasn’t changed in the last two decades.

JR: There’s no substituting for face-to-face communication. There are complexities in how we communicate that haven’t successfully made their way through the web. Really big decisions and really big problems are almost always resolved in person.

TPO: Can you talk a bit about your experience working with TPO?

JR: My experience outsourcing our HR function to TPO has been so positive for me. They’re very consultative. And they’re not just about solving HR problems.  For them, it’s about thinking past what we’re doing now and how can we do things better–how to create an environment where  everyone rallies behind common CSBS goals and where engagement and discretionary effort are high, in part, because everyone understands how the work they do every day contributes to achieving those goals. They’ve brought a level of professionalism to the role. We’ve been a TPO client for a long time, and it’s my interactions with them that helped me think of HR as value-add.

TPO: John, thanks so much for participating in TPO@20!

JR: It’s been my pleasure and congratulations on such a significant milestone.