{"id":28184,"date":"2023-11-01T06:00:56","date_gmt":"2023-11-01T11:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bankbeat.biz\/?p=28184"},"modified":"2023-11-09T07:58:53","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T13:58:53","slug":"outstanding-women-2023-deneen-axtman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bankbeat.biz\/outstanding-women-2023-deneen-axtman\/","title":{"rendered":"Outstanding Women 2023: Deneen Axtman"},"content":{"rendered":"

A leader\u2019s legacy is often established in high-stakes situations. For Cornerstone Bank Chief Operating Officer Deneen Axtman, that moment came in 2015 as the Fargo, N.D.-based bank was merging with fellow North Dakota financial institutions Lakeside State Bank and McKenzie County Bank.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Axtman\"
Deneen Axtman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Axtman ensured the success of the merger by bringing in key leaders from all three banks to finalize the products the combined bank would offer and establish how the company would process decisions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Listening to leaders of Lakeside State Bank and McKenzie County Bank, who had strong views on the future of the combined organization, required Axtman to hone her listening skills. She also played a key role in defining the combined bank\u2019s mission, values and brand. Today, those values mirror the strengths others see in Axtman\u2019s leadership approach: Positivity, openness in conversations, embracing change and empowering employees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSomething that I try to do is take a step back and ask questions,\u201d Axtman said of her approach to leadership. \u201cSo I am a question-asker, to try to understand people\u2019s whys \u2014 why do we feel so strongly about that, or why would that be successful, or why do we even do that \u2026 just ask enough questions to have a really good dialogue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Axtman\u2019s adherence to that philosophy led to her recognition as one of BankBeat<\/em> magazine\u2019s 2023 \u201cOutstanding Women in Banking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Axtman has presided over extensive growth at Cornerstone, which has expanded to a $1.4 billion bank from $200 million when she was hired in 2012. Cornerstone Bank CEO Jeff Thomas sees that as no coincidence. To him, she has extensive knowledge of banking through her nearly four decades of experience in the industry. She is often the first to ask whether potential decisions align with Cornerstone\u2019s culture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe has been instrumental in the growth and success of the bank, not just because of the expertise and breadth of experience she brings to the team but because of the respect and interpersonal skills she brings to the bank and team,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cDeneen exudes trust and approachability, and as a result people share with her and trust that things will get handled and improved.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Axtman decided to enter the banking industry in the 1980s while attending college at Minnesota State University, Moorhead. She interviewed with agriculture- and retail-focused companies and a bank. As she evaluated long-term career opportunities, banking became the obvious choice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever I interview somebody or I have been interviewed for a job, I always think that it\u2019s not just about the company finding the right candidate, it\u2019s also about the candidate finding the right company or industry for what matches you and your goals, your culture, your values,\u201d Axtman added.<\/span><\/p>\n

She initially worked for Minneapolis-based Norwest Bank and spent time as a retail district manager in the early 2000s before serving as SVP of retail banking at Bismarck, N.D.-based Starion Financial from 2008-12. \u201cI\u2019ve stayed in banking because it\u2019s given me a lot of different opportunities to try and do a lot of different things and to lead people and to work on my skills,\u201d she added.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Cornerstone\u2019s COO, Axtman ensures the functionality of a significant part of the bank\u2019s IT\/IS, operations, marketing, project management and facilities programs. Another crucial part of her role is gauging which positions are the right fit for employees. Axtman has one-on-one conversations with staff on a weekly basis, both to learn how she can help them grow and make them feel heard and challenged.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Axtman, Thomas and Board Chair Gary Petersen tour all 11 Cornerstone branches in North Dakota and South Dakota on an annual basis to meet with employees in small groups. The leaders discuss the current state of the company and encourage employees to share their ideas through an open dialogue.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is something that I am always developing,\u201d Axtman said of her leadership approach. \u201cObviously I\u2019ve gone through some training things over the years, but if you stop learning, you stop being. I am one who always wants to learn, continue to grow, continue to work on my leadership skills. I am still always looking for feedback from my peers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Axtman
Kenny and Deneen Axtman (Second and third from left) have four children: Astrid, Elsa, Linnea and Taiton. The family is shown at a wedding last summer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Axtman is chair-elect of the North Dakota Bankers Association, a position which allows her to gather feedback from other bankers, and has served on its board since 2018. \u201cI learned so much, not necessarily how to process a debit or credit, but just people\u2019s leadership styles, challenges they have run into and how they have handled them,\u201d Axtman noted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Axtman \u201chas a tremendous depth of experience\u201d which has been beneficial for the NDBA, added President and CEO Rick Clayburgh. He knows Axtman as a leader who asks the necessary questions to help the NDBA serve member banks. \u201cI consider her just a very excellent strategic thinker, very thoughtful in her deliberation, and that has been very beneficial,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deneen Axtman\u2019s commitment to asking questions and listening to the answers has led to her recognition as one of BankBeat magazine\u2019s 2023 \u201cOutstanding Women in Banking.\u201d [Continue] <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":409,"featured_media":28185,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[112],"yoast_head":"\nOutstanding Women 2023: Deneen Axtman - BankBeat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bankbeat.biz\/outstanding-women-2023-deneen-axtman\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Outstanding Women 2023: Deneen Axtman - 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