Jones From CIT to Lead Master Talk on Servant Leadership for STRIPES Leadership Program

Industry leader Mike Jones, president of Business Capital at CIT, will lead a Master Talk on Servant Leadership: Why Serving First Creates Healthier, Freer and More Autonomous Employees for STRIPES Leadership Program, the professional and personal leadership development program designed to challenge and inspire best-in-class leaders within the equipment finance industry in partnership with Monitor.

This Master Talk will provide insight on how servant leadership puts a company’s employees at the very top and the leader at the very bottom, essentially turning the conventional leadership style on its head. As a leader, it is your responsibility to take care of your people; they will in turn take better care of the customer, leading to business success. Building a caring, respectful, high performance and mission-minded organization is a competitive advantage.

“The old rules of traditional top down, highly controlled, singularly focused leadership no longer work and have not for years. It has been replaced with leaders who serve their team, who then serve their clients and those clients will ensure the success of your organization. In this session, we will discuss what servant leadership is, why it is impactful, how to go about it and debunk the myths that may be perceived,” Jones said.

STRIPES Leadership Program is a 10-month, rich and unique leadership development experience. With a mixture of assessments, Master Talks are just one component of the comprehensive program tapestry, which includes Master Workshops, mentor modules, breakthrough discussions and leadership development plans. Launching in September 2021, the program will cultivate a transformative journey to leadership advancement. The curriculum is designed to present opportunities for participants to expand both personally and professionally to enhance their leadership potential.

“Servant leadership will challenge traditional approaches to leadership,” Lisa Rafter, CEO and founder of STRIPES Leadership Program, said. “In Mike’s Master Talk, participants will learn how to develop a serve-first mindset to drive organization performance.”

Jones has served as president of CIT Business Capital since January 2018. He is responsible for CIT’s equipment finance businesses. Jones also served as managing director of business capital for CIT beginning in 2016. Prior to that, he served as senior vice president and managing director for EverBank Equipment Finance/TIAA from 2009 to 2016, managing sales and operations for the vendor equipment finance division, and as a director from 2004 to 2008. Jones also previously held management positions with U.S. Bank Equipment Finance and Sunoco Oil Company. Jones retired honorably from the U.S. Army (Ranger) and completed one combat tour.