When One Banking Executive Hit Rock Bottom

Marti Mang, a senior vice president in TotalBank’s corporate lending division, to ask her about the changes she’s witnessed in the field.

MIAMI— Marti Mang , a senior vice president in TotalBank’s corporate lending division, made a way out of no way. All the odds were against her becoming a banking executive but she persevered and learned some valuable lessons she can now share with others. GlobeSt.com caught up with Mang to hear more of her story and the power of mentors in part two of this exclusive interview. You can still read part one: CRE Women, You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby . Globest.com: Given that job satisfaction for women is lower because of work-life balance, how did you as a mother then and now find that balance?  Mang: I did not have a choice. My marriage fell apart and my husband had to go through rehabilitation and was not providing any support. I had four children who were depending on me and so I was it. For a while I had to work three jobs to make ends meet as we were suddenly thrown below the poverty level for a family of five and even applied for food stamps. But I knew we were not going to be there long as I was very determined to succeed. With all of that going one, work-life balance was not even a part of the equation. Now that my children are grown and unfortunately, all live out of town, I take time to be a part of a book club, which reads a book each month, play golf and volunteer in prison ministry. The most important aspect of balance for me is to make a little time for myself, which I call “me time.” It is about one hour per day and I am currently taking an online class in increasing mindfulness, chatting with other students and taking some time to meditate, journal, express gratitude, reflect and pray. Globest.com: Mentors are important in helping women advance, what’s helped you in your career?  Mang: Early on in my career I had a wonderful mentor who later became the chairman of the board for Frontier Airlines. At that time, I was working as a bank examiner and she coached me to become an expert in at least one or two areas of my job and to have the most knowledge in these areas. When the time came to downsize our team because we were being absorbed by the largest holding company I survived the cut because I had the most knowledge in two of the key areas, real estate and investment securities. Our office was in the same building as a large bond brokerage and I made it a point to get to know some of the brokers and asked them to train me on what they looked for in spotting a good investment. Some of our client banks had purchased local investment securities that did not seem to match the criteria and I spoke to them about selling those investments. Later there was a payment default and some of the bondholders took a loss.