Through both practical experience with leaders and her studies in leadership during her MBA program at Wilkes University, Susie Kalinay has come to understand that leadership fundamentally revolves around people. “Recognizing the importance of followership alongside leadership is crucial, as leaders cannot exist without followers,” Kalinay says.
Consistently prioritizing the needs and success of her teammates, in conjunction with their collective contributions, Kalinay strives to be a servant leader. “I find great fulfillment in sharing my experiences in equipment finance with new hires, aiding them in their journey within the field,” Kalinay says.
Kalinay’s primary objective is to nurture relationships with existing customers. In her current role as equipment finance inside sales associate at 1st Equipment Finance, she is deeply involved in all aspects of the loan/lease lifecycle, from application origination to closing.
In Kalinay’s view, the primary challenge confronting the equipment finance industry today revolves around talent acquisition and succession planning, particularly with the impending retirement of seasoned employees who have been instrumental in shaping the industry. She believes the industry should work to enhance awareness and visibility of the abundant opportunities within the sector, particularly among high school and college students considering their career paths.
“I am thankful to organizations like ELFA, ELFF and similar entities and publications for their efforts in reaching both the current and upcoming workforce,” Kalinay says. “Without a robust and skilled pool of human capital to sustain the equipment finance industry, commerce would be significantly affected, given our role in providing financing to businesses for the acquisition of necessary equipment to run their businesses such as trucking, construction and manufacturing.”
In terms of opportunity, Kalinay sees the implementation of artificial intelligence, data and analytics as a way to enhance efficiencies across the lease/loan lifecycle, from application entry to termination. Kalinay says these tools can aid in creating forecasting models to predict market trends that impact the industry.
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