Tiffany Cason

Dallas/Fort Worth Commercial Banking Executive Market President, Capital One Corporate Banking Group

40 Under 40 Category: Business Development

Biography:

As DFW Commercial Banking Executive and Dallas market president, Tiffany Cason leads a team of commercial bankers responsible for a full range of banking products and services, committing Capital One Bank’s resources to strengthen the community.  Tiffany has over 15 years of banking experience – all in DFW.

Tiffany serves the community as board member for: Dallas Regional Chamber (Executive Committee), American Red Cross of North Texas (current Chair); Communities in Schools of Tarrant County Foundation (Chairperson); Davey O’Brien Foundation; and President’s Advisory Task Force for Texas Wesleyan University. She previously served with Child Study Center Foundation, The Ladder Alliance and Kupferle Texas Health.

Capital One Commercial Bank selected Tiffany in 2018 as one of 25 women nation-wide to join the inaugural Emerging Women’s Leadership program.  In 2017, Dallas Business Journal named Tiffany to the Top 40 under 40; Fort Worth Business Press honored Tiffany in its 2016 Top 40 under 40. Tiffany earned a BBA in finance/marketing from Baylor University and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

What is the best professional advice you have been given and how have you implemented it?

During my career, I’ve been fortunate to receive a lot of sound advice over the years.  At Capital One Bank, two of our driving principles are 1) Excellence and 2) Do the Right Thing.  Since my first day, I’ve been encouraged to make every decision based on those concepts.  It’s allowed me to leave my ego at the door and focus on creating collaborative team environments and successes.  A unique piece of advice from one of my mentors at Capital One is that the most correlated competency to my career trajectory is my ability to influence.  What I like about this advice is that it is within my control but it also takes significant effort, as influencing others (up, down and sideways) requires a growth and servant leadership mindset.  

Another piece of advice I have carried with me for the last six years was given to me by a dear friend from Pepperdine.  He told me that, as I continue to progress in my career, I’ll likely hear the question “How do you balance it all?”  When I asked him what his thoughts were on this, he stated simply, “Most people view work and life as a balancing act.  I don’t.  If I view it that way, it feels like I have to give up something up to gain something else – a zero sum mindset.  Instead, I choose to view life as a rhythm, where everything crescendos and decrescendos at different times.  I just make sure that I’m spending quality time on whatever I’m doing, regardless of where I am or whom I’m with in that moment.”  Ever since I asked that question, I’ve been following this advice and truly believe it is a better way to approach the challenge.    

How do you define a good leader and how do you to reflect those characteristics in your career?

Leaders come in all shapes and sizes and often the concept of a leader gets merged with the concept of management. However, anyone at any age and any job level can be a leader.  My favorite quote that is attributed to the late Dallas Cowboys head coach, Tom Landry, is this:  “Leadership is getting people to do what they don’t want to do, in order to achieve what they want to achieve.”  This simple concept has led me through many discussions and decisions as it challenges me to find a way to listen, learn and inspire people to achieve their greatest potential.

What advice do you normally give to the junior talent you mentor?

I tell junior associates that the best bankers take time to study their craft and study their clients’ businesses and industries. Bankers should understand where their client wants to go and offer options and solutions to help them get there. I also advise junior associates to identify an expert in your field and study that person to determine what she/he does differently to make her/him stand out.  Model your behavior and performance to mirror the best performers.  Finally, I advise working to develop a strong network of clients, colleagues, and circles of influence.  Listen to the needs of clients, prospects, and community organizations, then network the right people in to help. This connecting of resources is a crucial component.