“Show up on time and with a purpose.”
David Braaten
Chief executive officer
Partnership Bank
Cedarburg
Industry: Banking
Employees: 72
Credit:Lila Aryan Photography
I ended up having a mentor in college and he said a couple of things to me that resonated in my life. The first one was: ‘To be the best, study the best.’ Once you study the best, you’re able to create a gap analysis to figure out what you need to do more of or what you need to do less of.”
“I went to that same mentor when I was coming out of college and said, ‘How am I going to be successful in the workplace?’ He said, ‘Dave, it’s really simple. No. 1: Show up on time and with a purpose.’ It’s the 80-20 rule. Twenty percent will show up on time and with a purpose and 80 percent won’t. But he said, ‘Don’t stop there. No. 2 is: When you raise your hand to say you’re going to do something, do it.’ Twenty percent of the people who raised their hand will do what they say they’re going to do and 80 percent won’t. By sheer math, you are now in the top 4 percent.
Age: 51
Professional experience: Braaten graduated from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota in 1989 and joined Menomonee Falls-based Strong Capital Management. In 1994, he was named the director of U.S. and international trading. In 1998, he was named president of Strong Investments and one of four co-CEOs. In 2005, Braaten co-founded Next Generation Wealth Management Inc. Braaten joined Partnership Bank parent Partnership Community Bancshares as president and chief operating officer in 2009. Since 2016, he has been CEO of Partnership Bank, in addition to president of the holding company.
In the news: Partnership Bank recently expanded and upgraded the business relationship center at its Cedarburg location, a response to the growth of its client base. The business also recently received the Torch Award for Ethics from the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin.
