ABOUT THE BOOK

Taking Stock is an invitation to take time to reflect on those key decisions and experiences that got you to this point in your life and your career, and where you might be headed. Taking the time to take stock of your life’s purpose, career, and relationships, is a highly worthwhile endeavor. The author, Peter de Silva, was a C-suite financial services executive when his career was sidelined by two back to back corporate acquisitions. Peter was forced to go on an unexpected personal journey of further growth and development. 

The reader follows de Silva through his 35+ year personal and professional leadership journey. In Taking Stock, de Silva discusses how his experiences as a national financial services executive with a seat at the table, noted community leader, father and husband, shaped his world view and his leadership approach.  As he shares his story, he invites each of us to consider the essential decisions that we make. In addition to his business experiences, de Silva discusses how his leadership style was impacted by his life-long struggle with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT), a progressive, degenerative neurological disease impacting the peripheral nerves. He kept this illness to himself for many years not wanting it to impact his career opportunities, but through his journey, he came to appreciate that vulnerability is a core element of leadership strength.

He looks at his life experiences as a mosaic and believes they test the impressions people hold, values they set and believe, or a set of actions that people might want—or not want—to emulate. de Silva is one of those rare leadership practitioners who captured and distilled his learnings into a set of principles for everyone to use.  These principles are from the leadership front lines and represent a time-tested proven formula that can be used by today’s aspiring leaders.  de Silva shares his principles in Taking Stock with the hopes that his experiences will help all leaders accelerate their personal and professional development.  

1. Create and communicate a compelling vision and purpose

2. Properly align, strategy, structure and people – in that order 

3. Engage, develop, and retain superior diverse talent 

4. Focus and finish

5. Take intelligent risks on emerging leaders 

6. Take care of your associates and the rest will take care of itself 

7. Build enduring, mutually beneficial relationships 

8. Lead by principles

9. Collaborate  

10. Operate with a sense of urgency

Additionally, after leading through the financial crisis of 2008, Peter reflects on his lessons learned from his seat at the table during that turbulent time. He evaluates the sources of the crisis through a leadership lens, concluding that the “crisis” was at its core a crisis of principled leadership.  His observations will help today’s leaders as the country enters another period of economic uncertainty.

In the afterword, Peter gives the reader a deep and thoughtful perspective on the true meaning and definition of leadership.  You do not want to miss his unique take on this age old question.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Peter de Silva is a nationally recognized and highly accomplished financial industry executive. He is an experienced chairman, CEO, president, executive committee member, and public and private company director. He is also a trustee for national non-profit organizations and national charitable foundations. de Silva is also a former Harvard University Senior Fellow – Advanced Leadership Initiative.

de Silva has more than 30 years of experience in the financial sector of banking, institutional asset management and servicing, and wealth management. de Silva’s experience also includes retirement, retail and institutional brokerage, trading, healthcare financial services and corporate services. He is recognized for his ability to drive outsized results by creating a compelling vision, building the strategy, aligning resources and executing the plan. de Silva shows strong executive leadership and possesses board credentials while being a highly engaged servant leader who is committed to developing talent and effective organizations. de Silva is the recipient of a Doctor of Humane Letters from Park University.

de Silva possesses board-related experience in strategy, audit and risk management. Currently on the boards of Edelman Financial Engines, Prosper Marketplace, Inc., Infosel, IRALOGIX, Fidelity Security Life Insurance Company, the Robert W. Plaster Charitable Foundation, MRI Global, the CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF), the UMASS Dartmouth Foundation and the Commonwealth Corporation. He is happily married and is the proud father of two wonderful daughters.

TALKING POINTS

• Lessons learned leading UMB out of the 2008 financial crisis; UMB was recognized by Forbes as the second best bank during this time 
• Keen insights into the causes of today’s banking instability, including how recent Federal policy has exposed weaknesses in the banking system
• How the recent bank failures will impact the macro U.S. economic outlook for businesses and consumers
• Why more pressure may be on the way if a slowing economy leads to a reduction in real estate valuations
• His life-long struggle with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT), a progressive, degenerative neurological disease impacting the peripheral nerves, which has influenced his leadership style.