Curt Myers: The Heart Behind the Hires
At the 2025 NEXT Forum in Philadelphia, Fulton Financial CEO Curt Myers cuts a quietly commanding figure — clean-cut, with an easy smile that suggests steadiness more than showmanship. His dark suit is sharp but not flashy; his stance relaxed yet intentional. Myers speaks without notes, in the calm, deliberate cadence of a leader who’s spent decades earning credibility the hard way — through listening. As he talks, the stage lights catch the silver at his temples. He occasionally leans forward, scanning the room of bank executives as if speaking to each one personally.
From my seat along the wall, I’m struck by how still the audience is. No one checks their phone. They are fully engaged with his advice and stories.
As he walks offstage and we sit down for our post-presentation conversation, I realize that simplicity is part of Myers’ leadership magic. He doesn’t complicate what shouldn’t be complicated — he humanizes it.
Bank Culture, Managed Like a Core Business Line
I tell Curt that Fulton’s culture has always stood out to me. It’s rare to find a regional bank that treats culture as a strategic discipline instead of a talking point.
He nods. “We really focus on shaping our culture over time because things change,” he explains. “You’ve got to make sure the company’s moving in the same direction as the industry and the opportunities you have.”
Then he says something that sticks with me — not because it’s catchy, but because it’s operationally grounded.
Culture isn’t just a slogan on a wall…we have culture concepts, culture training, and it’s woven into every huddle, every team meeting. There’s a structure to it.”
Most companies talk about culture. Fulton manages it.
He describes an internal mantra every Fulton employee knows: Assume positive intent. That mindset provides a compass when challenges arise.
“When we’re working hard for a customer or a solution, we don’t get caught up in turf wars or agendas,” he explains. “Everyone assumes positive intent. If there’s a challenge, we try to be curious about it versus judgmental.”
Curiosity instead of judgment — it sounds like something from a leadership book, but this isn’t theory. It’s practice. “Assume positive intent” isn’t about avoiding conflict; it’s about focusing conflict in the right direction.
That one phrase defines Fulton’s cultural muscle: honest collaboration. It’s the kind of professional melding that lets teams disagree productively, solve faster, and walk away with respect intact.
If you’ve ever seen a company lose its way, it’s rarely because the business model failed. It’s because the shared positive intent eroded, replaced by cynicism or fear. Myers understands that erosion starts quietly — in tone and in trust. So, Fulton addresses it structurally, like managing credit risk or liquidity.
That’s a leadership lesson worth underlining: Culture doesn’t drift by itself. You either manage it, or it manages you.
Beyond the Résumé: The Search for Authentic Banking Talent
When the conversation turns to talent, Curt smiles. “For us, banking is personal,” he says. “Whether it’s something we’re doing for the community or taking care of a customer — it’s personal.”
Then comes the pivot point, the word that defines his entire approach to leadership: heart.
“You’ve got to have a heart for that,” he says. “You’ve got to want to make a difference. You can’t be in it just for yourself.”
In an era when job descriptions read like checklists, Myers looks for something that doesn’t fit on a résumé. He’s searching for behavioral evidence of care.
“I can teach skills,” he says. “But I can’t teach heart.”
He tells me how his team looks beyond personality types or polished answers. They look for glimpses — the unscripted moments when someone talks about a customer they helped or a mistake they learned from.
“I don’t want to ask, ‘Do you have a passion for community?’ because everyone’s going to say ‘Yes,’” he says with a laugh. “I want to see it. I want to feel it.”
It reminds me of something he said onstage earlier: “We hired an executive a few years ago who, during dinner, broke into tears talking about a personal challenge. I could see the regret in his eyes — he thought he’d blown the interview. But I was thinking: This guy just got the job. Because he cares deeply and lets that care impact him.”
That story could have ended as a soft moment. Instead, it turns into a powerful commentary on what leadership should look like.
While banking can be labeled “detached” or “overly polished”, Myers’ bets on humanness and empathy are paying dividends. Fulton’s retention and performance data, not to mention its community reputation, prove that heart is measurable.
Recruiting to Fill the Gaps
One of Myers’ onstage remarks — “be honest about where your gaps are” — hit a nerve for a lot of executives in the room. Too many organizations talk about “fit” when they could be talking about balance.
When leaders only hire in their own image, they get comfort, not innovation.
Myers pushes for teams that balance strengths, perspectives, and styles. He understands the value of cognitive diversity — not as a buzzword, but as a performance lever.
Recruit to fill the gaps’ means that while you are training and growing your people for tomorrow, you may need to bring in someone from the outside today.”
That mindset is especially relevant now. Across the industry, succession planning has become an existential issue. Many banks face leadership pipeline gaps that can’t be solved with internal promotions alone.
Myers’ model offers a roadmap: train internally, recruit externally, but always align on cultural fundamentals.
That’s a blueprint community banks everywhere can use — one that balances local loyalty with progressive thinking.
Why Top Leaders Ask ‘Why’
When I ask Myers what behavior he values most in rising leaders, he pauses — the kind of pause that tells you he’s not answering on autopilot.
“Curiosity,” he says finally. “Be curious before you’re judgmental.”
He used that phrase earlier when describing team dynamics, but it applies even more directly to leadership development.
The best leaders aren’t the loudest or the fastest — they’re the most curious. They ask why. They seek context before conclusions.
At Fulton, that curiosity shows up in how leaders handle conflict and opportunity alike. Instead of reacting, they explore. Instead of defending turf, they ask questions.
That’s how innovation happens in a traditional industry: not by disruption alone, but by disciplined curiosity.
Lessons for Leaders
In every conversation I’ve had with great community bank leaders, one theme keeps resurfacing: the human edge still wins.
Technology can process data faster, but it can’t care. Strategy can direct behavior, but it can’t inspire belief.
That’s where Curt Myers stands out. He’s leading a $30-billion financial institution by anchoring it in qualities that can’t be digitized: empathy, heart, curiosity, and courage.
His story reminds every leader — whether in banking, fintech, or beyond — that culture isn’t a feel-good initiative. It’s a performance strategy.
