Dan Yates: The Power of Vulnerability in Leadership
Alright. So, welcome, Crystal.
Crystal Page:Thank you, Grant. How are you today?
Grant Oliphant:I'm I'm great. I'm I'm really looking forward to hearing this conversation. We got a chance to speak today with, with Dan Yates, who is our very own board chair, but also, the chairman and cofounder of Endeavor Bank here in San Diego, and one of San Diego's leading civic leaders.
Crystal Page:And also just a homegrown San Diego guy, so I'm just excited to hear his take on connection with the community.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. I think we're gonna dive right in because there's so much to get to here. But I do wanna warn our listeners that we are in the course of this conversation going to talk about loss and leading through grief. So if that's a difficult subject for you, you might wanna be aware of that. It is I think overall a joyful conversation and a celebrate a celebration of what community leadership looks like.
Grant Oliphant:So, why don't we get to it?
Crystal Page:Let's dive in.
Grant Oliphant:Alright, Dan Yates. Thanks so much for being here.
Dan Yates:Thank you, Grant. It's a pleasure to see you again.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. It is, we spend a lot of time together. We do. And and it's been one of my joys since coming to San Diego. And I wanna start off by, saying, you know, I'll acknowledge this in the preamble before this, but you're the board chair of the Conrad Prebys Foundation, and I you know, getting to know you, I have to say, has been one of my one of my great pleasures in coming to this town, and I'm gonna tell you why.
Grant Oliphant:It's it's quite aside from you as a person and your personality. All my life, I have talked about people who are civic leaders, and that term gets bandied about in a way that is sort of genericized, so, you know, everybody's a civic leader. But when I think about you, you're sort of the model of a civic leader. You're a business guy who is engaged in community, who does way too many civic obligations, takes them very seriously. We're gonna talk a little bit about your time management probably in this in this and your approach to leadership, but I wanna start off by acknowledging that, and I'm curious in this conversation to figure out where that comes from for you.
Grant Oliphant:And I don't mean to embarrass you, but I do wanna start off by just saying thank you for bringing that element to the work you do for us.
Dan Yates:Well, thank you. I'm I'm grinning because if my wife was here, she'd say, tell him to say no.
Grant Oliphant:Right. Yeah.
Dan Yates:But it it really started as a young kid. I've I didn't realize coming out of college, becoming a banker that was part of the duty of a banker, but quickly shifted from a duty to a joy. And it has been a lifelong passion. And most years I've been involved in 10 different nonprofits, too many boards, a lot of volunteer work. And it does get daunting at times because you're trying to weigh a lot of different things, but it's you do it because it's the right thing to do.
Dan Yates:You pay it forward. Yeah. And this community has been great good to me, and I'm trying to give back what I can.
Grant Oliphant:You know, somewhere I read that you started thinking about being an entrepreneur when you were 8 years old, and so you were you've been wired all your life to be a start up guy, a person who thinks about how, business connects with community, but I wanna dig deeper on the community side for a moment. And I think a lot of people would probably be surprised to know where your connection your deep connection to San Diego and to the broader community comes from. Can you talk a little bit about where you grew up and how your upbringing shaped you?
Dan Yates:Yeah. My I guess 3rd or 4th generation San Diego on my mom's side. My dad came here for the Navy like many do and and stayed, to my great pleasure. But I grew up in Paradise Hills and went to Morse High School in Encanto. And it was a, you know, difficult time as a kid because, very diverse high school, but with a lot of gangs.
Dan Yates:And if you were Caucasian as I was and am, that meant getting jumped about once a week on average. You come out of that, though, a better person. What it did for me and it continues to do for me is open my eyes as to what was behind that.
Dan Yates:And what can I do to change that for our community going forward So we don't see each other as different colors and creeds, but a collection of wonderful human beings that make a fabric that lifts up San Diego? And that is what I've experienced since high school is constantly going back to the community I grew up in and trying to lift it up Yeah. And and really take what I've learned in the business community and pay that forward. And it shows up. Just, the other day, I had a chance to do the commencement exercise for 2nd Chance, which is not far from, Morse High School.
Dan Yates:And these are individuals who have just recently come out of prison.
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Dan Yates:And they have they have the the beauty of looking at their future, not their past to define them. And there were so much joy in just getting to know them individually, hearing their stories, hearing, what they've done at the 2nd chance organization to prepare themselves to go back to society and not to return to prison. And it's my belief that the majority of those will live a productive life. Just being part of that story and sharing it, the joy it brings me is is what you you really can't put it into words.
Grant Oliphant:What was your message to them?
Dan Yates:When I walked in, this is often the case. They see the man in the business suit.
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Dan Yates:And how do they relate to me? So I started off by helping them understand where I grew up, not far from where they are going to, to second chance. And really just talking about my journey and but more importantly, asking about their dreams and trying to create connections. So I can show them that leaders in the community are the place to start. Don't be shy about reaching out to those of us who have the ability to connect.
Dan Yates:Open those doors, provide jobs, and really encourage them to, raise their hand. I said, in my lifetime, people have helped me and I've helped others. And, in turn, they'll be doing the same as they move into positions of leadership, I hope. But for now, it's just really helping them understand that the community wants to help, but you have to ask.
Grant Oliphant:Such a hopeful and empowering message. I wonder what did you learn as a kid growing up where you were the other, and you had that experience of, as you said, being jumped every week, and you were seen as the outsider. What did that teach you, that you carry with you to this day?
Dan Yates:The first thought I always had was there was a lot of pain. Mhmm. Pain and anger, and a lack of trust, and really being judged, not for who I was, but for how I looked. And I realized that if that's how I felt, guess what we're doing to others when we treat them as such.
Grant Oliphant:Mhmm.
Dan Yates:And it's starting with that understanding that I had done nothing wrong as an individual, but I was being beaten up, hated on for things I had really nothing to do. And I remember my father said to me, around that time, he said the greatest hero he knew in his lifetime was Martin Luther King Junior.
Grant Oliphant:Mhmm.
Dan Yates:And I had a neighbor who didn't like that. And I remember he would walk through his front yard carrying a rifle on his back, police in the yard and painted his trees white.
Dan Yates:And it was like, oh, you know, a a very ugly scene in our neighborhood. And my dad stood tall, and he made sure that we understood that, there's no prejudice in our family. And so, you know, my street was as diverse as San Diego could possibly be. My neighbors to the immediate right were Filipino.
Dan Yates:Next to them, Hispanic family. Next to them, a black family. Next to them, a Caucasian family. So we grew up in, like, the United Nations. And when we got together to play football, we were all the same.
Dan Yates:Just bunch of kids having fun.
Grant Oliphant:How do you carry that lesson forward with you into your community involvement and in into your your business world, especially now in these divided times where race is such a hot button issue in the culture, and how people perceive each other feels so divisive. What what what do you find yourself talking about a lot in the context of that?
Dan Yates:I think on a daily basis, we're always trying to find ways to help one another. 1st, among our clients in the bank, then among individuals of the nonprofits we support, and trying to seek to understand what is their mission, how can we help, creating dialogue, creating understanding, and really having conversations. It begins with understanding who we're talking to, how they feel, why they feel the way they do, seek first to understand, and it's so true. And when you walk into a room, as I did at 2nd chance, and as I've done many times at Morse High School when I go back to speak to the students, I walk into glares. Why should I talk to this banker or this businessman?
Dan Yates:There's a, but when I leave, I leave with friends and excitement. And I just I've seen that happen over the decades. And I know how to walk into a room and change the conversation.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. And I love that about you. I've seen you do it. You do it, I think, consistently. Before I leave this, you know, your early days, you know, a lot of people growing up in those circumstances could have become bitter, and could have decided well, I'm going to withdraw from any element of discussion or engagement around these issues or around other people, you didn't do that.
Grant Oliphant:You chose to fully engage with community, and you did go into banking, but you went into community banking, and in your community banking, you're constantly out in the community and and engaged with civic organizations. So what was it in you or in your upbringing aside from the fact that you lived in a diverse neighborhood that made you not withdraw?
Dan Yates:Well, it's it's gonna sound like an old fashioned line, but, I had the world's best mother. Yeah.
Grant Oliphant:I think some of the old fashioned lines are the best ones, actually.
Dan Yates:And if you think about it, you often hear about the Midwestern values. And I grew up with that with a father from Missouri who was a farmer. And he always taught us to love one another, treat people with kindness, to always be giving service. Because in the in the farm life where he grew up, we heard the stories many time, farms would burn down. And the only way you survive was your neighbors pitching in.
Dan Yates:So he brought that to everything we did in San Diego. We were always doing work for our neighbors and our friends. And, you know, again, growing up in a neighborhood where we all looked different. We all had different skin colors. That was just my normal.
Dan Yates:I remember moving to Los Angeles, and my first assignment was to work, in Watson in Compton. And it felt very normal, very familiar. One time I went to Chicago, and I went to listen to some jazz. And I walked downstairs, and I was the only person in the room, that was Caucasian. And everyone was looking at me like, why is he here?
Dan Yates:But that was normal for me. So I think sometimes things become familiar.
Grant Oliphant:Mhmm.
Dan Yates:And with that comes comfort and understanding really how to help others that, are uncomfortable in the situations, which is often the case.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. I love that idea. Bev again, last question before we leave your childhood, although I can't promise I won't come back to it.
Grant Oliphant:But you wanted to be a quarterback for the chargers when you were 8 year also when you were young. So what happened to that dream?
Dan Yates:It's still alive. It's very daunting. As as I look at 63, I haven't seen any quarterbacks, into their fifties, so that that dream is probably dead.
Grant Oliphant:But The odds are certainly longer. Yeah.
Dan Yates:I may be one of the few remaining San Diego natives that still supports the chargers, and that's that's okay.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. Well, I confess. The the only time I've been to a chargers game since coming to town and I remember them
Dan Yates:Yeah.
Grant Oliphant:Fondly as the San Diego chargers, but I went with you to an LA chargers game. It just didn't feel right wandering around a stadium seeing all these LA chargers.
Dan Yates:It still doesn't. Yeah. Yeah.
Grant Oliphant:But good for you for you are a loyal individual.
Dan Yates:Absolutely.
Grant Oliphant:So, let's talk about, well, first of all, your segue into banking. Why how did that happen, and why why was that your path?
Dan Yates:I wanna say by accident. I recall as a as a child realizing my dad had one job his whole life, working for General Dynamics. And I thought coming out of college that I had to make that decision immediately, and that would be my life path. But I wasn't ready. Not many 20 year olds are ready to decide one path, one path only.
Dan Yates:So I decided to join a management training program for banks. And I knew that I would be exposed to 1,000 of different businesses and industries, and I was gonna buy time. Well, it was an 18 month training program. In 18 months after I started, someone came to me and they pushed my button called integrity. And they said it would be unethical for me to take this money they had invested in me to train me as a banker and to leave.
Dan Yates:I said, what does that look like?
Grant Oliphant:Wow.
Dan Yates:And they said, well, you need to stick around for another year and a half. Mhmm. Another year and a half went by, and I was surrounded by entrepreneurs.
Dan Yates:And I knew that was my calling to start a business. So I thought, well, if I stay around long enough, sooner or later someone's gonna retire and I'll have a chance to buy their business. Right. And then eventually, as it happened, I found myself working for banking entrepreneurs.
Dan Yates:And they said, if you stick around long enough, we'll teach you how to be a banking entrepreneur. And they did. So I went on to start 2 banks.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. Which is, I mean, your your professional story, which we'll have outlined in the introduction, is pretty remarkable. It's a story of singular professional accomplishment, and illustrates the point about entrepreneurism you just made, But there's another through line in that, which is about civic leadership, which is where I started, because you married the 2, which is I think what's so remarkable in how you approach this work. Can you talk a little bit about your approach to civic leadership, and how you think about that as a component of who you are?
Dan Yates:Yeah. First, I wanna begin, though, with a name that many San Diegans are familiar with, which is the Sefton family. And as a young kid, San Diego Trust and Savings Bank made a mark on our community in ways that remind me of Conrad Prebys.
Grant Oliphant:Mhmm.
Dan Yates:And that family went 3 generations in a 100 years, and their name was everywhere in San Diego and their impact was felt. When I went to Los Angeles and I worked for a different type of bank, It was always my dream to take that model back to San Diego and marry the 2 together. In other words, the model I was exposed to in Los Angeles was one I had never seen. It was really consultative banking, helping business owners figure out their biggest challenges. But do it with community leadership and build a legacy that would survive my time as the founder of a bank.
Dan Yates:And so it was with that idea that I started my first bank with one unconditional promise with my, partner at the time. And that was if we start a bank together, we're never gonna sell it. And we had a handshake, and that lasted about 12 years. And then it was year 13. He said, hey, partner.
Dan Yates:I know we said we never sell the bank, but, I've changed my mind. And I said, well, do I get a a vote in this? I'm CEO of the bank. He says, yes. You do.
Dan Yates:He says, how many shares do you have? And that was a lesson.
Grant Oliphant:Little lesson. Yeah.
Dan Yates:He had a little more than me. Quite a bit.
Grant Oliphant:Why was it so important to you not to sell?
Dan Yates:Legacy is important to me, making an impact. And what has happened across the United States, in every major city, community banks have become, dinosaurs. They're extinct Fewer each year. And the impact community banks make on a community is profound.
Dan Yates:We see the story told again and again. And I I again, I saw with the Sefton family how entrenched they were in lifting up San Diego through the banking lens, through dealing with nonprofits, through dealing with their clients, providing jobs. There's so many ways you can do that through the banking lens that I wanted to do that for for my community.
Grant Oliphant:So coming back to the the civic engagement piece, that's why you focused on on community banking and it's why you didn't wanna sell, but you actually when you when you did this a second time with Endeavor Bank really made it a cornerstone of the bank itself that you would that civic engagement would be a part of what you were doing there too. And, and again, I guess I'm I'm curious why it was so important to you other than as an expression of what community banks do.
Dan Yates:Well, if I learned one thing the first time around is, not to have any shareholders that are in fully in control of the bank that can, have that same conversation 12 years later. Yeah. So this time around, I invited the business community to become part of the bank.
Dan Yates:And we have about a 1000 civic leaders and business, owners who own the bank. And the vision for this bank was to create the largest network of individuals that could help one another. Help one another open doors, make an impact, create jobs, transform our city in ways that money and commerce and leadership can do working in conjunction with civic leaders. That is the shareholder base of Endeavor Bank.
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Dan Yates:And it was very intentional and very hard. But because typically, what you'll do when you start a bank is you'll invite 12, 24 individuals that can write a check for a $1,000,000 or more and you call it a day. We went down to as low as $5,000 to become a shareholder.
Grant Oliphant:Wow.
Dan Yates:So to raise 26,000,000, which is what it required at the time, It was a lot of conversations with the right people.
Dan Yates:And the the the number one issue I heard when we were talking to people about becoming a shareholder is how long is the bank gonna be around? Not what's the return on my investment. But the reason they asked that question is they understood that a community bank makes an impact in San Diego, in this case, in a way that is hard to explain unless you've experienced it. And most of these shareholders had once been with a community bank and had experienced that bank leaving our community and leaving a void.
Dan Yates:And so it was important to them. It was important to me.
Grant Oliphant:You mentioned Conrad a moment ago as, another example of of an inspiration for you around community leadership, and I'm I'm curious. First of all, would you elaborate on that a little bit and talk about what you what you thought, Conrad embodied, in terms of what you you think of as typical of how San Diego operates in terms of community leadership.
Dan Yates:So Conrad, like many others that we we have today, invested his time and his money and his talents, through a number of organizations. We all see the visible signs of it on occasion with his name on a building. But more importantly, are the stories you hear about Conrad going into the Boys and Girls Club, going into the health community, UCSD, and really making an impact that would help others with the money that he created, the wealth he created over a li Mhmm. We have very few foundations as you know, but we have a few Conrads.
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Dan Yates:Maybe maybe a few too few in San Diego. We're hoping to change that as you know.
Grant Oliphant:But we've got some remarkable ones.
Dan Yates:But we do. Yeah. And, one of the things I've observed over my, my time in San Diego is that it seems that we have a shortage of people that can pick up a shovel and do the work. And we need more of that.
Dan Yates:Yeah. And Conrad was an inspirational leader that often talked to others about following his lead And setting up foundations and and giving up his wealth and his time. Mhmm. And I think he influenced people because he was a kind individual, thoughtful person, and somebody who really cared about leaving San Diego a better place than when he arrived.
Dan Yates:Very few that knew him would ever challenge that he did exactly that.
Grant Oliphant:Was that one of the things you considered when you were invited to come on the board of the foundation? Because in those early days, it would have been easy I think you you shared with me at one point that you were on something like 14 boards Around that time. And and we should talk about your time management and how you learned to cut back, but because I know you did. I know you had to make some dramatic choices, but, was that what attracted you to being on this foundation despite the fact that you knew it was gonna be tough to help, a new foundation get off the ground?
Dan Yates:It it was a huge honor, 1st and foremost, to be invited. It It was really the first time that I saw an ability to help distribute some of Conrad's wealth in a way that was different than the type of board service I had done before. Typically, I was on the fundraising side. Raising funds for good causes.
Dan Yates:Right. That's typically what I would do as a board member aside from the talents you bring. But this was a chance to really now look at the needs and find a way that we could help distribute those funds to make an impact in ways that I had never done before. And that's just a tremendous honor And one that I don't take lightly.
Dan Yates:And, actually, I will just share that, I thought we're doing pretty good until, you showed up.
Grant Oliphant:Thank you. I I think thank you. I don't know.
Dan Yates:No. I say that with all humility because, yeah, we made a lot of grants, and I know we did a lot of good in the community. But learning how to do it the right way through best practices is something I'm still a student of. And you've assembled a great team in a in a in a fabulous board. And I think what's changed in my time, since I joined the board is we have subject matter experts sitting in board seats in the areas that we specialize in our grant making.
Dan Yates:And then we have a fabulous team that you've assembled who have learned how to measure the impact and the outcomes in a way that we really never considered until you came. And that's an expertise that you don't come by when you first join a foundation. You really need to assemble a team that knows how to do that the right way, and you're doing it. And so I I think it's a privilege to be part of, a learning opportunity to see how it's how it should be done.
Grant Oliphant:So so two thoughts come up for me, and one is just to say thank you. You know, I have to share that it's, it's it's been the the greatest joy of my working life actually to do this work over the past 2 almost two and a half years, and to get to build that team, and to get to work with this board, and to get with people who are all together on a learning journey, and wanna get this right, and, I think it doesn't get better than that. But the second thought that comes up is that it's the capacity to say that, to sort of recognize that that's part of being a good board member that I think sets you and and and are the board we're fortunate to have a part in so many ways. And I'm curious to hear you, because I know you've given this a lot of thought, especially as you were thinking about how to how to manage your obligations in the in the way that you had to ultimately because your wife did say to you enough is enough, and and you looked at it yourself and said enough is enough.
Grant Oliphant:How do you think about and advise other people to think about service on community boards? Because I know business leaders are coming to you all the time to ask for your advice about where they should spend their time and how they should spend their time.
Dan Yates:I mean, I think it begins with time management. You really have to take care of yourself, your family, and your other responsibilities in such a way that you can give back. The way I approach it is really to be very protective of my time and how I invested. And when I came into the Prebys Board, I sized up what could I do to make a difference? I'm a generalist.
Dan Yates:I'm a great researcher. I'm a fast learner. And so my first role was to study what were the needs. And at that time, the greatest need when I first joined the board was we needed to liquidate a $1,000,000,000 real estate portfolio and take the lead on that. So I was very involved in that process.
Dan Yates:But that was quickly followed by helping with investing those funds so we could eventually make the grants. And then it quickly shifted to how do we recruit a winning team starting with you. And so there's different chapters that pull upon skills that I've developed throughout my career. None of which you notice have anything with grant making.
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Dan Yates:And that's important to note because I don't think we all need to be on a board experts in everything.
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Dan Yates:But you figure out your superpower where you can add value, and that's what I tried to do. Not just to be another person on the board, but to really be a good listener, thoughtful, share my ideas but not dominate. And you really try to manage the flow of conversation so that what comes out is the richness of ideas and experiences that we can collectively put to good use in making great decisions, hopefully, and a greater impact on San Diego. That's the fun part for me.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. I love that concept because I think I think that's exactly right. Board members don't have to know every detail of an organization's work in order to contribute to that work. They they have to be able to think broadly about the mission, they have to be able to ask really good questions, they have to be good financial stewards, and dive in where they can be most helpful, I think that's such an important takeaway. And yet, Dan, you and and every board member comes on to a foundation board with, you know, with interests that you have in the community.
Grant Oliphant:And I'm curious when, you know, when for you, what have been some of the animating issues that feel like the most important, that you see as being important to San Diego and connecting with the work of of the Prebys Foundation?
Dan Yates:I mean, there's some obvious ones. You know, one that you know has touched my life is mental illness. . And the foundation's done a tremendous job of making a dent in that. You know, I lost a son earlier this year.
Grant Oliphant:Thank you for raising that, and we'll let's talk about that in a moment.
Dan Yates:And what that did for me is really reinforce why I'm doing this work. Because I didn't obviously know at the time, it would become so important to me. But through our family and through other families and other leaders, I've watched how mental illness has impacted the homeless situation in San Diego. How it impacts, youth well-being.
Dan Yates:Well, what I'm seeing in the foundation is cross sections of how we go into all these different areas. We're touching on the gaps, trying to make a difference so that we leave San Diego a healthier community and don't have tragedies like we experience in our family.
Grant Oliphant:You know, I think I think this is such an important point for people to understand just in terms of, of of how a foundation works when it's thinking strategically and not just in terms of responding to the individual interests of staff members and board members.
Dan Yates:Right.
Grant Oliphant:We started off our journey when I got here understanding that we were going to focus on youth as part of our portfolio. And as we drilled down on the need in San Diego, youth mental health emerged organically from the research as one of the priority areas. And then after that, you and I began talking about your son, Brandon, and the challenges that he faced from a mental illness standpoint and a behavioral health standpoint. And you never once said, and the foundation should focus on this, which I find to be extraordinary. And I found it humbling to be along for part of your sad journey when through the course of time, you saw him struggle and then ultimately you lost him.
Grant Oliphant:And I'm I'm curious if you don't mind sharing it because I think so often what people forget is that serving on a board is also about sharing your own experience. How did you navigate that circumstance that you're willing to share, and how did you bring it to the table at board meetings?
Dan Yates:Well, the way I navigated it was to be reflective on the fact that, to honor Brandon's life, I wanted to draw upon what I could do to make sure there's not other tragedies like that because it's too common of a story. What I find is that people are uncomfortable talking about it, but yet almost everyone I know has a loved one that's suffering with some type of mental illness or addiction. It's too common of a story to to have a family not to to experience it at some level is is rare. Once you realize that, then you look at, what can and what should we do. And there are a lot of good people and a lot of good organizations in San Diego trying to figure it out.
Dan Yates:It's a complicated problem. It's one that's gonna take a lot of different solutions, but it empowers me to give of my time and my talents to help, start the conversation with the county supervisors, with politicians and advocacy. That's nothing to do with the foundation. That's just really helping people understand what is broke? Where are the gaps?
Dan Yates:What are the opportunities to make a difference? And I think we're all better off for it if we can start making solutions one at a time. And and I'm seeing already, progress. And that's that's encouraging.
Grant Oliphant:You know, again, Dan, I, you know, I see a a repeat of the pattern you displayed coming out of your childhood where instead of withdrawing you engaged. In this circumstance many people touched by this sort of tragedy would have withdrawn into their grief, and understandably so. I mean for heaven's sake it's the most natural human reaction we could imagine. And you certainly had that, but you, you know, you you immediately, in my experience, started thinking about how can I help others to avoid this, and who can I talk to to make sure this doesn't happen again, And what are the resources out there that are available to help anybody else who may come to me for advice? And you well, I that that leads me to another question which I'll ask in a second, but how what what was it again in you that caused you to engage rather than withdraw?
Dan Yates:An immense clarity. There are sometimes you have moments in your life when you realize that everything has a purpose. There's a fabric. It doesn't always, become clear in the early stages of your life.
Dan Yates:But I started realizing I'm very well connected. I have influence. If used correctly, it's helpful. If used incorrectly, it's destructive. And people respect me, and I had, therefore, an obligation to use that in a positive way to help our community.
Dan Yates:It would be easy to withdraw into grief. You know, a tragedy losing a child is one you never get over. But you can turn to something positive. And I looked at other individuals in our society, and particularly here in San Diego who had done exactly that. And I met with them.
Dan Yates:I said, how did you deal with it? What did you do? And their stories were inspiring to me, and they were encouraging. But letting me know it's a marathon, not a sprint. Take my time.
Dan Yates:But if this is your calling, do it. And it was just, an innate knowledge that this is something I was meant to do. And that's the only way I can honor really Brandon's life in a way that deserves be honored because you can't bring back the death, but you can make something noble out of it to, to really honor him. And that's that's what's really inspiring me.
Grant Oliphant:It's such an extraordinary sentiment, and I wanna say that it is emblematic of a broader leadership philosophy that I've heard you talk about since you and I have gotten to know each other, which, I'll articulate this way and then I'd ask you to put it in your own words, but there have been any number of times when you and I have been talking about what it is to lead and what leadership looks like, and challenges we may be facing, where you have said to me, you know Grant, I think one of the super powers of good leadership is the ability to be vulnerable, and you talk about this often, that includes sharing painful stories with people, reaching out and asking for advice, and I don't think that's a natural impulsive leaders. I think it is, I think traditional leadership is taught in a way where leaders are expected to be infallible, where you're not supposed to admit weakness, you're supposed to be in charge. And you have a very different philosophy. Can you can you talk about that and where that came from for you?
Dan Yates:It's been it's been a journey. I mean, it started as a as a young young kid where my mother was very open about everything. And I always I learned to be a good communicator and not to be a bashful or shy about things that were painful to discuss that start off with mom. But as I got into the business community early in my career, I became more guarded. That wasn't natural for me.
Dan Yates:And part of that was if I'm the CEO of a company, I must have all the answers because that's the false learning.
Dan Yates:And then I realized that leaning back into that vulnerability, built trust, and allowed other people to also lean into their vulnerability and create connections. And it has become the most powerful way to make an impact in a positive way in others is to first lead by showing them that, I'll talk I'll lead into the discomfort. I'll lead into the mistakes. I'll share the mistakes because that's where the knowledge comes from. I used to be embarrassed to, for example, to talk about the fact that I've had multiple marriages.
Dan Yates:Now I lean into it because each one made me who I am today. And my wife says to me, Yasmin says, I'm I'm glad you were married before because that, prepared you for me. And that's how I look at life. And that's true of all of my, past, mistakes. It's just really, helping us understand that that if you don't take risk
Grant Oliphant:Mhmm.
Dan Yates:And you don't stop to get the lesson, you paid the tuition, you might as well get the lesson. Then you're really bound to repeat those again. And so I try to lead with that type of thinking to help others understand. It's okay if you stumble. But get up, figure out why you fell, brush yourself off, and try again because the important thing is you tried.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. I I love that sentiment, and I love that lesson. As you practiced it following Brandon's death, what did you discover were some of the biggest takeaways for you?
Dan Yates:I think there were there were many people that were afraid to talk to me. They didn't know how to, express their grief. I it occurred to me that you have to be measured in what you do and how soon you lean into it because there is a normal time you need to allow yourself to grieve.
Grant Oliphant:Mhmm.
Dan Yates:And I needed to basically go for long walks
Grant Oliphant:Mhmm.
Dan Yates:And and allow myself a chance to really appreciate the loss I'd experienced because you're in shock for a while. It's not real. Once you get through that, and everyone has their own time frame when that occurs, it was time for action. And, and that meant getting out there and figuring out what I need to do and and how I can best make a difference. And that will be an ongoing journey that doesn't end anytime soon.
Dan Yates:That's that's the rest of my life.
Grant Oliphant:Wow.
Dan Yates:And so I'm on an early early, journey on that already.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. Well, I just have to say, having, again experienced it as, as somebody who's privileged to know you as, in the in the ways that I do, I think you've been, a model for us all, and that I don't wanna burden you with that. No. You shouldn't have to carry that, but it is you should know that. And I think I think particularly there's a model of leadership there that, you know, it's part of what I hope people will take away from this podcast is all the stuff about community engagement, and civic engagement, and community involvement, and your personal story of where you came from, but also how we lead, and, and how we lead through difficult times.
Grant Oliphant:There's, there's we need that story now more than we probably have ever needed that story because of everything that's happening in the culture, and I think it's particularly powerful. So thank you for sharing it.
Dan Yates:Oh, thank you, Grant.
Grant Oliphant:Dan, do you, do you have other issues that that animate you in the community that are maybe a little less personal?
Dan Yates:You know, I I love our community, but we're surrounded by challenges like all communities in particular, one that I call the challenge of being in a wonderful place to live. It creates affordability.
Grant Oliphant:Mhmm.
Dan Yates:For my own children, I look at I look at them and say, are you gonna be able to afford a home, or do you have to leave San Diego? And then we have people up and down the economic spectrum that are, you know, hardworking families that can hardly afford rent. And that's sad to me, because it wasn't that way growing up. Mhmm. At least if it was, I didn't perceive it as such as it is today.
Dan Yates:Mhmm. So that's a challenge that I'm very much interested in. And, of course, health care, which is one of our foundation's key areas, affects all of us in so many ways. And I'm I'm continually inspired by some of the good works we're seeing, that are happening in in this wonderful Mesa we have with the biosciences and the life sciences.
Grant Oliphant:Extraordinary, isn't
Crystal Page:it?
Dan Yates:It really is. You don't appreciate it growing up until you you start to go out and meet those scientists and those, medical professionals who are really doing wonderful work in our community and truly for the world. So, I'm inspired by both what they're doing and the challenge ahead of them. Mhmm. I was at the gym the other day, and I saw somebody wearing a a band around their wrist.
Dan Yates:And, so what does that mean? And it was, you know, just about cancer. And it was just one of those reminders that we all lose people too often from that terrible disease. And yet there's encouragement that every day we're finding areas of cancer research that are making an impact for certain areas. And so those are some of the things that are on my mind.
Dan Yates:Yeah.
Grant Oliphant:As you look at our board and other boards you've served with on the community, are there are there people that have especially touched you in terms of the lessons that they bring to the work?
Dan Yates:I mean, there always is. Is let's just take our board for example. Constance, who's just recently joined our board.
Grant Oliphant:Constance Carroll.
Dan Yates:Yeah. Constance Carroll has done just wonderful work in the community. She's inspirational. I'm getting to know her.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah.
Dan Yates:But I I watch it. I watch what she has done and how she is revered, throughout San Diego. And it's exciting to sit next to individuals that come from a different background than myself and that I can learn from, because I'm a lifelong learner. And yet I see as we're doing work for, the community that every one of our board members brings a talent perspective, gentleness, and aggressiveness.
Grant Oliphant:Yes. And aggressiveness sometimes too. True.
Dan Yates:We need all that on a board.
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Dan Yates:You need it all in a board. Yeah.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. And one of the things that I love in a well functioning board is that you have good questions, you have good, people asserting positions based on what they know, and their expertise, might be, and I I think we're privileged to enjoy that combination of superpowers on our board.
Dan Yates:Yep.
Grant Oliphant:You know, as you think about the the issues that San Diego has to tackle ahead, you named a couple already. So the affordability crisis is 1, how young people find their their place here, going forward is another. Are there any others that that you find are on your mind, because of the work that you're doing either at the bank or at the foundation?
Dan Yates:You know, the the small business community in some ways, is part of the solution. What I see every day are entrepreneurs helping create jobs, better jobs, really helping to solve issues that we're grappling with. And so I have the privilege of watching the work we can do on the foundation side with the work that entrepreneurs are doing, and I'm excited when we can bridge those 2. I think you saw a couple years ago at the cause conference, some efforts in that regard, and we can do so much more where we bring the for profit and the nonprofit community together, and you get the both the best of both worlds. And it's it's evident if you ever go to a a gathering, of business owners
Dan Yates:Working on issues in that room, all of them are involved in nonprofit community as well as leading their companies. And I think what's exciting is they wanna make a difference. And so the the gaps between what we're doing in the nonprofit space and in the foundation in particular, and what's happened in the business community, there's a lot of alignment.
Grant Oliphant:I just would love to interject a thought on that for a moment because I you know, you and I have a fellow board member at Prebys, Paula Cordero, who is passionate on the subject of, social benefit corporations, ESOPs, co ops, basically the the migration of the corporate form to care about both profit and social causes. And in a way, it's the space you've been working in your whole life, just not under that name. And you were as interested in that cause conference a couple of years ago when I arrived here as I was, but from your perspective in business. I I think that one of the ways in which San Diego has the opportunity to lead, in in the country is by leaning into that convergence of business and social values. Are you seeing that much in the work that you're doing?
Dan Yates:A 100%. I mean, on this podcast a couple of weeks ago, you were talking about do no harm. Yeah. And, you know, I think about that as I sit in the investment committee, then we have fiduciary duty. Right?
Dan Yates:Right. To, to make sure we maximize the returns. But in doing so, if we're causing harm, then there's a cycle that we're we're trying to make grants to fix the very things that we're creating if we're investing in the wrong areas. Yeah. Well, that's true in the local business community.
Dan Yates:You can run a business, for profit. But that's not generally what I'm seeing among our clients. Their their values, their workforce demands that they are servant leaders, and that they are making positive impacts in San Diego. That is the that is the most common story I have with business leaders today when we're talking about how we can help them with their issues.
Dan Yates:It's not always about how do I maximize my earnings. It's I'm gonna leave San Diego a better place. Here's what we're tackling today in our community. So, for example, I'm a member of, entrepreneurs organization, EO.
Grant Oliphant:Right.
Dan Yates:And one of our primary focus areas is is picking a cause in a given year. And the CEOs that are members of that organization all contribute their time, money, and talents to really help make a difference. And it's encouraging when you see the business leaders gathering to not talk about how they can improve their top line or their bottom line. But how can we help fix a social issue, help fix homelessness, help help deal with, with hunger issues? And these are all the types of things that I'm hearing the business community grapple with, deal with frustrations, and look for ways that they can use their, their companies, their financial wealth, their experiences to really make a difference. That's very common.
Grant Oliphant:What's that's fascinating to me, and I don't think I've heard you say that before. But what is the what's driving that? Is it that young employees are demanding it? Is it that it's just on the minds of these leaders as they think about the next generation? What do you think is the impulse?
Dan Yates:Well, I would say the average age of, the EO members is probably mid thirties, early forties. Their employees are probably younger. So a lot of it is, a younger generation looking at my generation and saying, you know, what have you done? And how do we make it a better place? And and so that it is definitely a generational, influence.
Dan Yates:I don't think it's the only influence, but it has a significant impact. We see it at the bank with our young employees. We talk about what is important to them. This is often what we hear is was what is the bank doing to give back? How are we helping, San Diego?
Dan Yates:And it's important that our young generation is driving that conversation, and
Grant Oliphant:I think they are. Fascinating. Dan, I'm I'm afraid this time has flown by, and I'm gonna have to leave it there. But I I think we may wanna do a follow-up program about that in a little while because I think that subject will be coming up over and over again, this convergence of business and nonprofits in the foundation sector.
Dan Yates:I think next time we'll flip the script and interview you. But thank you, Grant. I appreciate your time today.
Grant Oliphant:Well, it's it's this has been a a joy and so many takeaways. I I just wanna thank you for your leadership, and and for this time. I think our listeners are going to have a lot to take away from this conversation.
Dan Yates:And I thank you for your leadership as well. Thank you.
Crystal Page:I just love hearing about Dan, knowing the kind human that he is, but also our board chairman. I really appreciated that conversation.
Grant Oliphant:I I really did too. And and starting with, maybe not making assumptions about who he is and and his life story. You know, I I was at dinner recently with Macedonia Ortega, who we've interviewed on this program, and and Masay was joking with me, as we were sitting in some public place about who do you think when people walk into the room, they think is the one who plays golf? And it's because, you know, everybody would expect me to be the one to play golf, and it's actually him. And, you know, people, not knowing Dan may make assumptions who he is as this successful banker, but he's a real guy who grew up in a real community and learned a lot of life lessons as a result of that.
Crystal Page:Oh, yeah. I think, the first time I had a conversation with him, Dan was talking about being from Paradise Hills. He went to Morse High, which is the rival to my mom's school, Kearny.
Grant Oliphant:Uh-huh.
Crystal Page:But I do think that there is lessons to be learned when you're the different one in the group, and we know, Dan just shared how different he was than some of the folks, and it seems like it built empathy and and commitment to doing something different.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. Well, I think this is such an important takeaway for our culture right now and our community, our specific community, but there are so many divisions or perceived divisions, and we talk a lot about divisions, but what Dan learned from his youth was, as you said, empathy. He learned to identify with others and to try and understand where they were coming from and what their perspective was. And isn't that a beautiful thing that seems to have guided his career? There was there was so much in this interview though, Crystal, that I mean, beyond that, I think it all illustrated that life philosophy, but, you know, I I I think I'd I'd loved his tribute to his mom and to his parents, and how his parents you know, his dad told him there'll be no racism in this household, and how his neighborhood taught him to see, people as people, and, and how he got so much of his life perspective from his mom.
Grant Oliphant:But it was also incredibly honest and touching to hear him talk about his son.
Crystal Page:Yes. And I just appreciate that he took the time to not only be vulnerable, know, walking around with a rifle over his shoulder When he was young. Yeah. Yeah. It's you know, walking around with a rifle over his
Grant Oliphant:shoulder When he was young. Yeah.
Crystal Page:Yeah. To his son, Brandon, I do think that there was, how do we take these things, I believe he called, you know, these tragic moments and really honor them and learn from them. And so I think there's something there for me that's very comforting, and, instead of avoiding our vulnerabilities, how do we really lean into them?
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. I I I think that was I I I think I underscored it at the time, but it was such an important takeaway from this podcast. I Many of the people who listen to this podcast are leaders whether they wear that title or not. They're playing a role in their community, where they are are playing some sort of leadership role. And, and and I think it's important for us all to remember that vulnerability is a key to effective leadership.
Grant Oliphant:And it's not easy, you know. It really it would, I think many leaders just fall into the trap of thinking it's easier to pretend you're perfect. It's easier to pretend everything's okay. What Dan modeled for us was it's okay to talk about pain, and it's okay to talk about how you convert pain into action. You know, I I found that to be very powerful when he spoke about creating something noble from his loss and his family's loss.
Grant Oliphant:That, you know, he really was willing to to therefore share what he was going through and ask for advice and learn from others. And then in a better position, frankly, to provide guidance to others, when they when they came to him for advice. And I know he now gets approached all the time for advice from people who are struggling with their own challenges.
Crystal Page:That's a lesson that I'm storing in the back of my mind, because I think about, I really valued the moment when he talked about going for long walks and knowing not to rush it. You know? I think those are things that we don't necessarily talk about in our culture. How do you grieve and give yourself space? But then, you know, as the energy comes, you move forward.
Crystal Page:And so even the idea that he would reach out to other people who have experienced loss, it's the smartest thing you could do, because they're gonna understand and have advice looking back. And and now he's paying it forward as he he grows through his grief. You know?
Grant Oliphant:Right. And I I you know, I think part of what comes across in this discussion that we had with him is how, he also manages to be joyful despite that. You know, I I think there's a lesson there about leadership, but there's also a lesson about life philosophy. And it's I'm not sure we can turn it into an actual lesson actually, but I I do think that by by and how he talks about it and then how he talks about the work that he does, he he just clearly is, modeling a way of being in the world that I I find admirable.
Crystal Page:Well, also, I think it also humanizes bankers for me. I know that sounds so silly to say, but This will be,
Grant Oliphant:this will be this will be an important takeaway for some.
Crystal Page:Well, you know, I just think the idea of treating small businesses and local bankers as folks who really are a part of the community. They are. Right? Whether it's a T ball league, you see the little bank insignia on the back of t shirts, but also I've met folks in the community who said, oh, yes. Dan's bank, Dan helped me.
Crystal Page:You know? It really is relational. You know? As we prepare our own finances, those relationships help us plan for our future, but, also, he informed us that all of his clients are thinking about how to improve San Diego. Like, all of this is really about interdependence and connectedness, and it sounds like for Dan, that comes from being from Paradise Hills and losing a son and all these things that that make him who he is.
Grant Oliphant:Yeah. I'd, it's interesting how he knits it all together into a life philosophy that is about contributing and giving back. And I I think that's what I was trying to capture at the, at the front of the interview where I was asking where I was saying that he embodies civic leadership for me because in what I see in his leadership is precisely that. He draws on all of his life experience to tap into empathy for others, and to figure out what he can do, or what his business can do, or what his, what the foundation can do. And we're very lucky to have that kind of leadership in San Diego.
Grant Oliphant:And to the extent that that embodies kind of a characteristic of leaders in San Diego, I think we should celebrate it and hold it up all the more. I also would say, Crystal, that what you were just pointing to gets at the other thing we touched on in this interview, which really is the interesting takeaway at the end about the convergence of nonprofits and foundations and social benefit corporations, you know, cause oriented businesses. That is going to be a fascinating space, not just to watch, but maybe to lean into in the coming years because I do see San Diego beginning to make noises about leading in that space.
Crystal Page:Oh, yeah. Well, I think as San Diegans, we're so proud of our small businesses here for a number of reasons, but in this moment where we're trying to figure out the economy, you know, what is the future of things, like celebrating these folks as leaders who really have more to contribute than just their bottom line, that's that's huge. It's values aligned. And I also just wanna point out as someone who's less familiar with boards than you are. I think when Dan talked about the journey of the previs board, to me, that was just really interesting to understand, you know, that they're still learning or when the board had to sell the real estate to finding folks like you to build out that team and really trusting him.
Crystal Page:So just I think that there was also a notion of all that he's learned, he's still questioning and learning as he guides this board, but he also realizes it's not about him. He's opening up these spaces for other people to contribute their best. So it's like convergence on top of convergence is is what I experienced with Dan.
Grant Oliphant:Well, I think the and thanks for drawing attention to that because I think what you're keying into here is one of the most important things about a good board, which is there's a lot of humility there, and a lot of willingness to learn. Never once did Dan say, and we've gotten everything right. You know, they they've been on a learning journey and so have we since I've gotten here. And I I think what I love about any place like this is when people really understand that they they have a lot to to discover yet, rather than knowing that they have it all figured out. And maybe that's the best place for us to leave it, because we're out of time, but I I just enjoyed this conversation so much, and thanks for sharing these takeaways with me.
Crystal Page:Thank you. I've enjoyed it too, and I hope you have a good one.
Grant Oliphant:Alright. Thank you. Bye. This is a production of the Prebys Foundation, hosted by Grant Oliphant and co hosted by Crystal Page. The program is co produced by Crystal Page and Adam Greenfield, and it's engineered by Adam Greenfield.
Grant Oliphant:Production assistance is provided by Tess Karesky. And our new theme song is by mister Lyrical Groove, a local San Diego artist. Download episodes at your favorite podcatcher, or visit us at stop and talk podcast dot org. If you like this show, and we really hope you do, the best way to support it is to share, subscribe, and review our podcast. Thank you for your support, your ideas, and most of all, for listening.
Grant Oliphant:This program has been recorded at The Voice of San Diego Podcast Studio.
