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Damian Jones believes anything is possible. After experiencing his own personal challenges, he is sure that the difference between creating the future you want and remaining where you are, comes down to your belief in yourself. He currently works in the financial services sector, most recently as head of the corporate lending division at a commercial bank. Now, he is off to a new assignment in Canada to lead operations in three provinces. Here is what this business executive told MENtions about his inspiration, highs and lows and how he maintains that work-life balance to preserve mental, emotional and physical health.

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As a child, I struggled with low self-esteem because I was overweight. I was teased quite a bit in school. Overcoming this was not easy but my family was incredibly helpful. My parents were extremely attentive and present in my upbringing, stressing the importance of education and hard work.

The time that I spent at the Laventille Seventh Day Adventist Church, also had a profound influence on my life. There, I was introduced to community service, leadership, public speaking, music, teamwork and of course the importance of a relationship with God.

The path to finance

During most of my earlier years, I dreamed of being a pilot and then 9/11 happened and I changed focus. But truth be told, I’ve always been fascinated by money, numbers and the way the financial system works. As a child, I would often pride myself on my ability to save my allowance and place it in UTC. I would also challenge the tellers that I wasn’t earning enough interest on my account.  Then, as fate would have it, a bank offered me my first job out of school. The rest as they say is …. history.

In addition to money and numbers, I was also fascinated by business, especially the way they use capital to grow and the impact that this has on employment and by extension, community growth. So while I never took the leap to become an entrepreneur, my current role gives me the opportunity to study and work with businesses to help them grow. Business growth is good for the country.

Transformation is another thing that really inspires me. Whether it is in business, community or in individuals. I’m a firm believer that you should always leave your community, organization or people better off because you were there. That has been a guiding principle for me.

Until recently, I headed the corporate lending division at a commercial bank where we provided loans as well as various banking products (accounts, online banking etc.) to add value to businesses for their growth and success. I was just promoted to a similar role overseeing three provinces in Canada and will be based in Calgary.

Support

My success in the banking sector was partly influenced by the characteristics and learnings of great leaders in the field. Internationally, I really admire Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan. He has been one of the outstanding leaders in the banking field, even throughout the financial crisis. He’s led JP Morgan to be the largest bank in the US and one of the most resilient. His passion, charisma and insights are characteristics that I enjoy reading about. I’ve probably consumed most of the things that he’s said and written.

Locally, I admire my former boss who is the CEO of the Bank here. She gave me my first opportunity with an entry level position in corporate banking and even hired me back when I left the bank to pursue another career, outside of banking. She’s always believed in me, encouraged me to improve and stretched me to be my best. She’s charismatic, authentic, intelligent, ridiculously hard working and one of the most emotionally intelligent leaders I have ever met. They both have many traits that I hope to continue to emulate as I move forward in my career.

While other things and people may inspire me in specific ways, my dad is probably one of my biggest inspirations. He’s a unique blend of optimism, determination, hard work, humility, dedication to family and service. I feel like I won the genetic lottery being born into my family. I think that I have a lot of his traits.

I think there are quite a few good role models for black men in our society (locally and regionally) but unfortunately, they’re not often featured on social and mainstream media so there isn’t wide access through those forums.  We really need more formalized mentorship programmes where young black men can interact and see other men who are doing well or have walked a similar path to them and have succeeded: not just in the corporate world, but in entrepreneurship, technology and skilled professionals as well. Representation is particularly important if mentorship is to be effective.

For the teenagers

If I can have a conversation with my teenage self, I would tell him to be patient and consistent. Don’t overestimate what you can do in a year but underestimate what you can do in a decade.

To the teenager who may be confused about defining a career path, I would recommend making a list (on paper) of the things that you’re passionate about and would do even if you were not being paid. Rank them and see which professions, business ventures or causes you can become involved in as a next step. Working whether for yourself or an employer, takes up a large amount of your time. So, you need to decide what you’re passionate about or else you’re just existing in my opinion.

Maintaining that work-life balance

As a professional, it is often challenging to strike the ideal balance between work and life. For me, saying “no” actually is one of the best ways to maintain this “balance”. You must prioritize because in reality, you can’t do everything. There will always be something that you don’t get to. The idea is to be deliberate. I try to plan my days and weeks with a calendar, not a “to do” list. Then I target time allocations that are in line with my goals for family, work and important relationships.

With a lot of focus on men’s mental health particularly in the past few years, I have made a concerted effort to start the day with prayer, reflection and affirmations. I get up at 4 am to be able to get an early start to the day. Once I have completed these practices, then I begin to look at email, social media or anything. I also try to do physical exercise daily (most of the time it’s in the gym for about 60-90 mins). My regime may not work for everyone but I will like to urge you to develop a routine that works best for you and feel free to tweak until you find the best fit.

Overcoming tragedies: Anything is possible

I’ve had so many failures and tragedies in my life including being in a car accident (where I should have died but for the grace of God), romantic relationship failures and most recently the passing (four days apart) of my younger brother and grandmother who were two of my closest family members. What I would like people to know, however, is that failure is not something you should be ashamed of or dwell in. These experiences are all opportunities for learning and are developing you to be a better future self.

There are many times I didn’t feel “good enough” or that I wasn’t making progress but the difference between creating the future you want and remaining where you are is down to belief. Belief that once it’s God’s will for you and you make up your mind, there’s a way. Your IQ, family background, looks, ethnicity, age or how deep of a hole you’re in right now, don’t matter. If you believe it, write a plan down and take definitive steps everyday ANYTHING is POSSIBLE.

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Damian Jones attended Rosary Boys RC School, Fatima College and The UWI St Augustine, Trinidad campus where he completed an undergraduate degree in Management with a minor in Finance. He later completed an MBA degree at Andrew’s University (through the University of the Southern Caribbean). He is the eldest of three boys and is extremely close to his brothers.