Answering When Opportunity Knocks: Abbott Shares Career Lessons

The job of chief administrative officer has differing definitions depending on the size and shape of a company. At SouthState, Jennifer (Idell) Abbott embodies the role with goals of connection, future-thinking and empowering emerging leaders.

Stewarding multiple aspects of the Bank, Abott is involved in strategic planning, compensation, company culture, human resources and corporate stewardship. On any given day, she could be traveling to a town hall, speaking on leadership to a panel of branch managers, checking in with a state Leadership Academy, or refining a process with HR and compensation team members.
 
With involvement in numerous areas, Abbott can prevent departments and regions from being siloed, which limits the exchange of ideas and growth of culture.

“My role is connecting people together and moving their visions forward,” she adds.

Unexpected Opportunities

Abbott began her career connecting the dots of balance sheets and annual budgets. Her banking career began in an accounting role. She set the goal of being a chief financial officer of a community bank by the age of 30.
 
Seeing that most other CFOs were male didn’t discourage her. Instead, her focus remained on her personal objective and what she could control.

“I’ve always started from the lens of knowing the role well and how to do it best,” she adds.

Not long after reaching her goal at 31, Abbott’s career took a surprising turn as she was thrust into the world of acquisitions.

As her company sought to expand, regulators expressed Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) compliance concerns that halted planned growth. Seeing her potential for management, executives tasked Abbott with building a BSA team and program from scratch so the bank could move easier in the acquisition space.

The request was a significant departure from the traditional CFO role and duties, dealing with BSA rules instead of profit and loss. Knowing the task was a difficult one, Abbott still saw the job for the opportunity it was.

“I thought ‘why me?’ at first, but if I would have said no, I would have missed out on the best pivot point in my career,” she recalls.

While meeting the 9-month BSA project deadline, Abbott learned the foundation of building successful teams and leading people well, skills she utilizes on a daily basis in her role today.

“I learned that you don’t have to be an expert in a subject matter, but you have to be able to lead people successfully through obstacles,” she says.

The experience of taking on this new challenge turned into a lesson Abbott says is her biggest career advice.
 
“Say yes when given an opportunity, even if you don’t feel ready,” she says. “Someone may empower you with a chance to rise to the occasion, so be willing to step outside of your comfort zone.”

Continued Growth

Away from the office, Abbott says becoming a mother taught her the value of intentional family time, instead of trying to multitask work and family. She also emphasizes the importance of putting away all distractions for times of deliberate reset.
 
“Whether it’s taking a walk, exercising or resting, take time to clear your head in whatever way benefits you most,” she says.

Volunteerism is another way to refresh the spirit. Abbott supports local organizations in making a difference in the lives of children and families. She currently serves on the board of Heart for Winter Haven.

In her role, Abbott has the ability to impact interns and associates, in addition to guiding the direction of the various Leadership Academy programs. She’s found that learning doesn’t end when you achieve executive status.
 
“Whether it’s my son, our associates or newer team members, I’m learning the most from other people,” Abbott says. “They’re teaching me what this generation desires from their company culture.”

A chief administrative officer role may not have been on Abbott’s vision board early in her career, but she has thrived in a space that constantly challenges her.