Associate Spotlight: Joe Close Draws Upon Football Experiences for Leadership Lessons

The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame honored Country Club Bank President Joe Close as part of the 2021 Elite 11 on October 13 in Springfield, Missouri, in front of a luncheon crowd of 800. The annual program recognizes former high school and college standouts, or those who have made positive contributions to the game.

Joe played at Parkview High School, where he was a Class 4 All-State selection in 1981 and the Springfield Quarterback Club’s All-City Back. He went on to play tight end for the University of Missouri from 1982-1986, earning varsity letters in three of those years. He started his college career by catching a touchdown pass in his first game!

Acknowledging the Elite 11 honor, Joe said it was nice to be recognized, but the most important takeaway from his playing days was the opportunity to learn leadership skills and the value of teamwork. Those lessons are reinforced each time he sits in the stands watching his own son play high school football.

“I see the band, the cheerleaders, the flag team, the dancers. Every one of those groups is a team, but they are part of the larger performance group who must connect with each other,” he said.

Joe carries those lessons into his leadership style at Country Club Bank, noting that just as in sports, the emphasis should be on team success.

“We have small teams nested throughout the bank—IT, marketing, facilities, and others,” he said. They are lined up to the right or left of the bankers, and we all work as part of the larger team to carry the organization forward.”

He likens his position as bank president to being a hybrid of a team captain, coach and mentor.

“Coaches are mentors. Coaches had a tremendous impact on me. Words matter. How you coach matters. How you are coached matters,” he said. “Everyone is different, and an effective coach has to be able to understand what motivates each individual and leverage that to create a winning team.”

He noted that you can still have a winning team even if you don’t win every game. “We don’t win every deal at the bank. But just like we’d do after a football game, we review every opportunity and learn how we can put ourselves in a position to win the next play.”

Joe was honored that Country Club Bank associates made the trek to attend the luncheon in Springfield, where he said, it was “humbling” to receive an award that relied on team play.