Wells Fargo’s Ruth Jacks: 5 Lessons I Learned From My Military Experience about How To Survive And Thrive During A Time Of Crisis

Be resilient. The military is full of physical, mental, and emotional challenges, and learning how to cope and respond to the stress will teach you how to adapt to most challenges in civilian life.

In this interview series, we are exploring the subject of dealing with crises and how to adapt and overcome them. Crisis management is one characteristic that many successful leaders share in common, and in many cases, it is the most important trait necessary to survive and thrive in today’s complex market. I had the pleasure of interviewing Ruth Jacks.

Ruth Jacks is the Executive Vice President and head of Wells Fargo’s Commercial Banking (CB) Diverse Segments team. As a member of the CB Operating Committee, Ruth and her team partner with the relationship-focused coverage businesses to understand the client needs, offer solutions, and raise awareness of CB’s commitment to serving historically underserved diverse-owned and -led businesses. The team is responsible for supporting and growing commercial banking relationships with Black and African American, Hispanic and Latino, Native American and Alaskan Native, Asian American and Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, veteran, and women entrepreneurs across the U.S.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?

My upbringing was quite humble. My father was deaf. My mother was a social worker. My three siblings and I grew up in St. Louis on food stamps, not knowing where we’d get one meal, let alone three meals a day, and wore shoes with holes. But I learned a lot — mostly that I wanted to afford the luxury of not having to worry about breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

My father was a proud and confident guy, but others saw him as someone with a disability. That taught me early on to never judge a book by its cover.

My mother eventually divorced my father when I was five and fell in love with another woman in the early ’70s when that wasn’t so accepted. They both experienced negative attention for their relationship, but they walked with their heads held high and taught me the same.

I was determined to get a scholarship and a better life, so I did everything. I played in the band, sang in the choir, played sports, joined all the clubs, and was on the honor roll.

And what are you doing today? Can you share a story that exemplifies the unique work that you are doing?

As the head of Wells Fargo’s Commercial Banking Diverse Segments team, I have the opportunity and privilege to lead a team that helps historically underserved businesses, such as diverse-owned and -led middle market companies, grow and reach their financial goals. In turn, this allows them to create wealth for themselves, their families, and to contribute to the economic growth of their communities.

We do this in two ways. By collaborating with our Wells Fargo bankers to offer comprehensive financial solutions and through our partnerships and insights that support their business growth.

A great example is our partnership with the Women Presidents Organization, where we together designed a special three-day immersive session at Harvard Business School focused on “Leading Business and Personal Transitions.” Women business owners, presidents, and CEOs who attended described the experience as transformative, life-changing, and phenomenal — because it’s not often they’d have an opportunity to spend that amount of time learning with and from others who share a similar background.

Can you tell us a bit about your military background?

I come from five generations of veterans. My great grandfather, grandfather, uncles, both brothers, myself, and my son all served in the United States Army, many of them serving during times of war.

I earned an athletic and scholastic scholarship to attend college, but ended up leaving early after I had my son. I joined the Army for the sole opportunity to finish my college degree. I served as a biomedical engineer domestically and abroad before being “generally discharged under honorable conditions” after three years, and through the Army’s benefits I was able to complete my education.

Can you share the most interesting story that you experienced during your military career? What “take away” did you learn from that story?

It might not be a “story,” but the most interesting experience for me was the culture shock of going from a childhood of complete freedom with no one telling me what to do, to every minute being planned for me and having to do whatever was asked of me. This was a foreign concept — like working a new muscle or learning a new language.

At first, I didn’t get it. I received two infractions for not listening and was on the verge of being kicked out before I adapted and truly understood the expectations. Once I understood the rules, I wanted to be the best.

The takeaway is that these lessons learned are still a part of me today. I understand having a mission to accomplish, working as a team, and leading the Army way.

We are interested in fleshing out what a hero is. Did you experience or hear about a story of heroism, during your military experience? Can you share that story with us? Feel free to be as elaborate as you’d like.

As part of our physical training, everyone had to complete a 10-mile run while carrying a 75-pound backpack (and if it wasn’t, that’s what it felt like to me). I was probably one of the strongest people in my squad and this was the hardest thing I had ever done, but I finished. But you’re not really finished until the entire team finishes, and my buddy was struggling. She was crying. The drill sergeant was yelling. It wasn’t good. I don’t remember how far it was, but I went back and grabbed both backpacks. Then the entire squad came to help. We took turns carrying the extra backpack (and the flag that had to be carried out in front) and finished the run as a team.

The amazing thing was this: no one complained. In fact, I remember singing together and spirits being high. Even through the physical pain, we just did it, and did it as a team.

Based on that story, how would you define what a “hero” is? Can you explain?

A hero is selfless and kind. They inspire others to be or do better. They serve not themselves, but the greater good, or the good of someone else.

That day, my squad was selfless. They didn’t have to go back and help my buddy, but they had the fortitude to not leave her behind. And even while doing something that seemed physically impossible, they were compassionate and empathetic.

Does a person need to be facing a life and death situation to do something heroic or to be called a hero?

I don’t think so. You just need to be in a situation that requires courage to do something that you typically shouldn’t be able to do.

Based on your military experience, can you share with our readers 5 Leadership or Life Lessons that you learned from your experience”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Be disciplined. It’s more than just rules and regulations. It’s about being committed, dedicated, and having a strong work ethic.

2. Be resilient. The military is full of physical, mental, and emotional challenges, and learning how to cope and respond to the stress will teach you how to adapt to most challenges in civilian life.

3. Harness the power of teamwork. There is one mission, and everyone has a role to play in achieving that mission.

4. Don’t skip the strategic planning. For every initiative in the service, there was a goal, plan, and strategy for achieving it.

5. Take care of your people. While the drill sergeants were hard, their goal was to make us better.

Do you think your experience in the military helped prepare you for business? Can you explain?

Absolutely. They are training you to fight for your country, but you don’t realize these same characteristics will help you become a leader.

I had grown up playing sports and being on teams, but now I knew how to lead a team.

I learned how to work with people from all walks of life, to understand a mission, determine a strategy, assign everyone a role, motivate a team to adopt this mission as their own, and accomplish it together.

Plus, the Army fueled my passion for engineering, math, critical thinking, and problem-solving — things I was naturally good at my whole life and enjoyed, but now I knew how to apply those skills.

As you know, some people are scarred for life by their experience in the military. Did you struggle after your deployment was over? What have you done to adjust and thrive in civilian life that others may want to emulate?

I struggled with losing the routine and setting my own schedule. You get used to being told what to do and when, and now you get to decide what to do and when. It’s a shock. It took time to unlearn some habits — like eating my lunch in 15 minutes when I now had an hour.

It was also hard to adapt in Corporate America. When you leave the military, you have a very distinct respect for authority, which is given based on position. You follow the chain of command, and you don’t speak up. Whereas in Corporate America, respect is earned, you are encouraged to speak up, be proactive, and take initiative.

It took awhile to adjust, but it had only been three years, so I think it was easier for me take what I had learned and apply it mostly successfully to civilian life.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

One of the most valuable and exciting things we are doing on our team is helping to generate insights from data to better understand and advocate for the diverse segments we support.

Examples include the Indian Country’s Once-in-a-Seven Generation Opportunity: Building Economic Resiliency That Lasts report published in 2022 and the inaugural Wells Fargo Impact of Women-Owned Business report published in early 2024. And in June, in collaboration with the National Center for the Middle Market, we published a first-of-its-kind report documenting the nuances and experiences of Black-owned middle market firms in the U.S. The 2024 Insights and Perspectives from Black Leaders in the Middle Market report highlights compelling new insights that will help us better understand the perspective and needs of the Black middle market.

What advice would you give to other leaders to help their team to thrive?

Listen before you talk. Talk to your teams about their aspirations and needs. Focus on developing them and being their advocate.

Lead by example. Too many times with leaders it becomes “you vs them.” Instead, leaders need to embrace the idea that we are in this together and everyone has a role to play.

What advice would you give to other leaders about the best way to manage a large team?

Empower others. Trust your people to deliver and give them grace when they get it wrong but teach them how getting it right looks.

Prioritize well-being. You can’t sacrifice your and your team’s well-being. There is a lot of pressure as your responsibilities and team grows, but your physical and emotional health should always come first.

Always be learning. You never know enough. There’s always more to learn about your team, your competition, your job, etc.

Focus on results. Activities create benefit and it’s great to check off a to-do list, but what is the tangible outcome. By focusing on the end results, a creative leader can identify ways to achieve those goals with less work.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’ve been lucky to have a sponsor at each company I worked for make an impact on my career. And I wouldn’t be where I am today without the CEO of Commercial Banking, Kyle Hranicky. He gave me the opportunity to do this job (as the first African American woman on the Commercial Banking Operating Committee) because he knew I’d want it and be good at it. He listens, he communicates clearly and succinctly, and he pushes me to be better. He’s my boss but he’s also my sponsor.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Philanthropically, I have given time and money, but I felt personally that I needed to do more. And in 2023, after years of mentorship and foster care, my wife and I adopted our three daughters. We started this journey with the hope to impact their lives, but what I didn’t realize was the impact they’d have on me.

Through their eyes, I now look at the world differently and think about how they will be treated — and how they should be treated — as they grow up. Our lives are forever changed, but my daughters will be the gifts that keep on giving, impacting countless others as they enter the world.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

The journey I’m on now is not about the difference my daughters have made in my life, but about the difference I can make in the lives of others.

I know that I have a responsibility to be an example, whether I want to be or not, based on my life’s experiences and where I sit in the organization. Not everyone who looks or identifies like me is in a position like mine at a company the size of Wells Fargo.

That position also grants me the opportunity to impact the lives of business owners from historically underrepresented and underserved communities.

In both roles as a role model and a business leader, I want to make a difference for anyone who has felt or been treated “less than.” I have been there, and we need to look at people who are different from us with grace and give them a chance.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“You were born an original, don’t die a copy” by John Mason.

Someone is always watching. By being ourselves and being authentic, we can inspire others to believe they can be too.

Throughout my career, the more I shared about myself, the more comfortable I became and the more I realized how many others that looked like me felt the same way. There is strength in numbers. I share my story whenever I have the chance if it helps others understand and feel more comfortable in their own skin knowing there is a place for them.

Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was truly uplifting.