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Governance
01/08/2026

How to Spot Cultural Red Flags

Culture drives performance and execution, but that can be tough for boards to oversee. Here’s how directors can identify the warning signs of a bad company culture.

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About the authors
Written by
Emily McCormick Vice President of Editorial & Research

Emily McCormick is Vice President of Editorial & Research for Bank Director. Emily oversees research projects, from in-depth reports to Bank Director’s annual surveys on M&A, risk, compensation, governance and technology. She also manages content for the Bank Services Program, including Bank Director’s Online Training Series. In addition to speaking and moderating discussions at Bank Director’s in-person and virtual events, Emily writes and edits for Bank Director magazine, BankDirector.com and Bank Director’s weekly newsletter, The Slant. She started her career in the circulation department at the Knoxville News-Sentinel and graduated summa cum laude from The University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and International Business.

Emily McCormick
Vice President of Editorial & Research
When Jim McAlpin is in Philadelphia for a board meeting, it’s not unusual for him to visit a bank branch after the meeting wraps up. “I’ll walk around the branch, I’ll go get a cheesesteak with some of the senior lenders,” he says. McAlpin serves on the board of Hyperion Bancshares and its subsidiary, $520 million Hyperion Bank; he also serves on Bank Director’s board. “You just get a sense of the quality of the people,” McAlpin says of those visits. “Are they friendly when you walk in? Are they receptive?” Culture — which the Director’s Book from the Office of…

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WRITTEN BY

Emily McCormick

Vice President of Editorial & Research

Emily McCormick is Vice President of Editorial & Research for Bank Director. Emily oversees research projects, from in-depth reports to Bank Director’s annual surveys on M&A, risk, compensation, governance and technology. She also manages content for the Bank Services Program, including Bank Director’s Online Training Series. In addition to speaking and moderating discussions at Bank Director’s in-person and virtual events, Emily writes and edits for Bank Director magazine, BankDirector.com and Bank Director’s weekly newsletter, The Slant. She started her career in the circulation department at the Knoxville News-Sentinel and graduated summa cum laude from The University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and International Business.