Listening as Leadership: How Eric Fries Built an Impactful Career in Commercial Banking

What does it take to lead? Some might suggest qualities like confidence, decisiveness, or self-motivation. Others might recall traits like adaptability, influence, or communication. If you ask Eric Fries—an Albers LEMBA graduate with nearly 30 years of experience in commercial banking—he’ll most likely tell you it has to do with listening.

Eric's career has taken him across the country, whether in entry-level roles or executive leadership positions. Along the way, he’s built impactful teams and solved complex problems with a get-stuff-done attitude. While many qualities have shaped Eric’s leadership, it’s his ability to listen at critical moments that has made the biggest difference.

Learn how the Leadership Executive MBA program at Seattle University’s Albers School of Business & Economics helped sharpen his instincts, deepen his impact, and prepare him for long-term success.

Why the Leadership Executive MBA: Staying Ahead in a Rapidly Changing Industry

Today, Eric Fries serves as Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking at KeyBank, where he leads strategic initiatives and supports teams across the West Coast. A few years prior, he realized he needed more momentum to guide his next steps as a professional. That realization led Eric to Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics.

When he enrolled in the Leadership Executive MBA program, he expected to sharpen his skills and stay ahead of the technological changes reshaping the commercial banking industry. What he didn’t anticipate was how deeply the program would push him to reflect: not only on his work, but also on who he was as a leader and where he wanted to grow next.

Eric credits Albers with delivering not only a rigorous academic experience, but also one grounded in human connection. From the start, the program’s structure encouraged real-time application of leadership theory, emotional intelligence, and personal introspection.

"Learning about yourself, the whole self…I didn't recognize at the time how deep that would go,” he says. “I stayed open and vulnerable throughout the whole process, though, and I learned a lot about myself. With hindsight, I think those were some of the best experiences I had."

For him, the program’s holistic approach provided a safe space to connect with himself through group discussions and written assignments. The blend of executive coaching, team dialogue, and mission-driven coursework helped Eric reassess who he wanted to be as a leader.

In the two years spent pursuing his LEMBA, Eric learned to listen for what he was truly looking for in his career. He reveals: "This is going to sound weird, but you learn how to think [there]. That program got me to look at myself differently…I thought that was fantastic."

All Ears for Ambition: How Listening Fueled Eric’s Career Growth

Before Eric arrived at the aforementioned professional crossroads, his path was shaped by decades of listening, adapting, and saying yes to new challenges. Honed over years of growth at Wells Fargo, these skills set the stage for the shift in mindset his LEMBA would later refine.

Eric knew surprisingly early that he wanted to work in banking. While most middle schoolers were dreaming of being astronauts or athletes, he was already thinking about a career in finance. "In the eighth grade, most kids don't dream of becoming a banker. I'm the exception to that rule."

This early sense of direction would shape a decades-long journey grounded in curiosity, adaptability, and a sharp ability to remain all ears for ambition.

When a Wells Fargo representative visited his high school to hire graduating seniors, he was one of five students to receive an offer. "They only came to my high school once,” Eric remarks. “I was very fortunate to just happen to be at the right place at the right time."

What began as an entry-level job turned into a 27-year journey with the same employer. While working 30-hour weeks at the bank, Eric earned his undergraduate degree in finance and immersed himself in every corner of the business.

From the start, he listened not only to managers and mentors, but also to the quiet cues that shaped his next steps. One of those came when a colleague mentioned a new Wells Fargo office opening in Chicago. He confesses: "That wasn't part of my initial plan, but it felt right. I called the person opening the bank and said, 'I want to be a part of this.'"

Within four months, he had relocated to help open the office, a bold move which would set the stage for the next chapter of his career.

Listening to Your Gut—and the Right Conversations

Two years into a successful stretch at Wells Fargo, Eric received a suggestion from a mentor that gave him pause: move into a treasury management sales role that would push him in new ways.

It wasn’t what he had imagined for himself. Nevertheless, he listened, not just to his colleague’s advice, but to his own instincts. "It was the best move I ever made. Someone saw something in me, believed in me, and forced me to think about myself differently."

That willingness to receive feedback paid off. Thriving in his new role, he helped grow the commercial banking office into Wells Fargo’s largest in the country.

Over time, listening for the right opportunities became a pattern in Eric’s leadership. After six years, he wanted to move to California so his children could grow up closer to extended family. When he heard about a regional management opening back home, he followed through without hesitation.

In the years that followed, Eric continued to lead with a listening-first mindset while navigating growth, both in terms of the teams he built and his leadership approach.

Listening as Leadership: Lessons from the LEMBA Program

Inspired by what he learned from his LEMBA, Eric advocates for situational leadership in his current role and those of other executives. To him, listening lies at the center of this method, whether in the form of asking the right questions or determining the next steps toward the right solution.

"The more listening you do," he advises, "the better you can be at managing, the better you can be at selling, and the better person you can be…because you're there to learn everything."

Much of Eric’s thinking around this philosophy and problem-solving was shaped by Albers’ emphasis on reflection and collaborative leadership. "Your leadership style doesn't have to be something that's unique to you,” he explains. “It's about being flexible, depending on who you're interacting with or what the ultimate objective is.”

For Eric, listening is what allows a leader to meet people where they are and move forward together. “Discern what you're hearing and then come up with the solution in partnership with the person you're talking with,” he proposes. “Think about it. Don't come to an immediate conclusion."

Eric’s Advice: Go All In and Listen Along the Way

Even after decades of success in commercial banking, Eric is still listening—to his team, his values, and now, to something more personal: the question of legacy.

These days, that inner voice is also guiding him to explore how he can make an impact beyond his professional career. He's beginning to explore opportunities to serve in a non-profit or board of directors focused on architecture and the repurposing of public spaces.

He shares: "I thank Seattle University for this drive, because that little voice in the back of my head is telling me to go find out what my next purpose is. It's giving me the motivation to seek it out."

The LEMBA wasn’t just a credential for Eric. It was a professional and personal reset, one that gave him space to listen to and reconnect with himself.

His advice for others considering their next step? "Go for the full MBA. You get exposure to a lot of things you don't normally get exposure to. I think that's absolutely foundational. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it in the end."

The Next Chapter of Your Career Is Calling

You’ve built experience. You’ve taken on challenges. Now, you’re looking for something more: not just the next role, but a new perspective on how you lead, why you lead, and where you’re headed.

Seattle University’s Leadership Executive MBA is built for mid-career professionals across industries who want to lead with purpose, clarity, and the ability to truly listen. Whether you're managing teams, navigating change, or preparing for your next big move, the LEMBA program helps you grow—not just as a professional, but as a whole person.

What Makes the Albers LEMBA Different?

• Values-centered leadership rooted in Jesuit tradition
• Designed for mid-career professionals balancing work and learning
• Emphasis on self-awareness, ethics, and real-world impact

If you’re ready to step into your next chapter with greater intention, let it begin with one meaningful conversation.