Overcoming Resistance
In the world of community banking, leadership isn’t just about making strategic decisions or managing operations. It's about confronting and overcoming a pervasive and often invisible force—what Steven Pressfield calls "Resistance." This force is a universal adversary that manifests in procrastination, self-doubt, fear, and any form of avoidance that stops
Decision-Making: A Strategic Advantage for CEOs
Ladies and gentlemen, leadership, at its core, often comes down to decision-making. Decisions are the heartbeat of every business. They’re made every day, at every level, from the boardroom to the front lines. Whether you're a banker, a cop, a firefighter,or a parent, decision-making is universal. Here’s a critical insight: you
Quickly and Well: The Art of Decision-Making
Leadership often comes down to decision-making. Decisions happen all the time, everywhere, in every business. Your people make them every day. It occurs in your job, on the interstate, and whether you’re a banker, cop, fireman, or parent. Everything is about decision-making. News Flash: you can train your people to make
Rethinking Options: The Power of “None of the Above”
As community bank CEOs, you’re often presented with multiple-choice decisions, whether it’s about product offerings, strategic initiatives or vendor selections. The options seem straightforward, and someone asks you to choose between them. But what if the best choice is “None of the above”? The real challenge lies not in the options presented
The Allure of Empty Promises: Staying Vigilant in Community Banking
In one of his recent blogs, Seth Godin asks why do we often fall for the pitches of smooth talkers, con artists, demagogues and tricksters? As our world becomes more informed and rational, paradoxically, we see an increase in scams, hustles and chaos. As Community bankers you are particularly targeted by
The Balance Between Perfection & Progress in Community Banking
In the community banking world, where trust and reliability are the cornerstones of every decision, it's easy to get caught up in the pursuit of perfection. But as surprising as it may seem, perfection and mediocrity can both be hiding places—places where leaders avoid the real work of making decisions
The Best Available Option
In the fast-paced community banking world, the principle espoused by Seth Godin: “the best available option is always available,” holds profound significance. For CEOs, Seth’s mindset fosters a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability, essential for navigating the ever-changing financial landscape. Adopting a Proactive Approach Understanding that the best option is always
The Resistance and Immunity to Change
In Steven Pressfield’s book, “The War of Art,” he talks about ‘Resistance’ as the collective term for the internal psychological barriers we all face—fear, self-doubt, complacency and old habits that once served us but now hold us back. This concept is critical when coaching community banks, where transforming into a
Expectations
Many people have expectations that their employer is going to offer them flexibility in how, where and when they work. And in many businesses, why wouldn't they? Employees' expectations aren't far-fetched when they've worked nearly a year out of the office. With the technological advances of the 21st century, there's really no
Is Your Executive Team Aligned?
A common problem executive teams face is that they forget—or never even knew—the ultimate purpose of their role, which is to advocate and plan for the company. Executives often make the mistake of acting as representatives of their constituents. This means since each member of an executive team works with a