Western Independent Banker - March/April 2009 - (Page 9)

A Message from the President & CEO Leadership Solutions for Tomorrow’s Success THE TITLE OF this column was selected by our planning committee last fall as the theme for our 52nd Annual Conference in March. Although it was obvious at that time that stellar leadership would be required to meet the challenges of the deteriorating economy and banking environment, little did anyone know how demanding this leadership test would be in 2009. Being a CEO in today’s economic calamity is harder than we ever could have imagined with the challenges of getting capital, maintaining liquidity, improving board effectiveness, dealing with problem assets, managing risk and keeping customer confidence—all under the watchful eye of increasingly nervous and demanding regulatory scrutiny. If a CEO and board have not accepted the true nature of today’s marketplace and are experiencing declining profitability, nothing will improve unless they accept the fact that what the bank has been doing isn’t working, and changes are necessary. Having the courage to make proactive decisions that force change, without guarantees of success, is one of the most important traits of successful leaders. It is likely that there are bankers and board members who now believe their bank’s future “is out of their hands” because of today’s uncertain economy and regulatory environment. But, according to Sam Khoury, author of Business Is Hard, Failure Is Optional: CEOs Choices and Challenges, if you are a CEO who says, “There’s really nothing I can do about this” then you have no business being in charge. He highlights the following as essentials for a CEO to succeed in tough times: • A CEO’s main job is to make decisions • In turbulent times, you must experiment • Past experience is a crutch that prevents you from making bold decisions and choices • Don’t be afraid to reverse decisions you made earlier—don’t let your ego get in the way • Beware of organizational senility—as in “stick to the way we’ve always done it” Our Annual Conference kickoff session will delve further into this topic with the presentation of Dynamic Leadership: What It Takes to Lead TODAY, delivered by Dr. Blake Leath, a noted business leadership coach. He will provide insights into ways to lead institutions through challenging times. Today’s CEOs face a lonely environment—and our Annual Conference provides a great opportunity to share ideas with other CEOs and get a little personal coaching from business experts. Of course, these ideas are also great for board members and other members of executive team, for their own leadership development and to truly understand what today’s bank CEO must do to turn the tide on the downward trend. Nancy E. Sheppard President & CEO Today’s CEOs face a lonely environment—and our Annual Conference provides a great opportunity to share ideas with other CEOs and get a little personal coaching from business experts. Western Independent Banker March/April 2009 9

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Western Independent Banker - March/April 2009

Western Independent Banker - March/April 2009 Contents A Message from the President & CEO Profitable Liquidity: Yes, You Can Non-Performing Assets: The Keep Versus Sell Decision Is BOLI the Way to Go? The Troubled Asset Relief Program and Its Eff ect on Executive Compensation TARP Money or Not, Secondary Offerings Belong in Your Plan 52nd Annual Conference Private Equity: Another Capital Option Strengthening Your Bank’s Bottom Line by Adapting to Difficult Times Managing Your Branch Network Capital Dealing with a Hard Insurance Market WIB Service Corporation Report WIB Calendar New Members Index of Advertisers Advertiser.com

Western Independent Banker - March/April 2009

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