Independent Banker - August 2018 - 22

PORTFOLIO
core philosophy is universal whether you're running
a business or leading a team. Today, however, one
rule is not enough, and the golden rule has been
upgraded to platinum: Do unto others as they would
have you do unto them. In other words, treat them
the way they want to be treated.
The platinum rule requires both business and
leadership to know more, be more and deliver
more. Customers and team members of all ages
now want transparency and more than a one-sizefi
ts-all approach to communication, service delivery,
product off erings and organizational culture.
How it's done
Leading by Example
By Chris Lorence, ICBA
How to turn
gold into
platinum
L
eadership is front and center in 2018. There
is an endless stream of news from around the
world that illustrates and illuminates the good, bad
and ugly of leaders' actions and decisions. Whether
you're running a community bank or a Fortune 100
global enterprise, both customers and employees
have raised their expectations of leaders and of
the organizations they lead. They want the best
in service, solutions, opportunities and culture.
In today's fast-paced, highly competitive fi nancial
services environment, how can bank leaders and their
leadership teams elevate their eff ectiveness while
driving increased market share and profi tability?
Community banks, like many entrepreneurial
organizations, are rooted in living by the " golden
rule " : Do unto others as you would have them do
unto you. This simple, straightforward and solid
22 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q August 2018
Chris Lorence
(chris.lorence@
icba.org) is ICBA
group executive
vice president-
member
engagement and
strategy
The good news is that tuning your leadership style
and practices to include both gold and platinum is
fairly easy and has an almost immediate impact.
Consider the following:
Q Ask more questions to gain clarity on diff erences
within your teams and organization.
Positioning yourself as someone who wants to
learn more helps create a culture where leader
and team are a mutually dependent unit.
Q Engage with all levels regularly to learn how
your vision is being articulated in the organization.
Be mindful and ask yourself, " How am I
showing up? How do I want to show up? "
Q When making changes, consider making
smaller, more agile updates, with a larger team
of infl uencers helping drive the action. Smaller
changes, combined with frequent check-ins
and assessment, can help reduce the stress
often associated with change. More communication
also allows for adjustments along the
way versus huge sweeping changes that can
disrupt progress or cause unintended uncertainty
within the team.
Q Be willing and proactive in off ering the " why "
when communicating with your team and
even your customers. Authenticity and transparency
are highly valued and increasingly
important when creating a workplace where
employees are loyal and fully engaged in the
organization's mission.
As a community banker, leadership is paramount
to the success of both your bank and the community
it serves. Equally important is creating a culture
that fosters high-quality leaders who attract and
support a platinum workforce that can continue
that success.
Independent Banker - August 2018

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