Independent Banker - June 2022 - 22

PORTFOLIO INNOVATION STATION
Being comfortable
with discomfort
By Charles Potts, ICBA
sitting on the tips of people's tongues.
It's up to you to draw them out.
3. Bringing in outside talent to
accelerate the process. Leading
innovation in the digital age means
looking outside the organization for
new talent in places you've never
explored before: diff erent industries,
adjacent markets and various types
of organizations. As outsiders, these
individuals are unencumbered
by traditional ways to approach a
problem and can off er fresh insights
and ideas.
Bringing folks together who may have
s ICBA's chief innovation
offi cer, it's my job to push
the envelope, to make people
uncomfortable. And while this may
sound counterintuitive to fostering
successful collaborations, research
suggests discomfort is normal
when tackling new challenges. That
uncomfortable feeling you get in the
pit of your stomach when you decide
to try something new serves as a
motivator and is why I tell community
bankers: " To succeed in today's
rapidly evolving digital landscape,
you need to get comfortable with
feeling uncomfortable. "
Last week, I talked to a community
bank president and CEO who faced
this challenge head-on. He observed
that cybersecurity, once relegated to
the bank's information technology
(IT) department, had instead become
a natural extension of the business
that aff ected everyone across the
organization, him included. For him,
getting comfortable with discomfort
meant brushing up on his skills
A
to meet current demands, which
he did by obtaining a certifi cation
in cybersecurity.
Get out of your comfort zone
Community bankers can, through
their leadership and action, change
culture and spark innovation in
various ways, including:
1. Facilitating open
communication. Innovative
leaders communicate openly and
broadly across an organization.
They understand the valuable
role staff plays in carrying out a
bank's mission, vision and strategic
direction, and regularly ask for
their support and input.
2. Cultivating a collaborative
environment. Community
bank leaders understand that
collaboration fosters innovation
and works to create a collaborative
environment. They aren't afraid
of challenging the status quo and
asking for input. Some of the most
innovative ideas at banks are
diff erent approaches but a common
goal-to create memorable customer
experiences-is what ICBA's ThinkTECH
Accelerator program is all about. It off ers
community banks an opportunity to talk
with and learn from bank technology
entrepreneurs. Just as importantly, it's a
chance to share their expertise to create
solutions that take our industry forward.
At ICBA, we believe there is more we
can do to help our community bankers
get comfortable with the pace of change.
We are always looking for new ways
to create collaborative, educational
experiences for our bankers, helping
them grow and improve alongside
fi nancial technology companies.
Discomfort is a necessary part of
growth and innovation. Embrace it and
the lessons it provides. Draw on your
past wins and experiences and build on
them to meet the challenges of the digital
age. It's in you. All you have to do is
fi gure out how to tap into it.
And as you do, you'll get more
and more comfortable with the
uncomfortable. 
Charles Potts (charles.potts@icba.org)
is ICBA executive vice president and
chief innovation off icer
22 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q June 2022
Independent Banker - June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - June 2022
