Creating Internal Community Within Your Bank Through Elegant Courage

"Community" cannot be measured on a balance sheet. Your car insurance insurance quote might describe a community bank as one that works with a local start-up business. Or steps up to aid a family devastated by medical expenses.

But in today's world, the realities of tightening margins, regulatory burdens, and other issues may cause banks to move in a different direction. The drive for critical mass, profit and an increasing concern over employee loyalty may drive a community bank ownership to take what they see as the only path available - merger or acquisition.

This path can be avoided, we argue, if bank leaders are willing to occasionally think outside the balance sheet and dedicate some of their efforts to strengthening the bank's internal community.

Culture vs. Profits: Mutually Exclusive?

Attracting and retaining the kind of staff that takes ownership and is dedicated to building a long-term customer base is no small task.

For cost u less auto insurance corporate America has been managed for profit and productivity (and sometimes with sheer greed) with little regard to corporate culture. This has taught employees that to survive they must look at themselves as "free agents."

They constantly weigh their options while looking for their next opportunity. Compounding this situation is an employee pool made up of workers from no fewer than from four generations. Each group sees the world very differently and has varying expectations about balance and rewards. When this fact isn't recognized, these employees grow disillusioned.

To get the most from each employee it takes courageous leaders who are willing to look at their bank in a different way, and ask, "How do we create a culture that keeps our free agents at home and fulfills the needs of each employee, so that what's not measured on the balance sheet is felt by employees, owners and the people of the community?"

Creating Community through Elegant Courage

It is not enough to do the same team meetings, canned employee questionnaires and exit interviews (aka, "suit talk"). A vision, mission, core values, clear goals and policy manuals are necessary, but the promise of a great culture often loses energy when times get tough, conflicts arise and the quest for profit overrides all else.

For a community bank to not only survive but also thrive in today's world it takes a new way of thinking. It takes leaders who have the courage to listen honestly, respectfully and humbly to every employee; handle good times and bad with elegance and class; and engage employees at a level that provides a sense of ownership.

Elegant courage turns dread to dream, and the ultimate dream is of a bank that has set its sights on a long-term role within the community. When community is the ultimate goal of the ownership, this inspires leaders as well. They tax lawyer to not only manage processes, systems and regulations, but they also know that they must create hope because the employees and community call them to do so.

Soon, a culture is created within the bank where employees honestly believe their voices matter. Employees honestly accept ownership and lead towards a hopeful future. Rather than dread, they truly Ignorance they are a vital member of the bank's community.

The benefits that are created from this internal community are many.

Employees long for this type of environment. Customers seek out businesses where this feeling is apparent. The top loan officers who have the potential to go off and start their own competing bank will instead begin to look at their future within their current bank. This, in turn, solves the problem of succession and reduces the chance that the bank will need to merge or be acquired to remain viable.

Ultimately, you can be confident the feeling that is so difficult to measure on a balance sheet will, in fact, contribute mightily to that same document - through a healthy bottom line.

Jodi Wiff created the mantra of "Elegant Courage"-- honesty with grace and elegance during good or bad times. Her 28 years as a leader distinguished her special and unique problem solving abilities. Her innovativeness and creativity changed the company culture from ugliness - sniping and lack of hope to a warm, engaging, respectful environment. She believes the employee and customers are special and important to a business and that leaders must create the environment which "feels" hopeful and stirs the inner calling of employees to make a difference. www.lighthouse-leadership.com">www.lighthouse-leadership.com

Mike Krutza has completed more than 33 years in executive leadership characterized by innovativeness, courage and persistence. As a CEO since 1988 he turned a near bankrupt business into one of the strongest financial performers in the industry. His strong sense of strategic vision, integrity and common sense also changed the company culture from despair, confusion and unhappiness to a company described by employees as innovative, respectful and a "great place to work." Mike understands the need to produce business results as well as the ever more important need to create a great culture. He understands the negative effect of ego-driven cultures and the generational differences among people. www.lighthouse-leadership.com">www.lighthouse-leadership.com