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- 2 Podcasts
- 118 BID Newsletters
leadership
Podcasts
In this insightful episode, we dive into the unique challenges and opportunities of mid-level managers. Scott Mautz, accomplished author, keynote speaker, and trainer leverages his decades of management experience at Proctor & Gamble (P&G), along with data and actionable tips and strategies, to help middle managers thrive in hierarchy, differentiate themselves, and influence “up, down, and across the organization.”
Intentional and successful communication are discussed with guest Alyson Van Hooser, a keynote speaker and trainer focused on multi-generational leadership. Alyson shares tips emphasizing the need for intentional communication and understanding the stories of others, and her three-step listening technique to improve and ensure the results.
A CFI’s ability to succeed long term depends heavily on its leaders, making it critical to have a robust succession plan. We provide tips on how to create an effective succession plan.
According to the latest Jack Henry survey, an increased focus on lending, faster payments, and small businesses are some of the ways in which FIs plan to adapt their services over the next two years. We highlight the key findings of this survey of banks and credit unions.
The board of directors plays a critical role in driving the development of the strategic plan and holding management accountable for its execution. We discuss four ways to maximize the value the board can bring to a CFI’s strategic planning process.
With the annual planning season on the horizon, we discuss six ways in which strong leaders guide their institutions to success. Although most will be familiar with these principles, a reminder never hurts.
The roles of financial institution CEOs have changed over the past years. The evolved leader embodies characteristics of being purpose-driven, accessible, and vocal. These traits along with more targeted and transparent messaging and digital visibility help community financial institution leaders to better guide their communities through this economic recovery.
Cybersecurity is becoming a top strategic priority for CFIs given the risk of cybercrime. We look at 5 ways to effectively combat cyber threats by embedding a strong cybersecurity culture and good cybersecurity practices.
As regulators step up their oversight of cybersecurity and prepare to impose new regulations, CFIs need to review their cybersecurity programs and plug any gaps accordingly. Regulatory proposals provide the perfect guide for where CFIs should focus their efforts.
Cost management can be an effective way to boost revenue, but it needs to be done with a comprehensive approach. If organizations fail to look at all the ways cuts could impact employees and the customer experience, cost-cutting measures could ultimately prove costly. We provide tips on how to evaluate costs and their impact on your CFI’s cost reduction goals.
As regulators seek to rein in unnecessary risks within the banking industry they are looking to overhaul the rules regarding incentive-based compensation.
Autorenewals and hidden language within contracts aren’t just a headache for consumers — they exist within the third-party relationships that CFIs have as well. Taking the time to review outdated contracts and redundancies within all aspects of your organization can lead to significant savings and a better overall service experience for your customers.
Data analytics offer community financial institutions an opportunity to increase customer engagement, improve profitability, and grow revenue. We take a look at some of the analytics capabilities that can deliver on this promise and give you some tips on how to build them.
The Great Resignation may be over, but CFIs should still find ways to attract and retain hard-working employees — especially those who are excited to grow their careers within the institution. CFIs looking for ideas to accomplish this can emulate the 2023 winners of best banks and companies to work for.
Although annual performance reviews are the norm at most companies, many employees dread the process. Changing your CFI’s approach to performance reviews and how often they happen can be the key to more effective discussions and better feedback. Read on for tips on how to optimize the review process and help employees and managers alike find more value in these meetings.
The results are in, and according to the Bank Director’s 2024 Risk Survey, the banking industry’s top challenges center around deposit pricing, liquidity management, and regulatory requirements. We review the survey’s findings to uncover the factors driving these challenges forward.
Gone are the days when everyone’s career aspiration included becoming a manager. As more and more people decide they do not want the workload or burden of management positions, organizations need to rethink their approach to promoting people to management positions and training them for such responsibilities.
To perform its essential oversight role, a board of directors should bring together the competencies and qualities necessary to help guide an organization toward success. We discuss some essential skills and attributes for a CFI’s board.
Mandatory retirement age restrictions for boards are declining. We explore recent trends, the reasons behind the changes, and alternative strategies.
Quality leadership can be the difference between jobs that workers love and jobs they hope to leave. We provide tips to help you successfully tackle management roles.
As AI usage increases, so does the need for greater oversight. Is a chief artificial intelligence officer the answer? We weigh the pros and cons of CAIO positions in banking.
There’s more to strategic planning than setting goals. We discuss what separates the most effective strategic plans from the rest and provide tips on how to make progress year-round.
We invited Kendra Ramirez, CEO of KR Digital Agency and an AI strategy leader, to address common employee qualms regarding AI and how to create a robust AI policy.
Board technology committees can help businesses take a proactive approach to technology, helping them more quickly identify and implement technological advancements. We detail best practices for board technology committees.
The ROI of educating key talent far outweighs the cost to replace them. We discuss turnover trends and how banking education options can set you up for long-term success.
Following tradition, we're taking a look back at your favorite articles from this year as we BID adieu to 2024. This management-based article from May ranked third in readership this year. Gone are the days when everyone’s career aspiration included becoming a manager. As more and more people decide they do not want the workload or burden of management positions, organizations need to rethink their approach to promoting people to management positions and training them for such responsibilities.
More CFIs are adopting board management software in an effort to increase security and efficiency for board meetings. We discuss the benefits and provide tips for finding the right software.
The Federal Reserve has extended the ISO® 20022 implementation deadline for the Fedwire® Funds Service to July 14, 2025, giving CFIs more time to prepare. Benefits include enhanced payment efficiency, stronger fraud detection, and improved interoperability. With the deadline approaching, we explore how CFIs can use this extension to refine systems, train staff, and support business customers.
CFIs continue to face new and emerging risks, making the role of the CRO more important than ever. We outline critical skills for an effective CRO.
With shifting workforce dynamics and talent shortages, developing a long-term plan for leadership transitions is critical to a CFI’s future. We discuss common succession planning barriers and how to overcome them.
Making banking operations more efficient is a key part of improving a CFI’s bottom line. Financial institutions should use structured simplification to streamline operations and improve ROI.
As AI adoption accelerates in banking, employee resistance is emerging as a key barrier to success. To succeed with AI, CFIs need more than the right tools — they need the right approach to employee engagement.
In the current economic climate, CFIs are prioritizing efficiency. One area to consider is the vendor management program, specifically looking at standardizing processes, integrating systems, and automating workflows.
Burnout is on the rise and can have a high cost for businesses and employees alike — from higher turnover and lower morale to lower productivity and a tangible impact on an organization’s bottom line.
With global tensions increasing and policies and regulations in flux, it’s possible that another wild card event is on the horizon. We discuss strategic planning tips to help CFIs absorb shocks and adapt quickly.
Community engagement is key in building trust, enhancing reputation, and creating sustainable growth. We look at five ways CDFIs engage with their communities to better serve their needs.
In a recent study, McKinsey assessed the strategic capabilities of 400 companies to determine why some companies outperform their peers. We review the findings and share what CFIs can learn from them.
CFIs have a well-deserved reputation for supporting their communities when disaster strikes. We review some of the things CFIs can do that have proved most useful.
Research shows that empathy from managers improves trust and job performance of direct reports. We reveal how you can build empathy within your leadership team and how this approach can impact your business overall.
We talked with PCBB CEO Curt Hecker to get his take on strategic priorities for 2026 and beyond. We discussed regulatory changes, talent shortages, tailoring your goals to your institution’s size, and more.
GenAI is moving faster than the ability of CFI boards to grasp exactly how the technology works or what it can do. Here are some strategies for instilling deeper AI intelligence into the boardroom — and reaping the rewards.
When executives roll up their sleeves and spend time in all the roles throughout their organizations, the payoff can be significant — from a better understanding of an institution’s challenges to a greater understanding of both employee and customer needs. We discuss how to implement this strategy and the ways it can help your bottom line.
As CFIs strive to make greater inroads with younger generations, both as customers and employees, a Gen Z advisory board may be the key to gaining the critical insight necessary to do so in the most effective way. We provide examples of businesses that have implemented this strategy and how it could help your organization.
As CFIs strive to build successful DEI initiatives, embracing the strategies that have helped other businesses boost their own efforts will be key. We’ve highlighted some of the approaches that have helped other organizations build successful DEI initiatives.
If done well, leadership programs can foster not only the potential of employee talent, but also the potential of the organization itself. We delve into some pointers on how to make such a program successful at your institution.
Finding the right amount to award your executives for bonuses can be a challenge. Compensation committees that use discretion in determining incentive payouts risk receiving criticism from investors and proxy advisory firms, whose policies tend to prefer formulaic incentive plans. However, discretion is an important feature of many banks’ annual incentive plans that, if used appropriately, can enhance the relationship between executive and CFI.
Employers have begun swapping conventional executive titles with new, trendy alternatives. But it’s not just about the titles — the roles themselves are changing as well, something younger talent with a yearning for a purpose-driven culture especially craves. We explore why these new executive roles may help you get a leg up on the competition for key talent.
Ensuring a truly diverse board necessitates identifying weaknesses in your current board composition and working toward filling those gaps. While gender and race are major factors in board diversity, they are not the only things that organizations should seek in their quest for diverse thinking and oversight.
Establishing a system of checks and balances is a helpful way to reduce errors and detect and prevent fraud within your company. For many organizations, creating a segregation of duties that relies on multiple employees to conduct internal audits and ensure processes are being followed properly is critical for risk management.
Following recent bank failures, there is a sense of unease in the industry and depositors may have concerns about the reliability of their institutions. We share four strategies CFIs can use to effectively communicate with their customers and alleviate their fears.
Remote work is here to stay, but it can often make employees feel disengaged from their colleagues and businesses. When done well, remote training can help foster a sense of community among colleagues, keep them better connected to their organizations, and help people continue to develop skills from outside the office.
Cloud computing has been growing fast — perhaps too fast. Executives now think their companies are overspending on the cloud by around 28%. We discuss four ways to evaluate cloud spending and make sure your cloud capabilities align with your institution’s needs.
What should the composition of a board of directors, post-merger, look like? If done correctly, pitfalls can be avoided and the resulting financial institution will have a better chance of succeeding. We provide some best practices so your next merger deal won’t go down that rabbit hole.
Public perception has been hard for many CFIs to endure in the wake of recent bank failures. But financial institutions with the words “Signature” or “Republic” have had a particularly tough row to hoe. If the next bank failures have the words “National” or “First” in their names, yet more CFIs may find themselves tainted by association, even if they’ve done nothing wrong. We discuss how to distinguish yourself in the public’s perception.
For Community Banking Month, we’re featuring the work community banks do to support their communities. Our final article of this year’s series recognizes local banks for providing their communities with financial literacy education.
Technology is a major factor in the financial institutions that people choose. Remaining competitive requires knowing where your peers and competitors are investing on the tech front. We review the top digital priorities financial institutions have right now.
Loan-to-deposit ratios rose throughout 2022, with average CFI rates nearing 80%. Banks are also borrowing more from alternative sources to make up for lagging deposit growth.
Each April, we observe Community Banking Month by recognizing the efforts that community banks make to serve their communities. This article celebrates their efforts to help children in their communities.
Every April, we celebrate Community Banking Month, publicizing the charitable services that CFIs perform for their customers and communities. In this edition, we showcase banking institutions that have focused on fighting hunger and food insecurity.
We could be heading into a recession, or we could be dodging a bullet. No matter the outcome, CFIs should find ways to protect their bottom line during this time of economic uncertainty. We detail some creative ways to make the most of your budget.
Community banks are known for the tremendous work they do for their communities. In honor of Community Banking Month, we proudly highlight some of the community outreach efforts made by banks across the country to help their neighbors through donations, awareness campaigns, sponsorships, and more.
As a growing number of baby boomers get closer to retirement, phased retirement programs are proving an attractive option for CFIs seeking to keep key employees around long enough to ensure that their replacements are ready to take on their roles.
Independent contractors can be a great way to bridge skills gaps, access in-demand talent, or get full expertise from a part-time approach. Managing these workers is an art that comes with tips and tricks. We share some here.
Incentives are effective tools for motivating employees. As the economic environment changes and liquidity tightens, make sure the incentive programs you have in place support your organization’s current goals and make sense for your staff.
Job seekers have the advantage across most industries, including the financial industry. By increasing employee engagement and creating a people-first culture, CFIs have an opportunity to keep high performers and stand out from the competition. We explain what employee engagement means and how you can practice it.
With more than 50% of employees working remotely these days, a lack of regular face-to-face interaction between workers has led to an increase in what is known as “imposter syndrome,” where people begin questioning whether they are right for their jobs. By stepping up intentional communications with employees, managers can reduce the likelihood of losing good workers to such doubts.
How can a CFI make sure their audits are accurate, but also that they aren’t overburdening their audit team to the point of chasing them out the door? Here are some best practices you may want to consider implementing.
An understaffed or overburdened back-office accounting team means the month-end close can drag on for days or weeks. We provide you with six effective strategies that can help CFIs save time on month-end activities.
While there is no shortage of risks that CFIs face, one way to enhance your risk management strategy might be in reshaping your board of directors. We give you tips on how to strengthen your board and reexamine the way the group approaches risk.
When employees are financially stressed, their productivity may fall while absenteeism and turnover rates rise. A recent workplace survey found that most employees in the United States are feeling financial pressure. Introducing financial wellness tools and resources in the workplace can help reduce employee financial stress and deliver tangible gains in focus and productivity.
Following two years of remote and hybrid work, executive retreats are more important than ever as a way of creating unity among leadership and identifying collective goals. But creating an effective executive retreat necessitates more than just gathering people together for a few days and requires looking at such gatherings in a whole new way.
By 2025, more than half the world’s workforce will need to reskill, according to the World Economic Forum. Offering training opportunities and recognizing the contributions of employees are among the best ways for organizations to address skill gaps and to hold on to key talent.
Economists predict that global stagflation could hit before the end of 2022. Now is the time for CFIs to determine what risks stagflation could create for their organizations and identify steps to minimize any negative impact. We offer three actions to consider as the potential of stagflation looms large.
Many employers are considering monitoring employees to ease their fears of security risks, compliance violations, and lower productivity. While the goal of monitoring employees is to create greater accountability, the practice of monitoring can actually have an entirely opposite effect. We explore how technology is used to monitor employees, the potential pitfalls, and tips for making it a positive experience for both you and your employees, if you do implement it.
Banks should be benefiting from the interest rate increase, but bank stock prices aren’t following the trend. There are actually many other factors that impact bank stock prices that are keeping current share prices down. Here are the root causes of the current prices and what CFIs can do to turn the market in their favor as rates continue to rise.
Boards of directors have essential monitoring and advisory responsibilities that affect their organizations’ performance. In an ideal world, a corporate board would have a strong culture and contribute to the success of the organization. A recent survey of smaller banks found that less than half of their boards met that standard.
Despite hybrid work arrangements, 53% of women are burned out and considering leaving their jobs within the next two years. Retaining female employees within your organization may mean revisiting how your organization approaches hybrid work.
When training staff on an institution’s procedures, it’s critical to go beyond the what, when and how – to really get employee buy-in. Community financial institutions must also explain the “why.” We delve further.
As organizations continue to grapple with soaring job resignations and insufficient staffing, doing more with less has become the norm. Managing understaffed teams more effectively is important not only for enhancing productivity, but for keeping key employees from jumping ship.
Economists predict that a recession is on the horizon. Given the difficulties that many CFIs experienced during the last recession, now is the perfect time to look at some of the tactics used by those that prevailed in the last recession.
In addition to email and telephone, businesses began using video conferencing and instant messaging at high volumes, as a result of the pandemic. Fast-forward to today and financial institutions are faced with the problem of adequately documenting employee communications across all of these channels. To begin addressing the problem, it’s important to understand the challenges that these platforms present and how to solve it.
In the wake of the ongoing talent shortage across the country, outsourcing has become increasingly popular as companies struggle to find qualified candidates. In 2020 alone, nearly 70% of businesses turned to outsourcing. Though outsourcing may not be for everyone, the changing nature of work has made it a more appealing option that CFIs may want to consider — we go into detail.
Mentorships have been around for thousands of years. But, with remote or hybrid work schedules, virtual mentorships take a little more thought and planning. Nonetheless, community financial institutions looking to keep employee turnover rates low will want to consider jump-starting these programs. We explore this topic further.
In the post-pandemic world, community financial institutions are facing shifting customer expectations and hybrid working models. We explore the key traits that make leaders successful in this changing environment and give you some tips on how to find and nurture these leaders in your institution.
The board of directors plays a crucial role in steering community financial institutions and helping them shape their local economies. To ensure continuous improvement, institutions should measure their board’s effectiveness regularly. We give you some tips on how to review your board’s composition, structure, and performance, and identify opportunities for improvement.
Succession planning has been a part of community financial institutions’ strategic and contingency planning for some time. Yet, 67% of bank CEOs are baby boomers between 56 and 75, so retirements may be coming sooner than expected. Still, 37% of banks have reported they have no clear CEO replacement. We give you five tips to help with your succession planning.
According to a report from the US House Committee on Financial Services, big bank boards are still roughly 80% white and 70% male. While the banking industry is working on board diversity, it takes time to diversify boards, even if there is increasing regulatory scrutiny. Here are four strategies to help boost your board’s diversity.
Time wasters may not seem like a big deal, but they can add up to thousands of dollars a month. Executives spend almost five hours per day in meetings, and if any of those are unnecessary on a regular basis, you can imagine the price tag. Now is a good time to review your schedule for 2022 knowing these four time wasters.
CFOs at community financial institutions have their hands full now more than ever — low loan demand, an overflow of deposits, margin pressure, potential credit quality issues, and more. To give you some food for thought on how other institutions are handling these challenges, we share a few stories from your CFO peers.
With the employment market stretched, retaining employees is more important than ever. Since the biggest reason employees leave is bad managers, it is a good time to make sure that your managers have the necessary skills to keep employees from straying. Here are three important ways that they can do that.
With 2020 behind us and still recovering in 2021, what does 2022 look like? This is the question that bankers need to ask themselves as they move into strategic planning season. To assist you with your assessments, here are the top strategic priorities for financial institutions.
Risk managers have always been important at community financial institutions. However, the pandemic increased their responsibilities and made their roles even more pivotal. The top areas that are keeping these managers busier than ever include: enhanced risk modeling, cybersecurity & fraud, increased exposures through fintech partnerships, more regulation, and the evolving nature of the role itself.
It is not just the big banks that have made commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion DEI initiatives. Financial institutions of all sizes are getting involved. We map out a few of these efforts by the big banks, regional banks, and your peers, community financial institutions. Even if you are already involved in DEI measures, you may find some nuggets to add to your list.
Many bank executives use deferred compensation to maximize their total earnings. It has many advantages and with the potential change in ordinary and capital gains rates, those advantages could increase. We define deferred compensation and then explain the two important ways that it can help executives optimize their compensation payouts.
Now that employees are returning to the office, it is important to be aware of some of the challenges. The pandemic has left some residual effects that will need to be addressed in the workplace. Also, hybrid schedules can be tricky for managers to balance with their teams. Providing a supportive work environment for employees and managers will help smooth this transition for you.
Succession planning is something that all financial institutions do. Yet, with the pandemic, leadership roles were truly put to the test. Here are three ways to effectively groom your successors and help promote a successful transfer of leadership — review the game plan, perform an external search, and empower would-be successors.
The year 2020 was a year of many changes. In 2021, many community financial institutions are finding more change — they need to change their culture to meet today’s challenges or face being left behind. We provide you with four best practices to do this, including developing a plan, obtaining buy-in, being willing to experiment, and ensuring leaders “walk the walk.”
The pandemic changed almost everything. Did it change strategic planning? Despite the upheaval of the crisis, we discovered that many financial institutions stayed the course with regard to their strategic planning. We share how they did this and what their priorities will likely be during their strategic planning for 2022.
Family-owned banks can face internal conflict when the founders pass away, as surviving family members have different goals and visions for the bank. It often becomes more readily apparent during times of transition. We provide four strategies to prepare for discussions of the future of the bank: use an independent third party; manage different expectations; seek to understand, and adopt an inclusive plan.
Board leadership for financial institutions is vital. Now that the pandemic seems to be winding down, it may be a good time to address board education. Some areas to consider covering include: assessing the right post-pandemic strategy, tightening communication with management, talking about company culture, addressing new board member skills, and remembering compliance training.
Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs) are fairly new positions. Yet, with growing diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements, continuing research around increased performance with executive diversity, and the need to represent more diverse communities, some financial institutions are adding this position to their C-suite. We give you three strategies if your institution is considering a CDO position.
Deloitte finds that 47% of respondents say it will be a very high priority for their institutions to improve their ability to manage ESG (environmental, social, and governance). We provide community financial institutions with four ways to do this simply and easily including: determining focus, starting small, communicating your commitment, and boosting volunteer efforts.
Are you spending too many hours on Zoom meetings and feeling fatigued? If so, you are not alone. A recent Stanford University study found there are good reasons for Zoom fatigue. Feeling up close and personal, looking at yourself, being tied to your screen, and working harder to get your point across are a few of them. Here are some solutions.
Women between the ages of 25 and 44 are roughly 3x more likely to leave the workforce due to the added demands of the pandemic. Community financial institutions could face a serious shortage of executive-level women unless they reach out and provide flexibility and support in meaningful ways.
Research has shown that board diversity increases financial performance. Not only that but many communities are becoming more diverse. As businesses grow and diversity increases, you will want to consider increasing the diversity of your board of directors. This can be done with three actions to enhance your board’s diversity and perspective.
As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes more widely distributed, your institution needs to be prepared. It is important to update your HR policies with the current guidelines, discuss the importance of vaccination for herd immunity with your employees, and accommodate employees with special considerations.
In 2019, American businesses lost $399B due to unnecessary and poorly run meetings. Some tips to steer clear of lost productivity from meetings: examining types of work, leveraging technology, visual aids in meetings, and alignment to goals.
There may be challenges in renewing your director and officers (D&O) insurance during the pandemic. We have some considerations.
It has been over six months since the start of the pandemic and working remotely. We provide you with five tips to improve your leadership skills in managing remote employees.
This year's strategic plan will require a fresh approach given the impact of the pandemic. We provide you with three considerations.
Communicating effectively as a leader reassures your employees, which is even more important during the transition from crisis to recovery. We have three important facets to keep in mind.
As the coronavirus crisis continues, it is crucial to keep employee morale up. We give you three ideas to boost their spirits.
Your staff's health and wellness is surely one of your top priorities. We offer you some considerations, as you lead your employees through the coronavirus.
The coronavirus has affected many of us in different ways. Now is the time to show our leadership.
Since the coronavirus is officially a pandemic, it is definitely a good time to put in place special business continuity plans.
Succession is a critical topic for business longevity, and it's of increasing interest to regulators. We have seven steps that can help.
Many people indicate they have had managers who have either overmanaged or undermanaged them. Luckily, there is a middle course of management.
Fifty-four percent of privately held financial institutions do not conduct board evaluations at all. We explain why they are important.
We have covered succession planning best practices before. Today, we provide you with some good examples of succession planning efforts that your institution may find helpful.
Bringing board members up to speed quickly is a key task, but not always an easy one. We provide important onboarding tips for your bank to do this.