Taking Ambitious Community Banks to a 
I’d like to read you something, “If we want to reach people no one else is reaching, we’ve got to do things no one else is doing,” Andy Stanley. The reason I bring that up is Steven Hovde was speaking at the Acquire or Be Acquired Conferences last year, and he talked about the trend line in banking. He said (more…)
Single Most Important KPI for ROI in Marketing [VIDEO]
I had the honor of an audience. I was speaking recently for a bank marketing association and what occurred to me was that I made a big discovery. You see (more…)
The Real Question Is, Can You Afford Not To? [VIDEO]
A dear friend asked me a question one time, “oh really, can you afford not to?” and I thought that was one of the most brilliant questions I’ve ever heard. Let me pose it to you this way.
Bold Strategic Choices for 2021 [VIDEO]
Your outcomes will be the result of your choices, but what kind of choices might you be making? Will you let inertia get in the way, or will you make bold choices to step forward? Are you looking for a life of ease, or are you willing to (more…)
Who Made Up THAT Rule? [VIDEO]
Everyone has patterns of disbelief. There are some people who believe that in politics they believe one side or the other, and they’re unwilling to look at the alternative. Still others believe that the moon is made of cheese. You may have a belief system that’s true. You may have a belief system that’s not true. And the question sometimes that we have to look at as executives is (more…)
Post-COVID Strategic Planning [VIDEO]
Don’t look now, but strategic planning season is right around the corner, and what do you do in a time with all of this unrest? Just when you’ve had a great PPP season and a record-setting season for mortgages, we know (more…)
The Three Books That Can Move Mountains [VIDEO]
I am a nerd. I’ve always been a nerd. When I was a little kid, I used to go to the library every other day and I would drag books all the way up to my chin back onto the bus and back off of the bus, then back to the library. I’d fill up with books about twice a week. I’ve always had a passion for learning and discovering and finding out what other people know rather than having to discover everything myself. I have some favorite books. One of them, I think is really important during strategic planning season (more…)
Breakthrough Banking Nine Years in the Making [VIDEO]
Finally, my new book is out—The Breakthrough Banking Blueprint.
It occurred to me years ago when I had the great honor of working with the top franchise company in this country, which was awarded top franchise year in and year while I worked with them, doing their leadership development training, that in banking, we didn’t know anything about franchise thinking or development. What if we could bring that kind of thinking to create a predictable success machine within the community banking industry? (more…)
How A Flawless Sales System Brings Competitors’ Customers to You [VIDEO]
Profitable loan growth is the name of the game, but it’s not just profitable—it’s having profit, safety, and growth all done together. When I wrote my very first book, Profit-Growth Banking, I talked about how I’m impressed by banks that have a great ROA and by banks that have great growth, but not nearly as impressed as I am by banks who sustainably accomplished both very systematically. That’s the game as an executive that you must (more…)
An Important Skill You Must Develop to Be a Great Leader [VIDEO]
Does your executive team know how to stand in the heat of difficult conversations?
It’s easy to be nice to each other. I grew up in the Midwest, and my mama taught me to be a nice girl. That was one of the things that was held very dear in my heart, and it was one of the things that I valued. As I became an executive, I realized I needed to learn how to call people tight on their behaviors when they weren’t in alignment. I needed to be able to (more…)