A State of Gratitude [VIDEO]
A powerful Thanksgiving message on how gratitude shifts leadership presence, reframes pressure, and strengthens your bank’s performance culture.
Welcome to the Top 5 Percenter™ Blog
What Are You Pretending You Don’t See? [VIDEO]
What are you pretending not to see? Hmm. That’s a question that I asked The Council of bank CEOs, a round table of some of the highest performing bank CEOs in the country, just a few weeks ago. We all lie to ourselves about things we don’t want to see. When I asked that question and I said, “Let’s have a safe place to talk here and really bring some things up,” I heard all kinds of things. I heard, “I’m trying to pretend and not address the fact that my CEO’s performance is declining,” or “I’m trying to pretend like this COVID thing isn’t having a huge toll on the emotions of my team and the culture within this organization,” or, “Hey, I’m pretending that this new superstar that I hired to solve all my problems is performing well and probably always will because I’ve already spent so much in a finder fee and salary that I don’t want to admit to the mistake.”
Video: What Are You Pretending You Don’t See?
You see, the more we spend investing in something, the more we want to pretend that something right in front of us isn’t happening. Yet, as executives, we have to ask ourselves those hard questions, because the longer we pretend not to know something that’s right in front of our face, the more costly those problems become. Authenticity and real questions are imperative in being a good CEO and executive of a bank. Are you being authentic enough, and are you asking yourself that tough question? Incidentally, what are you pretending not to see?
– Roxanne Emmerich
Please watch the video above and share it with your exec team and board.
More From The Blog
How to Tie Everyone to Profit [VIDEO]
Most employees believe they’re top performers but can’t show how they drive profit. This episode shows how to tie every role to the bottom line, boost profit per FTE, and build a high‑performance culture in your community bank.
The Dangers of False-Attempt Sales Training [VIDEO]
Traditional sales training fails because it focuses on tactics, not transformation. Discover how to shift from sales training to sales culture and achieve lasting growth.
Master the Four Levels of USPs [VIDEO]
Escape commodity pricing. This episode shows how Level-4 USPs—proprietary, client-valued processes—let community banks command +150–200 bps and keep deposits loyal.
Stop Matching the Competition [VIDEO]
Rate matching drains margin. Install USPs that matter, differentiate, and promise explicit benefits—so buyers pay more without a price match.
Your Team Selling Checklist [VIDEO]
Tag-alongs aren’t team selling. Use this checklist to assign roles, split first vs. second call objectives, and run the pre-call prep that produces 85–90% close rates on top-100 prospects.
How Community Banks Deliver WOW Customer Service [VIDEO]
Most banks deliver “pretty good.” That’s not loyalty. This episode reveals a 3-step execution system—blended learning, measurement, coaching, and celebration—to engineer daily WOW service that sticks and grows deposits, margin, and community pride.
The Silent Profit Killer: How to Stop Rate Matching and Take Back Your Margin
Roxanne Emmerich exposes the hidden flaw in your strategy that’s quietly destroying net interest margin — and the proven path to take back your pricing power.
The AI Wild West
AI isn’t coming—it’s already here. Discover why most bank roles are now obsolete, and what your team must become to survive.
Your Plan Won’t Save You in a Merger—But This Will
Your plan won’t save you. A strategic planning system designed for high-stakes execution will. Here’s how top community banks avoid merger collapse.