Deposit Growth Without Begging or Discounting—Here’s How the Top 1% of Banks Do It [VIDEO]
Why paying for deposits destroys margin—and how elite banks grow core deposits without rate gimmicks.
Welcome to the Top 5 Percenter™ Blog
Can Your Team Survive Strategic Planning?
If you haven’t done your strategic plan yet, be thinking about—not only the things I covered recently about strategic planning—but also the fact that one of the most important things you can do is bond your team.
Here’s the thing: if you’ve got great strategies, but people are not aligned behind them, the likelihood of getting them done is slim to none. Now, what happens in most strategic planning sessions is that people actually go sideways and they build resentments.
I worked with a bank team years ago, and the CFO and the head of retail did not make eye contact for about six months after the strategic planning session!
In fact, what should happen is there should be a bonding that happens there and a clear understanding that everyone on that team is 100% accountable for all the results.
And so there will be no, “Gosh, those people in marketing didn’t get it done; those people over at commercial didn’t get it done; hey, those wealth management people didn’t get their piece done.”
If you’re on the executive team, you are 100% accountable for every outcome that you list in your strategic plan.
So creating a bond during that strategic planning process and working through the issues is as important as creating phenomenal strategies with great alignment.
Getting that done is going to create a phenomenal year for you next year, and I look forward to hearing your great stories about how your team bonded at strategic planning this year.
More From The Blog
News Flash—Markets Don’t Dictate Premium Pricing [VIDEO]
Banks don’t lose margin because of the market. They lose it because of belief systems that keep them competing on price.
Higher Net Interest Margin With Less Risk – Fact or Fiction? [VIDEO]
Most banks chase NIM by matching rates. Top banks raise pricing by changing positioning. Here’s how they do it.
Rate Risk is a Big Risk—Play Smart [VIDEO]
Guessing interest rates is not a strategy. Here’s how top community banks remove rate risk and stay profitable.
Why Community Banking Matters—Especially at Christmas [VIDEO]
A Christmas reflection on why community banking matters—and why your leadership impact extends far beyond transactions.
Life in the World of Over-Regulation [VIDEO]
Top banks don’t complain about regulation—they execute around it. Here’s how the elite outperform anyway.
Why Is It So Important to Hold On to Low Cost Deposits [VIDEO]
Low-cost deposits are the ultimate margin advantage. Discover how top 5% performers attract them consistently—and why most banks fail to compete.
Can Strategic Thinking Be Taught or Nurtured [VIDEO]
Banks don’t fail from a talent shortage—they fail from a thinking shortage. Discover how critical-thinking systems like the SIR Formula build your future executives now.
A State of Gratitude [VIDEO]
A powerful Thanksgiving message on how gratitude shifts leadership presence, reframes pressure, and strengthens your bank’s performance culture.
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.