You might be starting a fitness journey this year. And even these regimens allow for cheat days - days where you can ditch the kale shakes and enjoy some delectable donuts or french fries. Better yet, these treats don’t damage your progress too much if you limit cheat days.
Community bank and credit union leadership is not like a fitness program. It’s actually a lot harder because there are absolutely no cheat days!
What does that mean? Let’s take a look.
The Endless Treadmill
Community bank and credit union leadership is a treadmill without a pause button. It’s always going. Sometimes faster. Sometimes slower. But always going nonetheless. It’s tiring, it's rewarding and it’s hard to do without some serious motivation.
Unlike a conventional workout, leadership is not finite. It’s an infinite game requiring you to consistently cast your vision up and out. You need a real purpose beyond the numbers and finances to drive you and your team.
And speaking of your team...you always have an audience when you’re a leader. People look to your example, and they expect you to accurately represent institutional values and brand characteristics.
Always remain conscious of all the eyes on you. If not, you might make the whole organization sick.
One Really Greasy Pizza
Let’s say you want that cheat day. So, you get off the treadmill and scarf down a really greasy pizza in front of your friends. In other words, you drop your usual bank or credit union leadership behaviors and let your motivation peter out.
What happens?
Your team trusts you a little less. It looks like your leadership qualities and love for brand values was simply a veil you wear to keep up appearances. The more cheat days you take, the worse your reputation gets. There are increasing mutterings of that dreaded word around your institution’s halls…"hypocrite."
Never Stop Pumping Iron
Avoid the greasy pizza scenario by building your leadership muscles every day. The more repetition you have practicing leadership, the easier it is to stay on the endless treadmill and the more confidence you give your team.
As Donald Miller says, one of the jobs of "a leader or leadership team is to keep reminding team members about the destination and constantly make corrections to ensure a successful arrival."
Infuse your bank or credit union leadership with consistent behaviors that remind your staff where you’re going. Say your values and live your values and do it all the time. Make adjustments as you learn, progressively getting into better shape as a leader.
But whatever you do…don’t take that cheat day! Those passing delights look yummier than they taste.
Get a Personal Trainer
If you or your managers need more tools to grow as leaders, find a personal trainer suited to your needs. On The Mark Strategies’ leadership training facilitators coach your leaders so they can live out your brand values every single day. Establish consistency in your leaders’ behaviors when you book a free consultation now.
