Many bank board members are asking: “Should we be doing something with AI?” The answer is yes—and if management hasn’t brought it up, that’s a red flag. This guide helps directors understand where AI fits in banking, what risks to watch for, and what smart oversight looks like—no tech background required.
Why do once-thriving companies like Kodak, Blockbuster, and Toys "R" Us fail to adapt to changing markets—while others like Amazon and Netflix reinvent themselves? This post explores how Newton’s laws of motion offer a surprisingly useful lens for understanding business inertia, transformation, and the consequences of action (or inaction). Learn how applying these principles metaphorically can help leaders make smarter, more adaptive decisions.
Too many financial institutions confuse a wish list of vague initiatives with actual strategy. This post offers a practical scorecard to help bank executives and board members evaluate—and improve—their strategic plans. From business models and technology to marketing and culture, it provides 58 focused questions across critical planning categories to ensure your plan is realistic, forward-looking, and actionable.
Operational budgets keep the lights on. Strategic budgets move the company forward. This post explores the key differences between the two—and explains why carving out a dedicated budget for long-term, cross-functional initiatives can help financial institutions stay focused, fund innovation, and actually deliver on their strategic plans.
Marketplace lenders are winning not on price, but on speed and simplicity. Many banks are responding with small tweaks and marginal improvements—but that won’t be enough. This post challenges financial institutions to rethink their back-office processes and customer experience from the ground up if they want to stay competitive in a digital-first lending landscape.
Strong earnings reports and dividend payouts may calm investors—but they won’t future-proof your bank. In this post, a haunting historical analogy highlights the danger of complacency in today’s banking environment. Legacy systems, rising customer expectations, and fintech disruption are accelerating change. Now is the time to act decisively—or risk being left behind.
Veteran employees bring deep knowledge and loyalty—but can also resist the very changes your company needs to survive. This post explores the double-edged sword of workforce longevity, and offers practical strategies for engaging long-tenured staff while building a culture that embraces innovation and transformation.
Charles Darwin’s principle of survival through adaptation applies just as much to businesses as it does to biology. This post explores how digital transformation has gone from a competitive edge to a survival requirement in banking. From the long arc of technological change to the sudden jolt of the pandemic, the message is clear: banks that fail to change may not be around for the next cycle.
COVID-19 disrupted every assumption banks made at the start of the year. Now is the time to pause, reflect, and reset. This post outlines a practical, three-step framework for reviewing your pandemic response, understanding how the world has changed, and redefining priorities for the months ahead—so your institution can emerge stronger, smarter, and more resilient.
Customers today expect personalized service—even from their bank. But despite massive investments in AI and digital platforms, even the biggest players like Bank of America sometimes miss the mark. This post explores how smaller institutions can build simple, effective customer analytics capabilities to deliver relevant, timely communications—and compete with the giants on value, not volume.
