Independent Banker - July 2024 - 59

how something is going to work out,
you begin to pull yourself back into
the box of the world you understand
very well. "
To illustrate how a willingness
to change can be reinforced,
Henrichs describes the CEO of a
$10 billion-asset bank who used an
in-person, all-bank monthly meeting
to praise branch managers and others
who took bold actions in support of
the bank's explicit goal of becoming
more data driven. At this meeting, the
CEO called a few individuals onto the
stage to commend them for specifi c
steps taken, even if the actions didn't
necessarily yield successful results.
Henrichs notes that singling out
individuals for praise is a terrifi c way
to clarify and cement change. " As
people explore and try new things,
having an individual at the top
publicly reward bravery really can go
far, " he says.
Providing regular acknowledgment
of positive change also underscores
a message heard time after time:
Change management, when
done well, is part of a journey of
continuous improvement.
" Change is a fact of life, and so the
quicker organizations understand and
recognize how to manage change-
and how to do it well-the better off
they are, " says Honor's Anderson.
" Once one change has been put to
bed, there's always going to be a new
one waiting. "
Elizabeth Judd is a writer in Maryland.
80%
of financial
institutions are
working on AI
pilots and proof
of concepts,
demonstrating
that change
management will
be critical in the
coming months
and years
HOW HONOR BANK
COMMUNICATED CHANGE
Long before Honor Bank in Honor, Mich.,
went live with its new lending platform
in August 2023, project leaders started
regularly communicating with employees,
listening to concerns and allaying fears,
recalls Max Anderson, assistant vice
president and commercial lender.
Initially, he says, there was a lot of
dissension. Because involving every
employee in decision-making would be
too unwieldy, he and others leading the
change, including senior credit off icer
Pamm Laing and credit department
manager Spencer Repp, instead worked
to make people feel like they were being
heard once a plan of action was chosen.
" When people feel like something's
being done to them, they get defensive.
It creates the wrong atmosphere, " says
Anderson. " When people know the 'why,'
they're more apt to adapt and innovate. "
That said, Anderson draws a distinction
between listening and agreeing too
energetically, which may fan the flames of
discontent. " Strong, healthy, supportive
and positive leadership, " he says, involves
acknowledging concerns without
undermining an initiative by acting as if
the change itself is up for debate.
In the end, persistence in
communication makes an enormous
diff erence. Anderson likens change agents
to Sisyphus, the hero of Greek mythology
charged with pushing a boulder up a hill
only to find it rolling down again. " You
have to keep pushing, knowing that
closer to the top, things will get better
for everyone, " he says. " And they have. "
independentbanker.org // 59
http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - July 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - July 2024
