Independent Banker - September 2023 - 30

PORTFOLIO LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS
Does everyone understand their role?
Do team members know when to step
in and help each other?
Putting notes to good use
Once you've done that, bring your
notes to work with you, and empower
your team to do the same. At ICBA
Community Banker University, our
team uses OneNote to document our
updates and summaries with each
other in advance of our biweekly
team meeting.
Everyone is asked to share one new
Look for learning
everywhere
By Lindsay LaNore, ICBA
earning happens everywhere-at
sporting events, at kids' activities,
at local coffee shops, even during
family meals. And those lessons
can have a big impact on our work
performance, perspective and team
culture. So, let's take advantage of free
lessons that we can learn outside of
the workplace.
To do that, practice being an
observer. Ask yourself, " What can I
learn from being part of a situation
or watching it play out? " As a mom of
two athletes, I spend a lot of time at
the basketball court watching my girls
play with their teams. I don't leave a
tournament without learning at least
one thing, and I often learn many
things, by watching the teams work
together. Here are some examples:
1. It's important to encourage someone
L
when they're struggling or losing
the game.
2. When a pass isn't timed correctly,
the receiving player can't catch it as
easily (if at all). Timing is critical.
3. Don't forget your body language.
When you're sitting on the bench,
your coach will notice your nonverbal
behavior. So, pay attention, watch
the game and cheer for others on the
court. Same goes for the boardroom.
4. A leader's reaction to a win or loss
is critical to team morale. If you're a
team or department leader at your
bank, take notes.
The local coffee shop can also be an
interesting learning environment.
Watch how employees work together
(or don't!), especially when it's busy.
Is the team communicating clearly?
thing that they learned at the last
meeting, or something that they've
learned since then. This is something
we look forward to sharing, and it
doesn't matter how big or how small
the share is. Sometimes the smallest
things-like a Microsoft Excel tip-
have made a huge impact on our work
process and efficiency.
When you share an insight,
you're not just paying it forward.
You're also retaining the knowledge
you've picked up by repeating it and
teaching others. In psychology, that's
called the protégé effect.
By teaching an idea, you deepen
your own understanding of it. You can
also invite others to comment, and
learn from their responses. Inviting
others to share their notes also
encourages us to be better listeners.
Once you've shared all that
you've learned, find ways to apply
those lessons to your lives and jobs.
The process of actively looking for
learning everywhere is remarkably
effective, and watching your kids'
basketball games may never be quite
the same again!
Lindsay LaNore (lindsay.lanore@
icba.org) is ICBA's senior
executive vice president and chief
learning and experience officer
30 // ICBA Independent Banker // September 2023
Photo by Monkey Business/Adobe
Independent Banker - September 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - September 2023
