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The Pursuit of Significance: A Conversation With ICBA’s Chris Lorence

By July 18, 20183 min read

Click on the image above to listen to a recording of this webinar.

We all know someone — or maybe are someone — who can quickly adapt to change. Change is often unexpected; those who confidently embrace it and relish the chance for their organization to move forward are the people you want on your team. It’s even better when those people love it even if it does not propel their own career forward at the same pace. This is significant to business owners and teams (but I’ll get to that in a bit).

But why is change hard? Because we can’t control it. We can’t predict it. And as a business, you have to adapt. Those who not only adapt quickly — but help others adapt — often stand out as not only effective leaders, but as influencers for your organization. Those are the people who lead your business into the future.

Yesterday, I had a chance to sit down with the Executive Vice President of The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), Chris Lorence, to talk about growing as a bank leader and influencing others. Chris’ thoughts on the pursuit of significance over the desire for success is a profound lesson for all of us. Where success impacts an individual for a moment, significance impacts others for a while. Remember what I said earlier? Those significant moments are important in times of change and propelling your business forward.

While Chris has been pursuing digital banking since 1999, his lessons and filters for finding significance are just as relevant today. In his role at ICBA, he works with bankers across the country who are directly impacted by the changing landscape of banking. These are just a few of his “Chrisisms” that stood out to me on yesterday’s webinar:

  • “Leadership is more than policy and procedures. You have to have personality.”
  • “When your bank management is hesitant to open the door of social marketing, start the conversation of where and how trust can be built through the process. Trust is what it always goes back to.”
  • “Failure is a learning opportunity that should help you be better in the future.”

While these key takeaways on leadership, embracing new technology, and failure are things you’ve likely heard before, it’s important to understand that your business is not alone in facing these issues. It’s also an important reminder that for many of us, we forget how important it is to communicate and illustrate the value of the technologies and innovations we know will move us forward. Chris’ reminder to “communicate and connect the dots…” is significant.

At Social Assurance, we work with businesses across the country that are working to communicate their needs for more advanced technology. We’re happy to help them connect the dots and embrace new technology to advance their marketing goals.

If you have not listened to the webinar, I encourage you to click on the link below. Let’s continue the conversation — I’d love to hear your thoughts on leadership and how to confidently embrace change. Tweet with us using #SocialBank.

– Ben Pankonin, Social Assurance Co-Founder

Listen to “Leading Banking Into the Future” Now