Notes from This Month in Banking Podcast

I was rustling through papers on my desk to clean it up and not look like a candidate for the Hoarders TV show. In the clutter I found my sloppy copy notes from two podcast interviews. I put them in the shred pile.

Then I read them. And rethought about shredding them. There were some valuable nuggets in there. They were uttered in some form by our guests and I thought them so insightful that I wrote them down. So I wondered if my Jeff4Banks.com readers would appreciate them. 

Not knowing for sure, here they are. Why not, right?

Episode: Managing Through Change (or in other words, getting stuff done).

Release: November 2023

Guest: Mike Butler, CEO of Grasshopper Bank

Link: Managing Through Change (or in other words, Getting Stuff Done!!) - The Kafafian Group, Inc.

JPM Notes

- Mistakes are often silo issues.

- Despise bureaucracy.

- Our bank does not want to be a software company.

- We have a partnership strategy with technology companies.

- Successful companies that get stuff done push decision making down.

- Fail fast and fix it.

- Commercial banking is ripe for disruption.

- Build an environment where people can thrive personally and professionally. 

- Culture: When hiring people, the candidate has three decisions to make: 1) is it exciting for the candidate, 2) is it not for them, and 3) do they believe or call BS on what the CEO is trying to create. 

Episode: Ingredients to a Successful Management Team

Release: March 2024

Guest: Bartow Morgan, Jr., CEO of Geogia Banking Company

Link: Ingredients to a Successful Management Team - The Kafafian Group, Inc.

JPM Notes

- We changed how we attracted talent. Didn't necessarily need the banking experience.

- We run each line of business in a more entrepreneurial way.

- Only one person drives culture (CEO).

- Put people at the top. Successful people are usually successful. Passionate people usually win.

- Break down silos by creating cross-functional teams.

- What to look for in leaders: driven, accountable, self-aware, collaborative and ethical.

~ Jeff