The challenges of running a business become exponentially greater when managers seem to be spending more and more of their time finding and training new team members than in actually executing strategy.

Consistent marketing doesn't mean your offer gets better with each try, but it increases the odds of making a pitch when your customers are actually listening.

Fewer transactions are taking places in branches but banks’ brick-and-mortar locations are more important than ever.

Branch managers are essential, but it is the manager's manager that can set the tone for the performance of a bank's branch program.

As banks nationwide trim their branch personnel, they must also make sure the remaining staff in their brick-and-mortar stores know what they are doing.

In a more competitive-than-ever industry, sales activity is an important part of bankers' jobs, but it is not the only part.

As in-person transactions continue to decline, bankers should focus on engaging with customers in settings outside the physical branch.

The industry's rapid change is shining a spotlight on middle and senior managers who inherit positions and often have to fix the messes — while maintaining the successes — of their predecessors.

No technology yet is as effective at initiating and/or strengthening real relationships as smiles, personal conversations and consultations are.

The Sniper's main contribution seems to be shooting down others' ideas. The Historian defends the status quo to the end and the Jetson is convinced the bank's existence rides on the latest technology craze. All of these mind-sets are shortsighted.