The Six Habits of High Performers

Lana J. Chandler
May 19, 2008 | COMMENTS

Dramatically new front-line behaviors are re-defining branch performance and the client experience,” observes Ron Buck, CEO of Solonis Center for Excellence in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Solonis 300 Performance Benchmarking study identified six “habits of high performers.” These are the habits that have generated sustained deposit and loan growth over a period of four years.

The six habits are:

1. Sales Tracking and Measurement.

The highest-performing institutions and branch managers understand what is important to measure and the importance of sales tracking, reporting, and score carding. What they measure is totally different than other institutions.

2. Alignment.

The highest-performing institutions and branch managers align training, coaching, sales processes, and incentives. They have all developed formal or informal alignment methodologies.

3. Continuous Process Improvement.

The highest-performing institutions and branch managers are continuously involved in sales process improvement. They generally focus on various combinations of these processes.

4. Coaching.

The highest-performing branch managers are all willing to change and are committed to action. They exhibit three important coaching characteristics that are the foundation for a positive branch environment:

• They set realistic expectations on an individual basis.
• They know how to hold their front-line employees accountable for creating new opportunities.
• They provide immediate feedback to their employees. This feedback is motivational, informational and developmental.

5. Incentives, Rewards and Recognition.

While most institutions are focused on product-based incentive programs, the highest performers reward performance improvement based on specific key performance indicators.

6. Balance, Align, and Renew.

The highest-performing branch managers continually balance, align, and renew variations of these habits through a careful combination of insight and action.

This story appeared in Branch Manager's Letter at www.branchmanagersletter.com and is reprinted with permission.