Reinvent Where You Are 

I’ve used pivot. I’ve used shift. I’ve used evolve. They could all mean the same thing, and I think everyone knows what I’m talking about. How are you reinventing and realigning your business, your career, and your home during the current circumstances? Having to completely reinvent was not something that I think anyone expected to have to do at the beginning of this year, but here we are.

The conversations I’ve had with our Village and with clients have focused on being nimble, using technology to our advantage, and using our values to guide decision and direction. Decisions to shift and reinvent are difficult to make—especially when the decision-making environment changes daily—but the thing I am constantly reminded of is to keep moving.

Our Village hasn’t stopped making decisions just because the picture is changing. We’ve taken a few pauses, but we’re not sitting still, which is something I’d suggest to all business owners right now. We’re using our Village Values—Put Relationships First, Earn It Every Day, Own It, Build Something Special, and Do the Right Thing—to anchor the tough decisions. Those values also allow us to be flexible and make allowances as changes continue to happen. You can’t put such a strong border on yourself that you have no flexibility.

Are you still looking for opportunities? While the circumstances we’ve faced for the last several months are far from what we’d hoped for, there are still good things happening. Look for those silver linings when things go right. Look for ways to be the solution for your employees and your customers. Opportunities to reinvent open the door for you to become a great communicator with your team and your customers. Tell them the opportunity you want to pursue and make sure you’re on the same page so when that reinvention happens, everyone is pivoting together.

Your shift, pivot, evolution, reinvention hasn’t been easy. Mine hasn’t either. Lean into the challenge and lean into it with your Village. That has become abundantly clear to me as well—it takes a village! Without the hard work, ideas, input, and flexibility that our Village has contributed, our shift and reinvention would have failed.

If you’re looking for a community bank partner to add to your Village and keep building something special, reach out to one of our community bankers. We’d love to be part of your business’s reinvention and revival!

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