Last week we discussed setting goals that could be influenced by actionable items.

Setting goals is important, but if you want them to be taken seriously, create a visible scoreboard for your team.

Drive by a playground with a basketball goal, and you might see kids shooting hoops without a care. Drop in on that group, suggest they keep score, and see how everything changes. All of a sudden, passes have a bit more zip, players are in serious defensive stances, and big men decide to actually go post up. It’s amazing how much keeping score changes the game.

Most banks and organizations set goals, probably typing them up, and then stowing them away to be checked periodically. What if you had one or two metrics that every employee from top to bottom knew about, and better yet, knew they could influence.

If you are interested in strategic planning with this type of emphasis, please give us a call. It’s not too late to amend your 2019 goals, or even start on a full 2019 strategic plan.

Give us a call at (918) 791-0699 or send me an email at dmatthews@communitybankadvisors.com.

We’d be happy to help!

Sincerely,

Dustin Matthews, President

 

On to the Bottom Lines Up Front (BLUFs) for January 24, 2019:

The Federal Reserve reaches truce with markets, but pays a price (source)

  • On December 19, when the central bank boosted rates by another quarter point, it also cut the number of expected rate hikes for 2019 from three to two.
  • When that didn’t calm investors, Powell said they were “listening carefully to that. We’re listening sensitively to the messages markets are sending.”
  • The Fed was making clear it was taking investors’ concerns to heart, and Powell promised to be “flexible and patient” when charting the course of interest rates.
  • It’s too soon to sound the all-clear. Global growth is still weakening, the US and China have yet to reach a trade deal, and Fourth Quarter earnings reports could bring some nasty surprises.

 

Rising Interest Rates and Strong Dollar Will Make 2019 Another Tough Year for Farmers (source)

  • “I think right now you’re looking at an interest rate environment here in the Federal Reserve that while they’re wanting to take their foot off the gas pedal a little bit, they’re still looking at slightly higher interest rates by the end of 2019,” said former vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Dr. Jason Henderson.
  • “So, you’re still going to see that upward pressure on debt service cost for agriculture and some weight and downward pressure on farmland values coming from financial markets,” said Henderson.
  • Henderson says that he is still strong and bullish on agriculture in the long run, despite the tough times farmers have faced in recent years.
  • Henderson went on to say that everything runs in cycles. Right now, we’re at a point in the cycle with high interest rates and high exchange rates, but he believes that will work out, too, as global economies grow stronger.