Build Relationships Beyond Transactions
This is a challenge for me. It's simple I just get too busy. Blocking time for even the CEO to do this is critical, and I am lucky to be blessed with an excellent team who focuses on this every day. In my business money is the commodity we provide; it's our product. We differentiate ourselves with clients, because we pride ourselves on not just being money but wise counsel. The look ins we provide just seeing how people are doing are life changing. For us as much as them. It's another place in our business where we find the good stuff. It delivers the most important message, you are not just a faceless account to us, you matter, and we want to see you succeed.
Align Actions with Values
As leaders, we carry the responsibility of bridging the gap between business decisions and member expectations. This can sometimes feel like navigating uncharted territory. How do we communicate effectively during challenging times? What narratives do we use to explain the necessity of building financial reserves during periods of hardship for our members?
Practical alignment begins with clarity: have you clearly defined your organization’s values? If not, this step is crucial before launching communication strategies.
The strength of any organization lies in maintaining a balance of clear communication, value-driven action, and steadfast trust. These principles connect us to our members and guide us toward shared success.
Acknowledge and Address Tensions
Tensions are a natural part of any relationship, and in business, recognizing and addressing these moments is critical. For example, in our lending business, there’s always a desire for loan requests to end in a "yes." However, our responsibility as financial stewards are to evaluate what's truly sustainable and responsible for all parties involved. It's our job to demonstrate what is needed from a financial perspective to make lending work. By taking the time to address this tension thoughtfully, we not only show empathy but also reinforce our shared commitment to long-term success.
Measure and Communicate Progress
One of the most effective ways to measure trust and ensure its growth is to evaluate it regularly. Customer surveys are powerful tools for capturing honest feedback. However, we’ve noticed that gathering this data organically has become more challenging in recent years.
To address this, we partnered with a third-party organization to conduct an external evaluation. For us, this method has been instrumental in identifying opportunities to improve and strengthen our relationships within our community.
Our business is unique, and there is not a lot of readily available material that fits our particular structure. I hope the lessons I have learned are valuable for your business.
