Looking Ahead to 2017 in Banking

2017 in banking.jpegAs we begin a new year our thoughts often turn to the future. What will the next twelve months bring in the way of problems and opportunities?  For bankers, consideration of what the economy and the banking environment will be like in the New Year will be a top priority.  Will 2017 be a year of growth and prosperity?  What changes will monetary and fiscal police initiate?  Will the bank’s profit margin improve from the dismal levels of recent years?  Are more restrictive regulations on the horizon?

And, as the New Year begins, senior management must consider changes in personnel which will take place in the year because of retirements and resignations.

The past several years have been times of relative slow growth in the industry which has required prudent bank management to monitor carefully employment and other costs.  One result of this policy is that some banks find their staff so thin that it is difficult to identify potential leaders in the ranks.  Officer development has been neglected in the interest of attaining a reasonable return for shareholders.  But, while this sacrifice may be justified in the short run the long run cost is substantial.  To an increasing extent, senior bank management is recognizing this situation and is turning to banking schools, where many of them received their professional education, to develop replacement personnel for leadership positions.

For almost 70 years the Graduate school of Banking at LSU has provided advanced professional education to senior bank management.  The result of this effort is reflected in the thousands of graduates who occupy top positions in their banks.  Almost 16,000 graduates will attest to the quality of education received at the school.

The New Year is a good time to consider the bank’s future leadership and to install policies to assure that those in charge of the bank have the professional skills to manage future challenges and take advantage of developing opportunities. The 2017 session of the school will feature increased emphasis on the development of leaders. The session which will be held on the LSU campus May 21-June 2 will offer a new course in leadership, cases which emphasize the subject, as well as a new course in business ethics, a topic that is essential to the development of leaders.

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