The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the thought leader as an individual, and are not attributed to CeFPro or any particular organization.
By Ebbe Negenman , CRO & Member of the Executive Board, Knab
What are some of the key lessons learnt from the pandemic that you foresee continuing as we move forward?
That digital banking is the core of any bank. I’m happy to see the resilience of the incumbent banks on the digital part of the business during the pandemic. I was positively amazed how fast they adapted in the lockdown, the physical appointments with the clients in the local branches were quickly replaced by all kinds of digital meetings. Although the pandemic itself is a curse, it proves there is something positive in the negative. The crisis was an accelerator of the digitization of banking.
I also noticed a lot of flexibility and adaption to the changing working environment within the banks. The pandemic proved my view that the ability to learn fast and adapt to new situations is a competitive advantage. And I’m glad I saw this happening at Knab and other banks. Although effects on the longer term have to be seen. There are also new risks arising due to working from home.
Especially on the mental well-being of our employees, you can’t be too cautious. A key lesson for me as well was that working together is more than only doing the job well. Social interaction, the funny chat about football at the coffee machine, are very important. It’s the mortar between the company bricks. And not only for the employee wellbeing, but also as an effective leadership tool. Leaders should be visible and human. It’s not good to lead from a computer screen. Before you know you create a distance. Most of all I discovered I don’t like it myself, I need the physical interaction. It’s a valuable personal lesson I wouldn’t have realized otherwise.
