22 JULY / AUGUST 2020 FLD FOCUS In early March, the IBA Future Leadership Division was on course to hold a new networking opportunity for members. FLD Networking Nights were scheduled to take place in April at five locations throughout the state to allow emerging leaders to meet at various bank branches for drinks and appetizers hosted by FLD members. As with any FLD or IBA event, one of the most impactful benefits of participation is the opportunity to get to know peers in the industry. Then COVID-19 brought our world to a halt. Offices closed while staff began working remotely, college and professional sports suddenly stopped, and Hoosiers were ordered by the governor to stay home. With circumstances beyond our control, our lives changed completely, and we were forced to face new challenges head on. Being a father of three rowdy boys ages 2, 5 and 7, I approached the COVID-19 stay-at-home order with apprehension. How could I possibly get anything done with three boys running around, yelling, wrestling and all those crazy things that boys do? With Zoom meetings becoming a staple of working remotely, I have grown thankful for the “mute” function. I am sure there are several parents out there who can relate. As the days and weeks went by, however, I adapted. I learned how to approach work, and everything became easier. It was not a walk in the park, and there FLD Adapts to Socializing In the new social distancing environment were some rough times, but I can say I survived nearly 10 weeks of working from home! While my story is my personal circumstance, the idea of adapting is not at all new to the banking industry. Banks have constantly been adapting to new technology, new regulations, new customer preferences and so on. Future bankers will continue to adapt and face whatever challenges are yet to come, and this is something that I see in the IBA Future Leadership Division. With social distancing being a standard in our foreseeable future, I am happy to share that with input from our Advisory Board, the FLD is adapting to these new challenges and finding new ways to continue on with our mission of connecting bankers. Our new FLD Coffee Club meetings were the latest example of bankers adapting to their circumstances. In June, two FLD Coffee Club meetings were held via Zoom chat to bring bankers together for a brand new networking opportunity. The virtual networking environment allowed for bankers to interact, discuss challenges and various banking topics, and even share in a little trivia competition. The meetings were well received and, given our current environment, they may very well become a featured offering in FLD’s future. It shows that when our circumstances change, we can still push forward and work toward our mission by adapting along the way. bank hosted technology, preferences continue Advisory these Josh Myers Assistant Vice President - Member Engagement Indiana Bankers Association jmyers@indiana.bank @joshmyersIN
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