Growin' Up Gregory

For most of us, the simple measure of social media's impact is in the number of likes, comments, and shares. But some of those views come with a different quality...as I learned firsthand this week. A recent post of mine was performing rather poorly on social media (even for my standards): 1 like on Facebook, 15 views on LinkedIn, and 17 views on my blog. It seemed like a dud. It's certainly not my first and unfortunately probably won't be my last. But eventually, one person, with a prestigious national role and title, saw the post and several things happened: 1. He sent me a very encouraging email. For someone to take the time to send a personal note (yes emails count in today's world) means a lot. 2. It was passed along by some other people with much fancier positions and titles than mine to my boss (unbeknownst to me at the time). 3. He shared it with our company and I heard from several co-workers about how they enjoyed that post and have been encourage...

In this month's edition of Independent Banker, ICBA Chairman, Preston Kennedy shared his top three concerns facing community banks. The Federal Reserve's role in real-time payments. Housing finance reform. Credit union poaching of community banks. Below, allow me to interpret this from banker talk into a more understandable and applicable version of how it may affect your financial life. First, from CFO.com - "In a long-awaited move to speed up the U.S. payment system, the Federal Reserve has announced it will develop a real-time service that would eventually link more than 10,000 banks and credit unions across the country." It appears that for the next 4-5 years, small banks won't be playing on a level field with the big boys as there will likely be a tiered system of payment processing from the Fed. This won't affect most people's daily activities as transactions continue to increase in speed.  Just realize that the smaller companies and com...

Bigger What would make you consider yourself successful? Is it a bigger house, newer car, nicer clothes, higher income? Several problems arise when we consider these units the measure of success. Each of these contain those deadly letters "ER" for comparison. Whose house do you want yours bigger than? Whose car are you trying to outdo? Who are you trying to out-dress or out-earn? I'm not saying don't pursue bigger and better. I'm just saying that these items and pursuits come with a cost. Ask the people who have these things what it costs them to attain them? How many of their child's school functions did they miss? How much was their marriage strained from working overtime? How much interest did they pay borrowing money? Eventually, many of us learn that it's the quality of life that matters, not the quantity of stuff in it. The vacation homes, the boat, the cars, the money - it all means much less if we don't have people we care...

This year will mark the first time that the students on the Jr. Board of Directors the bank sponsors in our local high school are half my age. Yes, half. I said it, and it hurts. I'm getting old, which beats the alternative so I'll do my best to embrace it. That being said, I want to share some advice, tips, and insights I've gained over the years with Gen Y, Gen Z, iGen, and others coming along. People matter more than devices. New phones, computers, and other gadgets will continue to be released and evolve at the speed of light. Value your friends, your family, your mentors, and the people in your community because machines can only contribute so much to your life. TI > AI (true intelligence is greater than artificial intelligence). Be mindful of what you put on social media. The comments, posts, and pictures you share may not be as private as you think. Employers, colleges, and even peers may hold your past against you. Don't let your 17 year old self cost yo...

I've been thinking a lot lately about rebranding my blog (or creating a new one) and working on more video sharing and possibly creating a YouTube channel, podcast, or using more videos via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. to find ways to share and add value to others.  But one of the first questions they ask when you're starting a blog or channel is what do you want to name it or what will your topic be.  So I began asking myself these questions: What do I like to talk about?   What do I like to take pictures of?   What do I want to share with people?  How can I help or inspire people? What could I teach someone? Basically, what do I like and what am I good at? It was these simple questions that led me deeper to who is John Gregory? Sometimes we discover who we are by marking off the things we're not.  I'm not a highly educated man with a Masters, PhD or MBA.  I'm not filthy rich.  I'm not a politician.  I'm no...

Early on in my banking career, I needed a way to get my name out there. Fortunately, I work in a small town where word travels fast. But there were still a number of folks who didn't know who I was. The cheapest and what I truly feel is the best way to begin establishing your presence in a town, a community, a field, or whatever, is to give your skills away for free - volunteer. These opportunities didn't present themselves right away. But over time, I was asked to serve on various committees and board for a number of organizations. Before kids (when I had all the free time in the world) I agreed to literally EVERYTHING I was asked to be on, much to my wife's chagrin. How's this work? I was on the Finance Committee for the UCBA. There was another guy on there I had never met and didn't know, though he seemed business savvy and intelligent. Fast forward a few years, and he's now got the insurance on my house and cars. He never in...