Ray Davis, president and CEO of Umpqua Holdings, is one of my favorite CEOs. That's not because he's brash, colorful, or combative — he's none of those things. But over the last 16 years, he's done something few leaders ever do. He's figured out how to stay ahead of the transformations in technology, markets, and culture that have shaken his competitors in the financial-services world, and built a brand that stands for something special, hopeful, even meaningful in an industry that is profoundly broken.
The core challenge of leadership, Davis argues, is to "find the revolution before it finds you." In their search for that revolution, he and his colleagues have created a one-of-a-kind brand in a world of me-too thinking. In the process, they have also created a case study in how to deliver long-lasting results in fast-changing times — a case study from which all of us can learn.
Is there a summer camp revolution on the horizon?
In this great article from Bill Taylor in the Harvard Business Review, Taylor takes a look at a bank that's actually cool.
By creating a community focussed atmosphere and concentrating on delivering a complete experience for customers, the Umpqua bank in the North Eastern US is thriving where others are dying.
How can we use this as a lesson for summer camp? What would you do if you could seriously re-design your camp program.