Our world is in a perpetual state of metamorphosis.

Thanks to our evolving economic conditions, high client expectations, and rapid changes in technology, businesses have experienced more dramatic changes than ever before.

With this new standard in the business world, there is steadfast pressure for businesses to improve performance and redesign products and services—this is where “design thinking” can give you the edge you need.

Design Thinking

Design thinking zeroes in on your target market and provides a solution-based approach to uniquely solving problems. If you can understand the user, you can challenge assumptions, and identify issues and solutions.

Developed by the Hasso-Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, the five phases of design thinking include, but are not limited to:

1. Empathize with your users
2. Define your users’ needs, their problems, and your insights
3. Ideate by challenging assumptions and creating ideas for innovative solutions
4. Prototype to start creating solutions
5. Test solutions

Unlike a linear process, design thinking is unique because we can think creatively and innovatively—outside of the box.

Design thinking digs deeper to expose ways to improve—for your clients, for your brand, for your business, for yourselves.

Successful companies like Apple, Coca-Cola, and Nike have outperformed other companies by 211%, all using the design thinking approach.

But you want the “wow” factor, no matter what realm of business you’re in.

In the financial services arena, if you’re not growing—you’re dying. Clients can deviate from their usual bank in the blink of an eye. They will “ghost” you, so to speak. So, what can YOU do to keep that from happening?

Repeat after me: Grow, Align, and Transform.

Grow

Everyone wants their business to skyrocket to new heights. There are three ways to grow:

1. Products and services
2. Mergers and acquisitions
3. Branching

If you can target at least one of these areas to improve, you’re off to the right start. But that’s only the first step on the stairway to success.

Align

Your team also needs to see eye-to-eye on your Brand, Place, and Culture. If your visions and goals don’t match up, you put the company at risk to forfeit potential growth and success.

It is imperative to determine the overall alignment of your leadership team to see what you are doing right—and what needs to change for the greater good.

Transform

You can transform your business in a variety of ways—but it really comes down to interactions.

More importantly, it is about how those key interactions are uniquely different.

What do you need to change about your business, brand, and space? How can you stand out from the other fish in the sea?

If you are willing to tackle the steps to Grow, Align, and Transform, you can survive and thrive in the next evolution in banking.