After the release of her maiden book, ‘The Jig-saw Effect of leaders’, Dr. Genevieve Pearl Duncan Oboubi has consistently pursued and fronted the agenda for empowering leaders, and sought to promote the wellbeing of several organisations. Her ambition for this enviable pursuit continuously drives her to look for solutions to address seemingly challenging and unbreakable barriers.
She is at it again with another masterpiece (book) that purposefully seeks to address the critical subject of branch management and the role of the branch manager. Her book, ‘The Diary of a Branch Manager’, reflects the over-10 years of her experience in banking and what she thinks are the core expectations and responsibilities of the Branch Manager. She chronicles her banking experience as exhilarating and positively challenging, and worth sharing.
To that effect, she opines and makes the claim that the role of a bank’s Branch Manager has become more challenging in today’s technological world than ever; and that, managers are expected to be responsible for leading the team to excellence in service and performance.
She acknowledges the sweeping changes and demand for branch management excellence and the rumbling shifts in the banking space, and hence admonishes an operationally effective manager performing a salespersons role, effective management of credit risk, and the development and empowering of staff to deliver the required results.
As a fellow of the Chartered institute of Leadership and Governance, a certified Tony Robbins Knowledge broker, a SME Consultant and an associate member of the Retail Banking Academy UK with several banking experiences, she believes that everything is achievable with the right mindset, commitment, consistency and resilience. Her mastery of training corporate staff and professional approach to coaching and mentorship are impactful and felt across the globe.
She has always approached the subject of effective branch management from the perspective of a customer experience (CX) and exceptional branch leadership. Her book is a novelty, a well-rounded and needed commodity for any bank branch that wants to count in a 21st century customer experience (CX)-driven economy.
At the Book Launch:
Several industry experts and media partners graced the event and shared their experiences and what they made of the book. It was such an amazing and awesome event! Gracing the occasion, especially, was Alberta Quacoopome – an expert and consultant in the banking industry who mentioned how practical ‘The Diary of the Branch’ is in addressing effective performance and management practice at the branch level.
Audrey Abakah, Head-SME Banking, ABSA, took her turn and emphasised that this book is unique – positing that it brings insights from other branch managers and industry practitioners to make it rich in content and experience. Charlotte Lilly Baidoo, Head-SME Banking, UMB – who foreworded the book, underscored the relative importance of adopting this book as a manual, a tool-kit and guide for all banks; especially when promoting someone to be a Branch Manager.
Dr. Oboubi used the occasion to challenge more researchers, and especially DBA scholars, to research more into practical issues of concern in various industries to help share knowledge and effectively guide in developing better strategies for resolving issues which impede industry and economic growth.
The Book (The Diary of a Branch Manager)
Successful banks are customer-centric, and the emphasis to manage customer expectations is critical and fundamental. As an organisation, does your customer service leave much to be desired? Will your customers recommend you to others? Do you know the number of customers you lose or make in a day? Would you be pleased with your findings if you took a snap-check of your operations at the branch? The Diary of a Branch Manager provides answers to these thorny questions of concern to banks.
The focal point for this book are the issues of Customer Service, Operational Efficiency, Team Work and Business Development. It seeks to share insights and how the effective management of these key imperatives set a bank into operational excellence. The author is a lover of quotes, and so she spices the book with great quotations to create some thought-provoking messages to ponder.
The book is a great manual for efficient and effective branch management. It captures all the essential areas of branch management in its simplified yet in-depth discourse. It contains perspectives from other industry practitioners which are very useful for managers and prospective managers.
The book contains unique strategies for all branch managers who seek to go beyond limits of excellence in banking and branch management. It provides a detailed account of a branch managers’ role and responsibilities – written and unwritten.
The book’s unique, contextualised contents present valuable nuggets on how to win-over clients, increase profitability, ensure quality service and view the expectations of staff and clients from a branch manager’s perspective.
Moreover, its contents have been framed to deal with the broader issues of Service Delivery Management, Managing the People (Team), Business Development and Salesmanship, Ways to Be Operationally Effective and some Shared Perspectives from Industry Practitioners.
A Purpose-Driven Book
The revelation that this book is handy and here to cause a dynamic shift that shapes the branch management culture of major banks in Ghana and beyond is not in doubt. Therefore, if you are self-determined, hungry and thirsty for knowledge in his or her career advancement, particularly in branch management, then this book is meant for you.
‘The Diary of a Branch Manager’ is a rich and well-packaged book with practical experience that will guide the manager through his career in an exclusive and unique way. It is a training manual for all bankers who desire to succeed in their field.
To end with a quote from Charlotte Baidoo, General Manager SME Banking-UMB: “The author embodies the image of a branch manager, one with astuteness, genuine class and charisma”. Grab copies!
