Michael Levitt's Blog, page 105

Looking for Meaningful Work? Ask Yourself These 5 Questions

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Being stuck in a job that feels meaningless quickly leads to despondency, demotivation, and dissatisfaction. In contrast, when you feel your role has meaning, you’re inspired and energized to use your position to do good.

While all jobs have meaning in some way or another, finding a role that has meaning for you can lead to a happy and fulfilling career. If you’re ready to reset your life and embrace new challenges, ask yourself these five questions:

What do you enjoy?

First and foremost, what drives you to get out of bed each day, and what makes you excited to engage with the world? If your job involves something you’re passionate about, it can offer a level of satisfaction that’s unmatched. Whether you’re committed to saving the environment, delivering better service, or supporting the community, for example, a role that enables you to achieve these goals will always be meaningful.

Do you want to help people?

For many people, a meaningful job is one that enables them to help people. If this applies to you, you could become a healthcare professional, start an estate sale business, or even offer independent financial advice. All of these roles enable you to help people at difficult times in their lives or with important aspects of their life. By matching your desire to help people with your skills and qualifications, you can ensure that your future career has meaning.

What do you dream of doing?

It’s easy to find reasons why you can’t do your dream job or live your dream lifestyle but put these on hold for a second and allow yourself to imagine what you’d do if failure wasn’t possible. While there may be practical reasons why you can’t develop your dream job or business right now, you will get an insight into what industries and roles represent your ultimate career aspirations.

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How do you wish the world was different?

Some of the best businesses and professionals are those who solve problems. From making a daily chore more convenient to providing innovative solutions to global issues, there are numerous ways you can use your skills to make an impact. Identify the things you’d change if you were able to, and then set about doing it!

What style of work do you enjoy?

Just because a role is meaningful, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right for you. Being a surgeon is certainly meaningful, but it probably isn’t the right choice if you’re squeamish, for example! By thinking about the working environments you enjoy and the style of working that motivates you, you can begin to explore which roles offer genuine meaning and fulfillment.

Find Your Vocation

Millions of people grow up without a clear idea of what they want to do when they’re older. In fact, many people work for years until they figure out what they really want to do. No matter what your age or professional experience, it’s never too late to unleash your true potential and take on a role that’s meaningful to you.

 

 

 

Tips To Ensure Your Business Survives Anything

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The pandemic has shown to many of us, the devastating effects that it can have on any business, in most industries. There are few industries that have managed to come out of this relatively unscathed but for those that have suffered, it’s going to be a hard uphill battle to get back to where they were, let alone to continue building on their success. With that being said, whether you’re starting a new business or running an existing one, here are some tips to ensure your business survives anything that life throws at it.

Be Willing To Tweak Your Business Plan

It’s important that you don’t rely too much on the business plan that you’ve made because chances are, it might be a little outdated or things may have changed within the company. It’s good to adapt and change with the times and that should be exactly the same when it comes to your business plan. In order to run a successful business, a business plan can be very helpful to have because it can often keep you motivated. It may also outline your core beliefs and values for the company that might need to be referred to by those within the business, not just yourself as a leader or owner of the company. Think about your business plan as a fluid and constantly evolving document. It should be something that grows and changes with your company and not something that remains as it was when you first made it, six months, one year, or even five years ago.

Think about what needs to change on your business plan now and continue to monitor it, adapting and tweaking it when needed.

Keep An Eye On The Finances

Your finances are important as a business because it can very easily go south if you’re not managing your money correctly. As a company, there might be a few departments or if you’re a small business, then perhaps there’s only a handful of employees. Whatever the situation, there will likely be one or two people handling the finances, and a variety of people spending money on behalf of the business. Ultimately, there can be a lot of money coming in and going out that you’ll need to be aware of. 

As your business grows, this may end up being more challenging to manage, especially if there are multiple streams of income coming from all over the shop. If you’re struggling, it’s worth outsourcing your finance needs if possible. Either way, if you’re managing your finances, it’s good to always learn about managing money, whether it’s how to calculate percentages to doing your taxes properly.

Delegate To Your Employees

Your employees are there to help you out and when it comes to your workforce, you all work together to achieve those goals you need to hit. Whether they’re monthly targets or annual milestones, delegating is important to do plenty of. If you’re not delegating properly, then how do you expect to get the work done that’s needed? If you find it difficult to delegate, then perhaps look at taking the right type of training or workshops that are going to help you do it more effectively. There’s no point in one person taking on all the work when you’ve got others on the payroll. 

Delegating is essential to ensure everyone is doing their fair amount and no one is coasting on other people’s hard work. Try to get your managers to do the same thing and again, if delegating isn’t being done properly, then it’s definitely good to improve your own ability to delegate.

Network More Where You Can

Networking is important because it can help introduce you to individuals and companies that might be influential to your own success. You never know who you’re going to meet when it comes to networking and the opportunities may be endless. Networking can be done online and in person, whether you’re a business that operates solely online or not. LinkedIn is probably one of the most prominent when it comes to networking but there are also platforms like Eventbrite and Meetup, which are also worth exploring.

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For in-person networking, there are likely to be plenty of places around your local area that are hosting as well as conferences you may attend as a business. Take advantage of any networking opportunity that you have available to you as a business because it’s likely to help you greatly.

Always Plan Ahead With The Future In Mind

Always planning with the future in mind is something that’s worth doing. If you plan for the future, then you’re telling yourself you intend to still exist as a business, whether it’s one year down the line or ten years down the line. Plan for what you can and always be exploring new ideas or opportunities that might be in the not to near distant future or perhaps a few years later.

Planning is a good thing to do as a business because there’s always something that might go wrong. And as much as you can plan, the inevitable may end up happening. However, if you plan for the most part, most of the things you put in place are likely to succeed.

Use Your Time Wisely

Time is precious for any business and when it comes to yours,  you want to make sure you’re using time in the best way possible. Sure, there will be days or months where business seems pretty slow or it’s coasting but for the most part, you should be taking full advantage of every minute within the working day. There are some days where you might want to get ahead on certain things that may end up benefiting you in the future.

Using your time wisely is effective and can be done by having a good, organized system in place. You could start by looking at project management software and getting your workforce on this to help manage everyone’s time a little better. This might work individually for departments and also for staff to help manage their own workload effectively too.

Make Use Of Technology

There is so much technology available nowadays that it would be silly not to make use of it. Whether you’re using it to help better the productivity of your staff or you’re looking at using social media to advertise your business, it’s all helpful. Think about what budget you have available to spend on technology because it’s certainly worth allocating some money to your technology every year. As it advances, it means your equipment is likely to get older and outdated faster than ever before. 

Look at what needs updating and use the tech you have to your advantage when it comes to operating your business. Securing your business is important too and that can be done by having the right security and firewall systems in place.

Train Your Staff

Your business is only as good as the staff you have in place. It’s important to think about training your staff in order to help add skills and knowledge to the company overall. As mentioned above, security is critical and so it’s handy to give your staff all the helpful knowledge and guidance to make sure they reduce the risk of falling victim to any phishing attacks. It can also help lower the risk of the business itself falling victim to cyberattacks.

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Watch Your Competition

Watching your competition is important but not something you should do all the time. Your competition might be doing things in their business that are effective and then there will be some things that aren’t effective. Learn from what goes wrong and try to correct their mistakes to your advantage. Anything that pulls off as a success for them, mimic and make it your own. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of creative theft every now and then.

However, being too focused on your competition can lead to you losing sight of your own objectives, so make sure you find the right balance.

Always Remain Grounded

And finally, your business has the potential to achieve great things. Any business that has even the smallest amount of success has the ability to make it big. As you grow, it’s important to not lose sight of where you’ve come from. Everyone has started somewhere, mostly from scratch so always stay grounded. It can be very easy to lose sight of what you started from and it’s very easy to fall from where you’ve peaked. Try not to make any enemies on the way up, because they’ll be more than happy to offer no branches on the way down.

Running a business is hard and has its challenges. If it were easy, then everyone would be doing it. As much as you may have your bad days, there will be good ones. Keep at it and when you feel like giving up, keep pushing. You definitely get back what you put out into the world, remember that!

Start The Year Off Right By Transforming Your Workplace

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There are many things that make a business successful. You need to have strong leadership and clear vision, passionate employees and something to offer your customers or clients. Another key component in your success is your workplace itself. You need to create an environment that is safe to work in and allows creativity and productivity to thrive. 

Studies have shown that traditional offices are no longer the most productive. You need to mix it up a bit.  That’s why you need to transform your workplace in 2021! Here’s how! 

Repairs.

The first thing you need to do to transform your workplace is to see to any necessary repairs. Perhaps you’ve been putting off fixing something as you are worried about the cost, or have been too busy. Now is the time to get them fixed - especially as you are responsible for the health and safety of your employees.

Do a quick survey of your workspace to figure out if any equipment is broken or damaged. Then, do your research to ensure you know exactly what you need to do, and how much this may cost you. If your furnace is broken - you may not need to buy a new one entirely, just some parts to get up and running again. For example, you may identify a problem with the control board, which means you need to buy a new ignition modules control.

Out with the old.

Outdated technology could easily be holding your company back. Therefore, it is definitely worth investing in new equipment - be that computers or printers. Technology is designed to make your life easier, meaning it can help remove some of the stress out of a busy workplace and means you are also prepared for remote working whenever it is necessary. 

You should also ensure you make the most of available software that can make running your business easy. This includes task management and anti-phishing software, which have been proven to boost employee productivity.

Put comfort first.

Comfort should be a priority in your workplace. This means you might need to get rid of those old desk chairs, in favor of a more comfortable model that properly supports your employees. If they are going to be spending a large amount of time behind the screen (and therefore in office chairs), they can develop back/neck problems if they don’t have the appropriate support. 

Change the atmosphere. 

You need to create a calm yet exciting atmosphere in your office, as this will help your employees focus and get things done. There are numerous ways you can do this. To begin with, this may include giving your office a fresh coat of paint. This makes the space look nicer and more professional, but the colour you use can also impact the general feel of the space. For example, cool and pastel tones have been proven to help people feel more relaxed. You can also boost productivity by making the most of natural light, which makes people feel more alert. 

Powerful Employee Aids That Ensure Higher Productivity At Your Business

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Successful businesses are usually the most productive. The more output generated by the average employee, the more competitive the firm. 

Recently, though, increasingly output per worker has been almost impossible. So many people now work in knowledge industries that it's hard to see how bosses can provide them with tools to make them do a better job. After, lawyers can usually only make an argument in court, one case at a time. 

So what’s the solution here? Is there anything that the average employer can do to enable their people to transform more inputs into outputs in the same amount of time? Let’s take a look. 

Use Project Task Manager Software

If you were to take a look at how much time employees spend just asking each other administrative questions about work completion, you’d be shocked by what you discovered. The average employee is firing off dozens of emails a day to their colleagues, trying to find out when they’ll complete work so that they can get on with their tasks. 

All of this, though, is entirely unnecessary. Thanks to project management and status tools, everyone in your team can see how their colleagues are progressing and don’t need to fire off emails every five minutes to check on progress. Once a team member gets something done, they simply update the software and then the whole team can see their status, ready for the next task. 

Use Anti-Phishing Software

Most IT network security breaches these days arise from basic human error. Most commonly, a colleague will accidentally open a harmful attachment in an email and it’s game over. 

Now though, companies like Graphus are coming up with solutions that don’t rely exclusively on human judgement. The idea is to provide your enterprise with an extra layer of defence, over and above the usual firewall, while giving colleagues a little more peace of mind. 

Use Time-Tracking Calendars

Have you ever wondered how people in your office are actually spending their time? The results will often shock you. You’d like to believe that they’re using at least seven out of the eight daily office hours you pay them to do productive work, but that’s rarely the case. When you add up all the coffee breaks and meetings, you’re lucky if you get four hours out of them each day. 

The weird thing is that when you ask colleagues about the amount of time they spend working, most of them will honestly tell you that they dedicate themselves to their jobs every day. That’s why having a calendar that tracks time usage and syncs across your network is so important. You can see where people are spending their time and then help them take corrective action. 

Utilize Document Tracking Solutions

Lastly, trying to track Google Docs, Evernotes, emails, Dropbox attachments and other files can be time-consuming. Practically no businesses use just one platform. Fortunately, though, there is now software such as Bit.ai that combines all of these disparate files into a single user interface, making them infinitely easier to manage.

How To Onboard A Remote Employee

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Onboarding new employees is always important, but it can be harder to do this with remote employees. This year, more companies have made use of remote hiring and recruitment, so may find themselves trying to onboard employees they have not met in person and who will not come to the office for some time. It’s important to make people feel welcome, content, and part of the team quickly, so they can get to work promptly. Here’s how you can do it remotely.

Prepare The Rest Of The Team

Your new team member might not be working directly alongside other employees, but you want them to feel like part of the team. When you decide to make a new remote hire and have a start date set, share the details with the rest of your team. Tell them a bit about their new colleague, what work they will be doing and when they will be starting. 

Assign them a buddy or mentor to act as their go-to for questions or support, so they don’t know where to go for guidance. Make sure your current team members know to make themselves available to support the new hire, so the new employee can ask questions and get help when they need it. 

Have Their Equipment Ready

Make sure that any tools or tech equipment your new hire will need to do their job are ready for their arrival. Experiencing IT issues when working remotely is challenging, so mitigate these issues to support a smooth transition. 

For remote workers, having the right equipment and system access in order is important for productivity, especially when you don’t have on-site tech support. 

Depending on the resources you have available, have any necessary equipment delivered to the new hire before their first day so they can start when they’re meant to. To make them feel part of the company, look at company swag ideas and consider branded boxes to send the equipment in, and some extras like a branded notebook or water bottle as a welcome gift. 

If your new hire will need access to special systems, have the steps they need to take to gain access clearly documented, so they can request access without delays. 

Schedule One-On-One Meetings

As your new hire transitions into their role, plan one-on-one meetings with them so you can stay in touch and offer any support they might need. Having one-on-one meetings is standard practice for most managers with all of their employees, but you might want to think about checking in with your new employees who are working from home more frequently. 

For employees who are settling in, a structured document where they can share questions or talking points they would like to cover during these meetings can be useful to keep the conversation on track. 

Your first meetings can be used to check in on the major milestones in your employee’s onboarding plan and offer a safe space for any questions they have. Have regular conversations with your new hire to begin building trust. 

Discover Your Calling Post-COVID

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This year has been one that has put a lot into perspective. Sadly many of us have either been furloughed, had to work from home, or have lost our job altogether because of the financial impact of Covid. 

If you have been at home for many months now and have just been feeling like you are lost and in need of direction - now is the time to find your direction and make a new start in 2021. 

Today we want to talk about how you can find your calling in 2021 and make a positive change to your life after a year that has destroyed us. 

Think about your passions 

When deciding to change your life for the better it is important to sit down and write down the things you love to do. If you have been in the same job for a long stint of your life and you are hoping for a change, now is the time to think about what you enjoy doing. Write down all of the things you love to do in life and start to form job ideas from this. If you love animals and you love science - studying to be a biologist could be a good idea. Consider what your passions could be as a job and then you can start working towards this. 

Take an online course 

It is a great idea to use an online service such as LMS Software to take an online course in your chosen subject. It is likely that when you choose a vocation to aim for you’ll need some qualifications in order to apply for a job. Have a look online and find one course or a few small ones to take this winter to get your skills and knowledge up. They will bring some value to your life and allow you to develop personally and professionally.

Try something new 

It is always a good idea in life to try new things, and if you are looking to change your life in 2021 the best thing you can do is take a leap and do something new. Take the time this year to find a hobby that you have never tried before and give it a go. It could be pottery, painting, gardening, or something totally random. New experiences help to broaden the mind and you might just find your calling. 

Work for yourself 

We know how hard it has been this last year to be stuck at home either working or unable to find a job. However in 2021 why not take control of your career and start working for yourself? You can join an online network such as Upwork and find freelance jobs to do - or you can even try Fiverr and complete tasks for people all over the world. There are countless ways to make money for yourself in the new year and it will give you that feeling of independence and financial freedom you likely need. 

Use these tips to find your calling in the new year and have a happier life. 

Improving Your Chances Of Getting The Funding Your Business Needs

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At some point, most businesses are going to need some funding. The majority of business owners do not start with all the capital that they need. Rather, they have to borrow, be it from investors, peer-to-peer lending platforms, or banks, for the money needed to start, scale, or otherwise boost their business. If you’re looking to borrow, then here are a few key ways you can improve your chances of getting the business that you need.

Have a business plan

Lenders and investors want to make sure that there is as little risk as possible in getting their money back. To that end, they may want to see how you plan to spend the money and what your business needs it for. To show them that, as well as how you will make the money back, creating a business plan can be crucial. Business plans are just as important for businesses that are scaling or growing, they’re not just for companies that are just starting up.

Ensuring that your credit is right

As with all loans, business loans are made, in part, depending on your credit. Software like the one shown here provides credit analysis that lets lenders understand how much of a risk there is to lending to you. As such, you should take the time to build a credit history that can strengthen your application. Effectively, the better you are able to manage existing credit arrangements, such as mortgages, credit cards, and the like, the more likely you are to get a loan.

Have some of your own money on the line

Few lenders are going to expect you to put up all the money that you have, but if you’re sitting on considerable assets and none of them are going into the business’s funding needs, then that gives most lenders a very dim view of your prospects. Overall, it looks like you’re unwilling to take any risk in your own business. Make sure you invest some of your own money, too.

Show that you’re good with your money

Aside from understanding what you intend to do with the money, lenders would like some evidence that you’re responsible when it comes to the money that you already have in the business. If you’re seeking a loan to start a business, you might not be able to provide this proof, but showing good bookkeeping and accounting habits with past financial records as shown here can be just the indicator that lenders need.

Attach some personal collateral

The better you are able to secure the funding that is given to you, the more likely that lenders and investors will give you that funding. Personal collateral, such as property, vehicles, and equipment, can be used to secure your loan. You have to carefully measure how much risk you’re willing to take, of course.

There are no guarantees that you will be able to get the funding that your business needs. However, you can give yourself the best possible chances with the tips above.

How Can Your Business Provide The Best To Your Customers?

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Have you been trying to figure out how you can provide the best to your customers? Your business is important to you, but it’s also important to the people that you provide for. Whether it’s a product or service, someone is relying on you to give them something, and they chose you for a reason. Then, it’s on you to ensure that you give them the best that you possibly can. But how do you do this? In this article, that’s exactly what we’re going to be looking at, so keep reading if you would like to find out more.

Ask Them What They Want

The first thing that we recommend is that you ask your customers what it is that they want from you. Obviously, they want the product or service they are paying you for, but is there anything else? Is there something that they think you can offer that nobody else can? Or, do they simply want a business that listens to them and the fact that you’ve asked them is enough? You’ll find out when you talk to them. Remember that communicating with your customers is always going to be important no matter how big your business gets. 

It doesn’t matter what the size of your business is, the only thing that matters is how you are with your customers. Don’t get too big for your boots and think that one customer doesn’t matter, they do. Every single one matters.

Make Sure You’re On Top Of Everything

Another thing that you’ve got to do is ensure that you’re on top of everything. What we mean by this is that you should always have everything you need for your business to succeed. You should also know what is going on as often as possible. For example, if you need a piece of equipment such as rotary shaft seals, make sure you’ve got them. If you need any other equipment, ensure that it’s available. 

You also want to keep your nose in everything that’s happening. Go through the accounts once per month or something so that you know where you are. Or, have someone brief you on the state of your finances. This is just so that you are aware of everything that’s happening at any given time.

Have The Best Employees

The last thing that we’re going to mention is the fact that you should always make sure you’ve got the best employees. Hire people who seem like they are going to do their best for your business, or at least give you their absolute all. In most cases, the willingness to give all their effort is more important than if they’re missing a qualification.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you can do to ensure your business provides the best to your customers. Your customers are the very heart of your business, so everything you should do should be about them. Keep this in mind, and everything is going to be okay!

Great Graphic Design Is Going To Help Generate Sales

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Graphic design in business has great value; however, this element can often be forgotten within the business community. A professional graphic design must convey feelings of coherence, balance, and personality, which is possible thanks to the right combination of elements that, in general, are not taken into account, but that is forming a solid professional design. One of the main goals of graphic design is to create a graphic product that can convey the company's brand message. In this sense, you must bear in mind that a good graphic designer knows which is the correct typeface that will satisfy the needs of their clients and seeks to create harmonic proportions through composition and the selection of the appropriate colors.

In this way, any design that encompasses a brand (banner, poster, brochure, annual report, etc.) should add value to users, who should be attracted to it. In this sense, it should be noted that graphic design does not refer only to decorative elements. Instead, it seeks to communicate a message. This is achieved through a narrative rhythm, a good organization of the information (images, texts), and the generation of a context that allows transmitting the brand's essence.

Offers corporate reputation

Whether you own a small or large business, you should keep in mind that any business's reputation is essential for the owners. In principle, your corporate identity is your business card or graphics for products in society. A suitable logo or business design will capture the attention of your potential clients, motivating them to access your website or product. Therefore, it's essential to look at a retail packaging firm to help you create something that offers an impeccable visual element. The packing of any product is vital and has a big impact on your initial sales and ROI.

Corporate identity manual

You must keep in mind that creating a logo will not be enough, so it is essential to have a corporate image design manual to define and limit the correct uses of your brand. The manual will specify the minimum size to provide proper viewing. Likewise, the logo and design inks will be determined according to different printing media; in turn, the type of file format to place your logo on the web will be specified. 

It will also greatly improve your positioning in the market. This is directly related to an increase in the number of sales, if you hit the nail on the head with your graphic design. Having a good graphic design will allow you to be better valued by your potential clients, translating into financial success. Improve the loyalty of your staff. A suitable graphic design will allow you to increase the number of sales in your company; it can also improve your workers' loyalty towards the brand. In this sense, you must take care of the people who work with you to have the best interests towards it, thus guaranteeing the success of your organization. Today, graphic design has acquired great importance in the business world to determine the success or failure of a company.

Re-defining Business Finances After Covid

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Despite the accelerated expansion of Covid-19, financial services must remain operational. Hence, the sector's rapid action, which makes different solutions available to citizens, freelancers, SMEs, and companies to guarantee the continuity of economic activity. Businesses have most likely struggled to receive outstanding funds from companies, which is most likely crippling their finances. Debts should not be taken lightly in business at all. A commercial collection agency can assist. 

However, there are positives to the crisis. There have been some adaptations within the industries that will see some changes afoot in 2021.

Accelerate digital transformation

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, while banks had increased their use of data and analytics to detect and prevent financial crime, digital technology's deployment was relatively conservative. The closures have forced banks to take the customer experience almost exclusively online - incorporating and serving customers through digital platforms - with many hoping to keep this digital customer journey in recovery. For this digital transformation to deliver real progress, banks must also consider what is required to digitize the processes and monitor transactions. This will require both a significant change in the use of data and analytics in these domains, such as the adoption of next-generation technologies such as computer vision, dynamic customer risk ranking, and biometrics.

Rethinking the balance between resilience, agility, and efficiency

In a broader dilemma than fighting financial crime, all banks will face the challenge of having to act quickly in a crisis while ensuring security and keeping operating costs low. The closure of significant offshoring centers such as India has highlighted some offshoring/outsourcing models' pitfalls. It has led some banks to consider the possibility of returning to carry out their financial crime functions in the country, even if this implies higher costs for the bank. Others are aggressively trying to use digital tools to reduce manual effort and thus reliance on humans to perform compliance functions, not forgetting the need to incorporate security and regulatory approval into all technology.

Review and redesign operating models 

We are already seeing banks assess current operating models' performance during the COVID-19 pandemic and consider how to build greater resilience, including by preventing financial crime. During this pandemic, what has become very clear is that today's global economy is a highly complicated and interconnected environment. Withstanding disruption during a significant global significance requires an operating model with the flexibility to respond quickly to change - to move people, change strategies, and turn to technology to do things differently. With this in mind, we expect that many banks will increase external partners' use and use an outsourcing approach. Services - the importance of a healthy ecosystem has never been greater.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught businesses many lessons, but for banks, one of the biggest has been the need to maintain confidence amidst uncertainty. As the global economy begins to overcome the pandemic's immediate threat, many institutions may consider reforming their approach to financial crime compliance to help build this trust and the freedom to start planning for recovery sooner.