Nicholas Calcanes - Tips For Business Process Improvement

Changing the processes that your business operates by can be a fairly intimidating task. After all, if the supposed improvements don’t perform in the manner that you expect them to, you may find yourself with a less effective system than you previously had. Nicholas Calcanes has been involved with business process improvement at many different levels during his career and offers the following advice.

Understand the Problem
Processes should not be fixed just for the sake of doing something, so it is important to completely understand the issue before you start considering improvements. Fully analyze your processes to pinpoint the places where things go awry and then consider what you can do to solve those issues.

Do You Need Technology?
Technology has allowed for increases in effectiveness, but only when it has been used to improve upon slower processes. Consider what the process is and whether a technological solution will simply lead to the process being completed incorrectly at a faster rate. Don’t just go for the tech option just because it’s there.

Obtain Support
Once you have analyzed the existing processes, you are going to need to obtain support from senior management. This means being able to adequately explain why an issue exists and what your proposed solution can do to solve it. If you don’t have the confidence of the senior management team, this suggests that your proposed solution is not up to the standard required.

Give It Time
Nicholas Calcanes feels it is important to point out that all new business processes take time to become bedded into the culture of a company, so you need to understand this and exercise a little patience. You need to wait for everybody to understand the new processes completely before you can judge how effective they truly are.
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Nicholas Calcanes - Qualities A Good Leader Should Have

Nicholas Calcanes has been responsible for assembling and leading project teams throughout the course of his career. As such, he is aware of the qualities that a good team leader needs to possess in order to keep the group on course and ensure the project is delivered to expectations. The following are all important qualities.

Clear Communicator

You must be able to communicate effectively with all team members, identifying the overall goal of the project and the key milestones that must be reached to attain that goal. You must also be able to offer constructive criticism that does not damage the confidence of team members, while still clearly highlighting areas of concern.

Transparency

Trust is often an underrated aspect of successful team management, so it is important that you are transparent in your aims and honest in what you tell your team. Employees are more willing to work under somebody who takes personal accountability and is doing what they do for both their interests and those of the company.

Positivity

Staying positive regardless of the situation will ensure that other team members approach the project with the same attitude. Instead of taking a defeatist attitude when an issue arises, encourage the team to work together to come up with a solution. Be sure to offer praise where it is deserved and do what you can to keep morale high.

Be Hands-On

Nicholas Calcanes believes that personal accountability in any line of work is important, so by taking a hands-on approach demonstrates your own commitment to the project and further inspires the team. Delegate where needed, but don’t allow the idea that you have lost interest in the project seep into the team mentality.

Nicholas Calcanes - What is Credit Transformation?

Credit transformation can be a difficult concept to understand at first, but it is an important part of a range of banking processes. Nicholas Calcanes tries to keep things simple when approaching the concept, with the following being an explanation that boils the concept down to the basics.

Credit Intermediation

The credit transformation process is one types of what is known as the credit intermediation process. It is intended to be a dynamic process that allows for repeated tweaking in order to endure that it matches up to the current conditions of the market and its continued evolution. Other forms of the credit intermediation process include size transformation and maturity transformation.

Who Does Credit Transformation Work?

Credit transformation is directly linked to the bank’s credit risk, and will usually be used when the bank wishes to invest in securities that offer a potentially higher yield while also having a lower credit standing than the bank’s existing funding instruments, such as stocks, bonds and derivatives. In essence, this makes it a method for banks to gain returns by using credit mismatches between their liabilities and assets.

As an example of the process in action, consider that you have a high-end borrower and a mid-range borrower. A successful credit transformation will see you issue liabilities to your high-end borrower, while lending to the mid-range borrower. This allows the bank to adjust to irregular market activity, in addition to taking advantage of opportunities that arise with the bank’s previously defined funding instruments.

Nicholas Calcanes recognizes that credit transformation allows a bank to better manage its credit risk, ensuring that it is more able to meet all obligations.

Nicholas Calcanes - Making Effective Decisions

When heading a team in any project, it is important that you are able to make decisions that are effective and serve the overall aims of the team. Nicholas Calcanes has worked at the head of an array of teams since 1996 and offers the following guidance for those who are having a little trouble.

Effective Advice

In order to make the right decisions, you need to have relevant information at hand. As such, each member of the team must be capable of providing accurate reports relating to the areas they have responsibility for, allowing you to analyze the current situation before making decisions that will affect the future direction of the project.

Use the Phone

Email is an extremely effective tool, but when you need to make a quick decision it can often hamper the process. Instead of sending an email and waiting, simply pick up the phone and speak directly to the person who can help you make your decision. This will allow you to ask follow up questions immediately, instead of over the course of a number of hours.

Step Away

If a decision is giving you trouble, step away from the project for a moment and give yourself a little time to relax. Head out for lunch or take a short stroll to clear your mind. This will allow you approach the decision afresh and may help steer you away from making the easiest choice if it is not the right one.

Understand Your Team

Nicholas Calcanes understands that every member of a team brings something different, so it is important to understand how their skills will help them in their role. This, in turn, allows you to make decisions that ensure you take full advantage of the diverse skill set at your disposal.