For years, volume has served as the default measure of officer performance in community banks. Loan production, deposit growth, accounts opened (remember Wells Fargo, folks?). These numbers are easy to quantify and quick to report. They’ve shaped compensation, fueled strategy, and filled board decks because they’re graspable on most levels. But here’s the issue: volume doesn’t tell you what’s working. And in a margin-compressed, rate-sensitive environment, it’s not only an incomplete metric — it’s potentially a misleading one. Why Volume Can’t Be the Entire Story Picture this: two lenders each post $20 million in production. On paper, their contributions are equal. But one lender focused on price-sensitive real estate deals with thin spreads. The other booked a diverse portfolio of higher-yielding C&I loans with deeper relationships and stronger cross-sell potential. Let’s take it a step further. Imagine two $5 million loans, both fully funded on the same day with the same...