Blog
A White Man’s Journey to Becoming an Ally
Ally (n) – one that is associated with another as a helper; (v) – to unite or form a connection between; to enter into an alliance. For background purposes, let me share my beginning point for this important journey. I was raised in a typical, white, middle-class, suburban neighborhood by a traditional family. We went…
Leadership Doesn’t Mean You Have a Horse
There he is, a leader in the middle of the park, sitting on a horse with a pigeon perched on his hat. Too often, when we picture a leader, this is the image we see. But, what should we see? A leader probably doesn’t have a horse. A leader isn’t bronze in color. A leader…
Moving From Incremental to Transformational Growth
Too often, I see organizations that keep getting in their way. They celebrate mediocre performance, average results, and incremental growth. Occasionally I find an organization that is satisfied in just cruising slowly into obsolescence, unwilling to admit what is happening to the company. Today’s competitive, fast-paced business climate does not tolerate mediocracy for long. Companies…
Is your Credit Union’s Org Chart Strategically Aligned?
Is your credit union organized for today’s consumers? Unfortunately, credit unions are often “stuck” in an organization chart that reflects the business of the past, not the company of the future. But what needs to change? Too often, the credit union’s org structure is aligned historically based on legacy roles and job descriptions. The problem…
Future of Branches? Look at the Data
What is the future of the credit union branch? This is the topic of ongoing strategic debates. Most of these debates are fraught with emotion. Some of these debates pivot around pride in having a display of a brand presence. Many of these debates are driven by a lack of wanting to see the reality…
5 Steps to Making your Culture Real
We’ve all heard the nightmare stories of a business’s reputation being damaged by significant cultural attributes failures. Maybe the failure is with their values. Significant companies have faced huge fines, and executives have gone to jail for not living up to their published values. These companies include Wells Fargo, Volkswagen, General Motors, Purdue Pharmaceuticals, and…
Air Travel, Leading and Stress
Stress is part of our lives. Outside forces can cause us stress, and we can cause stress for others and ourselves. Air travel is a source of stress; that’s what makes it a good metaphor for stress management behaviors. Many people find air travel very stressful. The stress surrounding air travel is not unlike the…
Career Setback or “The Sky Is Falling”?
If it hasn’t happened yet, it will. Suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, you get – pick one – demoted, laid off, fired, passed over, or criticized for your execution of a project. What happens next will determine your future for a long, long time. When a career setback happens, it will most likely be…
Words Matter in Leadership
“Words Matter,” I did not create this phrase, the first time I heard it was from a great CEO I worked for, Gerry Agnes, at Elevations Credit Union. He used this short statement often. However, these two words take on a lot of nuanced meanings. When used in grammar and spelling, words say a lot…
Three Things That Go Wrong with Data Reports
A consistent issue most credit unions have is the lack of consistency from one report to the next. To diagnose why this inconsistency exists we should look first at these three elements of the report: Timing – two reports run at two different end times or interval times will tell different stories. But it’s not…
Need help?
If you seek to align your culture to your mission, purpose, promise, and values, contact Rich at 720.256.4936 or Rich@l2ldev.flywheelsites.com.