management
Leadership of Knowing When to Hand It Off
Leadership is about knowing when to step forward and knowing when to step away. Many times in my career, I have had a chance to do both. In my experience, stepping forward is much easier than stepping back. In every leadership role, there is a tipping point. Most leaders’ error is not seeing that tipping…
Read MoreWait, let’s not be emotionally driven – Really, NOW?!?
Why us it anytime something extraordinary happens, the “anti-change” elements of our organizations say, “Well now, we have to be careful, we don’t want to be driven by emotion?” Let talk. People who say, “let’s not be driven by emotion” are typically change-resistant. This “catchphrase” is a way to stop innovation and change conversation. They…
Read More5 Post-Covid Strategies
Everyone seems to be talking about the new normal. I am not a fan of the phrase “new normal.” Normalcy has always been the siren’s call to irrelevancy and plateauing for credit unions. Here the five things your credit union needs to consider as we move out of this pandemic: 1. Branches that don’t transition…
Read MoreBranching Strategy, It Starts with the Member
Historically branches are seen as transaction channels. Today, this view of branches has changed and continues to evolve. Members and potential members like the convenience of brick and mortar, they like the demonstration of financial strength and security. Still, the truth is, they rely less on branches for their daily, weekly, and monthly transaction business…
Read More5 Reasons to Redefine Leadership
Too often, leadership is seen as the job of the chosen few and dictated by the org chart. Let’s move past this arcane concept and change our paradigm. Leadership isn’t for the few; leadership is for the masses. Here is why I know this to be true: Marine Corps boot camp taught me that when…
Read MoreLeading Change in Eight Steps
All teams have three participants: change agents, change neutrals, and change resistors. The key to leading change is empowering the change agents, influencing the change equivocators, and helping the change resistors understand the WIIFM (what’s in it for me). Here are the critical steps to leading change. First, identify who fits into these categories because…
Read MoreLeadership, a Journey Without End
The common denominators of respected leaders are they never stop learning, and they never stop teaching. Leadership takes a significant commitment to the journey of others. It is fraught with setbacks, mistakes, tough decisions, and pride. The unwavering leadership commitment is to help others take risks, make mistakes, do things wrong, and from all that…
Read MoreIs There a Place for a Humble Leader?
Some lead with ego, and some lead with humility. Which are the most successful leaders? Let’s look at history. Leading with ego, we all have a list that jumps to mind because you’ve probably known or worked for these leaders. I immediately think of Ken Lay of ENRON fame and Joe Nacchio of USWest, leaders…
Read MorePandemic – Marketing Needs to Talk!
Like you, I have received several emails, seen numerous Facebook and Twitter posts on how banks and credit unions are handling the Coronavirus. Typically these posts and emails start with something like, “We care about your safety…” and then they talk about how they are making banking safe by cleaning their branches and protecting their…
Read More