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Strategic Planning is the Easy Part
Working with organizations across the country, I see a familiar process when doing their strategic planning. A typical process I’ve observed is loosely following these steps: Once a year a strategic planning event is scheduled with the Board and a few key executives The event starts with a “state of the industry today” presentation, typically…
Read MoreStrategic Planning for Maximum Impact
Often Strategic Planning is a big deal that is conducted for a day or more. Usually, it includes a “state of the balance sheet” presentation, an update on all the improvements from the prior year, an overview of the state of the industry, a review of the Mission, Vision, and Values, and then a facilitated…
Read MoreBehavior is your Brand
Branding is often seen through the wrong lens. It is often seen as a combination of your logo, promise, voice, font, and color palette. But to leave it there is an injustice to what brand really is. The brand is behavior. The behaviors your members/customers experience when they engage your employees, products, and services. Think…
Read MorePay for Performance and Reputation Risk
An increasing trend in the financial services sector is “pay for performance.” This practice shows up in several formats: Commission – rep is paid a percentage of balances acquired Incentive – rep is paid per closed referral Bonus – rep is paid based on goal performance over a set period (per month, quarter, bi-annually, annually)…
Read MoreA Career Transition Essential – Staying Relevant
Navigating a career is never easy. There will be obstacles and disappointments. There will be joys and celebrations. At times, even new opportunities come to you from “out of the blue.” It is when those obstacles, disappointment, and “out of the blue” situations happen is when the true grit of a leader comes to the…
Read MoreIs your Credit Union’s Org Chart Strategically Aligned?
Is your credit union organized for today’s consumers? 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 up legacy roles and job descriptions. The problem with…
Read MoreLeadership: Don’t leave it to Amateurs
If you were to describe your leadership style, what would you say? If you were to define the leadership style of your credit union, what adjectives would you use? Like it or not, we all have a leadership style, and if your credit union has not defined their preferred leadership style, you have many varieties,…
Read MoreYour Digital Strategy is Probably Wrong
Competing in the digital space is getting more difficult and more and more essential to the credit union’s sustainability. Chances are, your current digital strategy is missing these five things. Organizational Alignment – most credit unions have all their data in silos. IT is doing one thing, marketing another, branches another, call center another, remote…
Read MoreThe Basics of a Successful Career
We enter the business world with the expectation that we are starting up a trajectory that will always climb to the next promotion, a continual progression of responsibility and authority. This belief is a myth. Rarely is a career path a constant climb up the ladder? A career path is a “hero’s journey,” one beset…
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