Expertise
At Leading2Leadership, we not only share our expertise and best practices for the following subjects, we also develop the implementation plans and set key milestones for execution. This allows the credit unions and community banks to:
• See what the end looks like
• Have a roadmap to deliver on that vision
Strategic planning should result in transformation and differentiation.
Strategic Planning
For credit unions and community banks seeking transformation and differentiation.
Sales & Marketing Strategy
Designing a sales/marketing plan that meets the financial institution’s KPIs, digital, conventional and branding.
Digital Transformation
Building a digital strategy that prepares the credit union or community bank to compete in the digital economy: branch, culture, operations, lending and risk tolerance.
Data Strategy
Designing a plan for aggregating and mining the wealth of data sources in the credit union or community bank so data can be used for strategic decisions and marketing efficiencies.
Cultural Transformation
A branded culture can differentiate the financial organization in a way that cannot be easily replicated. This is a process to help a financial institution fully understand their brand and leverage it to transform their service level, culture, and staff, at all levels.
Organizational Strategic Planning
Create a future of possibilities and differentiation for your credit union or community bank. These facilitated conversations will establish a clear direction for identifying your Mission, Purpose, and Promise and navigating the organization to your Vision of the future. We will identify what the “end” looks like, how it will be measured and set clear milestones along the way to monitor progress.
Business Development Strategy
Reinventing credit union business development to partner with employer groups of scale (100 or more employees).
Who We Are
Rich Jones
Proven Strategist and Leadership Coach
A published author and engaging speaker, Rich Jones is President/CEO/Principal for Leading2Leadership LLC. Prior to starting his own strategic planning agency, he was Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development with $1B Elements Financial FCU (previously known as Eli Lilly Federal Credit Union.) With more than three decades of leadership experience that included building entrepreneurial enterprises, he brings innovative thought and practices to credit unions, community banks and non-profit enterprises across the country.
A strategic leader, Rich has orchestrated transformational change in credit unions and community banks while working with senior management and boards or directors. He has also implemented strategies that allow marketing, business development, branding, and data management to have a significant impact on to key ratios and the balance sheet. In addition, he has led organizations into the science and art of using member data and market intelligence to design and deploy products, services and marketing messages that support sales efforts.
Characterized as a value driven entrepreneur, he is cautiously optimist while possessing a contagious sense of humor. He expertly delivers complex ideas and financial education in an engaging and humorous manner. A Marine and graduate of Colorado State University, Jones has been a frequent speaker and presenter at regional, national and international conferences in the banking and credit union sectors.
Recent Posts
Credit Union Culture in a #metoo World
#Metoo has created a new world of awareness and change in our society. After reading multiple posts from family, friends, and co-workers, I was shocked at how widespread gender and sexual harassment was in the workplace. When you see #metoo posts from your daughter and daughter-in-law, it saddens me to the core. Everyone needs to…
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Work-Life Balance is a Myth
Wouldn’t it be nice if our lives were compartmentalized into neat little boxes? This box is for work; this box is for play, this box is for friends, this box is for the family – you get the point. However, life doesn’t work this way. Life is a giant mash-up of all of these parts,…
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Core Integrations Like Solving Cancer?
Although this may seem like an exaggeration, it is extremely hard and costly for a vendor to connect to the core provider. Credit unions are also frustrated by these challenges because they prevent or at best slow down the credit union’s ability to provide their members the best products, services or applications. This slowing down…
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Negotiate for Cheaper/Faster Core Integrations
The efficiencies and speed to market are realized when credit unions, core providers and vendors agree to a standard for integrations. Most credit unions have their focus on expense control and organizational efficiencies. Also vendors and core providers know any operating efficiencies credit unions realize will result in more sales and faster implementations of products…
Read MoreIs this really the future of the bank branch?
Great Post by @ralexjimenez. Source: Is this really the future of the bank branch?
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Integrations Standard – The Time Has Come
Fifty-four third party integrations to core; what does this number mean? This number represents: 54 separate IT projects that include hours upon hours of IT resources 54 separate contacts for professional services and the related costs 54 different technologies that may have to be updated or tested with every core or system update 54 times…
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$MM Wasted on IT Integrations!!!
Its no secret, credit unions are spending millions of dollars every year integrating technologies. These integrations happen vendor to core and vendor to vendor. It seems an unavoidable cost of doing business. But is it? The CUNA Technology Council launched a cooperative initiative with council members and credit union vendors to solve this expensive problem.…
Read MoreAlliances
iDiz Incorporated
iDiz is a strategic marketing firm that helps credit unions and companies grow market share through authentic branding, creative marketing campaigns, and mobile-friendly web sites. We help you turn marketing into a growth engine that builds better, stronger brands.
Brewster Knowlton
An established expert in SQL, data aggregation, analysis, segmentation, warehousing and file appending, Brewster will bring the skills to the table to fully implement your Data Strategy.
Pete the Planner
Peter Dunn a.k.a. Pete the Planner® is an award-winning comedian and an award-winning financial mind. He’s the author of ten books, six of which were featured in a nationwide launch at Barnes & Nobles stores in January of 2015.