Condoleezza Rice once said, “When you’re in a position of authority, you need truth-tellers around you.” Did she hit the mark? You bet.First, let us agree that one element of leadership is the authority. To be a leader, you must have some authority. This authority isn’t determined by power but by your ability to motivate,…

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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…

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Many of us have seen this from afar, some of us from close at hand. The CEO is getting close to retirement and has set a course for the organization of just “drifting off into the sunset.” This syndrome happens when the strategic leader and driver of the credit union have decided to retire but…

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When doing a strategic plan, most organizations really are good at thinking with aspiration, hope, and promise. Where the “failure” happens is on the execution of the plan. If you think about engaging movies, they all seem to be stories that include a variation of the hero’s journey. “Lord of the Rings”, “Star Wars”, and…

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It’s a strange time for credit unions. Credit unions are facing unprecedented pressures from regulators and examiners, and capital pressures for net interest margins and fee income. Often they don’t have the benefit of “economies of scale” or the resources, people, and capital, to invest in the infrastructure demands of vendor due diligence, regulatory compliance…

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Mobile utilization is now the preferred method for consumers to manage their money and make deposits, transfers, and payments. Too often, credit union staff is not keeping pace with member adoption of the digital channels. What can a credit union do to prepare their team to support their member’s digital needs? Nurture a digital culture…

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Working with organizations across the country, I see a familiar miss-step in their strategic planning process. The process I’ve observed is as follows: 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 by a consultant.…

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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)…

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#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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