Posts Tagged ‘sustainability’
Five Strategic Questions for the Board and Senior Management
It’s a strange time for credit unions. Credit unions face unprecedented pressures from regulators and examiners and capital pressures for net interest margins and fee income. Often they don’t benefit from “economies of scale” or the resources, people, and capital, to invest in the infrastructure demands of vendor due diligence, regulatory compliance, or technology demands…
Read MoreMoving 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…
Read MoreIs 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…
Read MoreLeadership – “Its Lonely at the Top”
This saying strikes a chord and gets especially real when we are fond of the people you lead. It is difficult to keep business and friendship separated, and when we fail, the consequences are painful for all parties involved. So, how do you create a work environment that leverages the power of people who enjoy…
Read MoreStrategic Planning is Like Running a Half-Marathon
Strategic planning for a lot of companies is an annual exercise in thinking big, dreaming of possibilities. Unfortunately, for a lot of these organizations, strategic planning stops there and this annual ritual that when the ritual is done, everyone returns back to business as usual. Let’s stop for a minute to really understand what strategic…
Read MoreStrategic 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 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 More3X3 Essentials for Business Development
Business Development success is essential regardless of your credit union’s field of membership. BD success requires focusing on three critical measures: growing members, assets, and balances; the first 3 of the 3X3. Generating sustainable growth of members and assets is the key to a credit union’s survival. Even if one of your credit union’s key…
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