The board of directors approved the strategic plan, and all the work that led up to the strategic planning event culminated in the alignment of the vision, mission, and strategic objectives. The hard work is behind us! Not really! After the plan is approved, the rubber hits the road with real-time action and deliverables. Clarity in communication, objective sharing, project planning, and task assignments still need to be assigned and monitored.

The first full day of the CU Leadership Convention, a conference formerly known as the CU Directors Convention that takes place the first week of August every year in Las Vegas, had a brand new feature known as 6 x 6. It was billed as the Top 6 ideas that can transform a credit union in six minutes or less. As readers may have guessed, speakers had just six minutes to present. Topics ranged from taking care of your staff to telling stories to using mobile to attract millennials. Read on for more stories from 6 x 6.

Remember your first coaching experience at work? Most likely it was “You are doing great, keep it up!” Or, “We need to talk about . . .”

The profession of coaching has been more openly discussed in the past few years as a way to support organizational leaders or those who want to become leaders. More organizations need to be serious about allocating resources to develop and train managers and executives to be competent coaches in the workplace. Coaching on the spot in real time and at a scheduled time over weeks and months is a competitive advantage.

The Credit Union Executives Society recently named the 10 semifinalists for its annual Next Top Credit Union Exec competition. Out of 163 nominated candidates – representing emerging leaders age 35 and under from the credit union industry – the list was cut down to 23, and the Top 10 was selected in part by a public vote. The top five vote-getters automatically advanced to the Top 10 phase, and five additional applicants were chosen by a special judging panel of former NTCUE finalists.

Anthem talked to Susan Geear, SC, VP of Innovative Leadership and Education with DDJ Myers about the program. There is also a contest sponsored by Strategic Link. Find out how to enter and win a full scholarship and advance your career!

In April, Lindsey Hartelroad, Lending & Accounts Control Manager with MountainCrest Credit Union, wrote about her experiences during the NWCUA-DDJ Myers Emerging Leaders Program. This is a follow-up to her first writeup. She was awarded the 2018 Strategic Link Tuition Contest to attend the program. The Emerging Leaders Program provides the next generation of credit union leaders the framework they need to coordinate and execute strategies and tactics that will strengthen their CU.

Developing mid-level managers’ leadership competencies is not about teaching tools. A common question that arises in our leadership development programs with executive teams or mid-level managers goes something like this: “I’ve got situation X at work. Which tool should I use to help me navigate the conversation?” We’ve also heard countless times, “If I had positional authority, I could turn this department around.”

To realize tomorrow’s strategic priorities, today’s mid-level talent must recognize and respond to the challenges that emerge in a continually shifting business landscape. Keeping pace with a steady stream of evolving threats and opportunities cannot be accomplished solely through the top-down dissemination of organizational priorities.

CUES has released the 2018 Executive Compensation annual report to the industry. Credit unions were asked to participate in CUES Executive Compensation Survey and/or CUES Employee Salary Survey. The report provides insight into credit union salary and compensation trends across the country to provide valuable data to attract and retain the professionals they need.

Leadership turnover is a serious issue credit unions must address in their strategic planning. That was the message from Deedee Myers, CEO of Phoenix-based consultancy DDJ Myers, speaking during the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions’ annual conference in Seattle.