Publications | DDJ Myers

A Triathlete Amputee Muses About Missing an arm, but not courage

Published on October 20, 2009

Triathlete, published author on leadership and management development, and mother of quadruplets, twins and three other children, DeeDee Myers never leaves the house without lipstick in her purse. She’s always prepared and presentable, no matter what. In Eighth grade her mother told her that she needed all the help she could get given that she was born with a congenital amputation of her left arm.

Start Your Board Assessment With A ‘BOP’

Published on July 27, 2020

After establishing your board-organizing principle, consider four additional success factors.
by Peter Myers

As with anything worth doing, board assessments are worth doing well—especially if the board has had an aversion to being “evaluated.” Committing to an assessment process begins with developing a shared understanding of what the board plans to accomplish and a realization that the path to achieving that goal might include a few branches and stones. But, the destination will be worth the trips.

Tri-Modal Board Leadership: Change the Conversation!

Dr. Deedee Myers, Ph.D., MSC, PPC

CEO, DDJ Myers, Ltd.

Move from the bedrock of governance to dynamic board leadership, ensuring greater alignment amongst board members and between the board and chief executive officer. Boards are responsible for fiduciary oversight, a Type I board oversight. Many boards are in the question of what needs to shift, so they add more value. Some reach a Type II mode in which board members genuinely operate at a strategic level. However, the most effective boards operate at a Type III mode – the “Black Box” for effective board governance. This is where boards, along with executives, frame challenges as well as opportunities and leverage their competitive advantage with new and creative methods of collective thinking with rigorous discussions and decision-making. Dr. Myers shows how credit union boards are shifting from a Type I and II mode to a tri-modal governance framework to take advantage of all three dimensions.

Find out how this dynamic thinking has helped other credit union boards focus 75% of their time and energy on strategy (like it should be)! Reinvigorate the boardroom, improve board member performance, attract new and younger board members, and actually enjoy their experience as leaders of a credit union. Take home the same tools high-performing boards are using by taking advantage of this innovative tri-modal governance model.

Tri Modal Governance – Change the Conversation by DDJ Myers Widescreen

Leadership Under The Pressure Of The COVID-19 Pandemic

Published on May 11, 2020

When the not-knowing gets stressful, good leaders respond with action based on best practices.

Psychologists have studied people’s responses to the kinds of pressure that the COVID-19 pandemic is producing. These three research-based ideas about how to handle this pressure are mission critical for leaders in the present moment:

Not knowing is more stressful than knowing.
Discipline is your best friend.
Take action in times of uncertainty by remembering that you can swim.

Developing Talent Must Be A Strategic Priority

Published on July 20, 2018

Though the executive team sets the course, mid-level leaders must be prepared for strategic execution.

Adapted from the white paper “The Missing Link in Strategic Execution: Developing Mid-Level Leaders,” from DDJ Myers. This white paper includes a description of the eight characteristics of strategically oriented mid-level leaders.

The environment in which credit unions compete for members’ business has become increasingly crowded and complex, with threats posed by emerging rivals, new business models and the added burden of ever-increasing regulation. Maintaining a shared focus on strategic execution has never been more daunting or more essential.