Although our credit union is several years away from an expected CEO departure, the board and management decided to begin the planning process now. Peter and Deedee from DDJ Myers were selected to help us through the process due to their experience and reputation within the industry.
We haven’t been disappointed. Peter and Deedee provided great insights and fostered valuable conversations during the board facilitation session. The results of that session created an action plan to evaluate and ultimately develop potential future leaders for our credit union. Even though it is up to us to move forward with the development plans, we know we have a great partner in DDJ Myers who is clear goal is to help us be successful.
As a CEO, board governance and strategic direction are two of the most important facets of my job. DDJ Myers has been instrumental in guiding Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union in the areas of board governance and strategic planning. Their work has resulted many solid results, including the implementation of critical board policies such as succession planning, and the successful consensus building on our strategic plan, mission and vision. DDJ Myers has helped strengthened SMCU and propelled it forward.
DDJ Myers was instrumental in framing a perspective on leadership and succession planning in the context of a fast-paced organization with an array of opportunities. An executive competency assessment and robust leadership development plans provided a needed focus and action plan to do what we do best.
DDJ Myers has been an integral part of DCCU’s transformation the last several years in terms of talent development and acquisition. In a number of capacities, DDJ Myers has partnered with our credit union to facilitate cultural and strategic growth, including executive coaching, team development and alignment, and executive search. Specifically, the Emerging Leaders Program has raised the bar of what it means to be a leader in our organization. The level of strategic and coordination capability in our leadership team has expanded, encouraging and allowing our executives to operate at our next level of potential. We anticipate our partnership will continue moving forward as DCCU grows and embarks on new ventures.
Deedee and her team have been an invaluable resource to Direct on several important initiatives. Three years ago our Board engaged Deedee to lead our CEO succession effort, and more recently, to provide guidance regarding Board succession. On an ongoing basis Deedee provides detailed assessments of potential new hires, greatly improving our candidate evaluation process and our onboarding efforts. She has designed and delivered substantive training and development programs as well. These included an individual executive development curriculum for me as I made the transition from senior management to CEO, coaching and leadership training for our senior leadership and leadership teams, and a customized train the trainer program which enabled us to offer some of this content to all of our associates. Perhaps Deedee’s most significant contribution has been her guidance during our organizational alignment work. Given the competitive nature of our industry, the ever-increasing need to provide our members with more value at lower cost, and the challenge of attracting and retaining highly skilled associates, organizational alignment is imperative. Three years ago our independent alignment assessment indicated that we were terribly misaligned. Today, this same assessment tells us that we are have one of the most aligned teams in the industry. Deedee played a significant role in this improvement.