3 steps to asking your credit union’s right freaking questions

One of the most important exercises during a credit union strategic planning event is what we call the “transformational alignment.” After we’ve set the foundation for what the credit union wants to be, who it wants to serve and developing two to three goals for the upcoming year, numerous questions arise. Many times leaders skip asking a question and dive right into problem solving.

Board members and credit union leaders often become uncomfortable with change. The many unknowns generate fear:

Do we have the right products to serve this new ideal member?

How in the world are we going to achieve these goals when we can’t even achieve the goals we set for this year?

The list goes on and on. Instead of asking those important questions, many dig into problem solving and tossing ideas around. That’s premature. Instead of discussing what you’re going to do, you must understand the challenges and shortcomings at the credit union. It’s very uncomfortable and egos can flare but hit pause and ask the freaking questions. It’s not an attack on the credit union or its leaders; asking the questions helps find the solutions that propel your credit union forward for the institution, its leaders, and its members.

Asking the right questions leads to relevant action items moving the credit union toward reaching your goals. Here’s a few pointers in “asking a freaking question” during your next strategic planning session:

1. 1. Identify what matters most to your organization. There are no stupid questions, but not all questions are created equal. If someone wants to install a new ATM at a facility, asking “Do we need a new ATM at this site?” is a sly way to quickly shift the discussion to their pet project. Instead, breakthrough questions are aligned with your strategic plan – focused on strategic opportunity and rooted in challenge. As the chairman and CEO of Intuit Sasan Goodarzi says, “It’s probably a good question if it makes your heart beat fast.” The best questions are concise, simple and open-ended. Effective strategic planning sessions for credit unions are fueled by questions that are descriptive (What’s working? What’s not?) rather than speculative (What if, What about, Why not?). As stated earlier, not all questions are equal. Beware of questions from people pushing personal agendas. These questions are sometimes posed aggressively, and they’re designed to put other leaders on the spot and sow seeds of doubt and fear in the group.
   2. List the questions, not the answers. When posing questions to your team, resist the temptation to provide the answers as well. After sharing your questions with the group, invite your board and leadership team members to ask their questions as well. The more surprising and provocative their questions, the better the discussion can be. Ask for as many questions as possible, while encouraging everyone to keep the questions brief and to the point. In instances where the process draws out, we occasionally impose a time limit. By applying the external pressure of a deadline, we’re able to keep participants on track instead of letting them drift toward giving answers or overanalyzing what they think might be a silly question. Once time is up, review the questions you’ve listed and do an emotional gut check to determine which hold the most potential for impact.
   3. Identify your direction and answer the questions. By this point in YMC’s strategic planning sessions with credit unions, the board and leadership team have already shared their predictions about the future of banking, described their current members and ideal future members, and filled in their past and present financial benchmarks. We know where the industry is going, we have a clear picture of our legacy and ideal members, and we understand the financial goals.

Why does this question seem important?

What is the problem that prompted this question?

Why haven’t we addressed this in the past?

Intrigued? If you feel like past strategic planning sessions at your credit union have missed the mark because you’re not asking the right questions before diving into the solutions, YMC has created a free resource with more ways you can help your team ask the right questions, plus some common questions that we’ve seen arise during our credit union strategic planning events that help get to the heart of the obstacles and create constructive conversations that lead to positive outcomes. Get a free download available for your credit union’s strategic planning by clicking here.