To celebrate its launch, Mersino Consulting, LLC, a new Vancouver, Washington-based firm focused on elevating organizational health, will be offering volunteer support to the leadership teams of five credit unions throughout the United States as part of its contribution to helping others through the COVID-19 crisis, announced Deborah Mersino, principal consultant with the firm.
“Many credit unions – both large and small – are facing challenges that are pushing their leadership teams in new ways,” said Mersino. “Amid their jam-packed schedules, leaders are pushing hard to adapt and serve members and staff. We look forward to supporting the leadership teams of five organizations with proven frameworks and tools, which will allow them to be even more resilient and effective in the months and years ahead.”
Leaders who are interested in volunteer consulting support can send an email to Deborah Mersino at Deborah@MersinoConsulting.com by June 15, 2020. The email, which needs to come from the credit union CEO or president, need not be formal and can be anywhere from 500-1,500 words. It should describe at least two challenges that the credit union leader is currently facing and explain why she or he is ready to sharpen their focus on their leadership teams, alignment, engagement, and/or communication. Mersino Consulting will choose five credit unions whose leaders showcase compelling opportunities for growth and clarity. All information will be held in strict confidence.
“For instance, a CEO might share that he or she is struggling with the time and effectiveness of meetings (Zoom or in-person), shifting objectives related to the strategic plan, and/or communications,” said Mersino. “Another might be concerned that not everyone in the C-suite agrees on the best pathway forward with competing priorities and/or perhaps he or she is not seeing enough healthy conflict happening during meetings.”
Whatever the leadership struggles, each of the five credit unions chosen will receive a total of 10 consulting hours at no charge to be used strategically toward addressing organizational health over the next three months. How the hours will be used will be determined on a case-by-case basis in collaboration with the president and CEO, but may include leadership team assessments, trainings, tools, leadership team sessions, one-on-one coaching, and/or a combination of these offerings remotely, according to Mersino.
Mersino Consulting primarily focuses on helping leaders and organizations implement the organizational health and teamwork models that Patrick Lencioni has written about in his best-selling books “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” and “The Advantage.” Lencioni, founder and president of The Table Group, the pioneer of the organizational health movement, is committed to helping leaders change the world of work so that organizations can be more effective and less dysfunctional, and employees can be more fulfilled.
“Right now, the foundational healthy team components of trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and results are more vital than ever,” said Ted Mersino, principal consultant. “As strategic plans, quarterly forecasts, budgets, operational processes, and staffing plans shift, leaders are being forced to not only adapt to new forms of communication and thinking, but also lean into the sources of organizational health that help teams thrive. ”
Deborah Mersino, added, “There’s never been a better time to help reinforce the need for – and benefits of – organizational health, especially at credit unions, which serve such an important role in members’ lives and in our communities.”