How to develop leaders from all levels
The editors of Credit Union Management are planning an article about the unusual paths people take to becoming CEO. Some started as tellers and have worked every job at the credit union on their way up. Others were hired in from banking. Still others worked in some other field and then connected with credit unions.
How did the leaders of these rising stars spot their potential? One way might have been to watch their response to attending professional development programs.
For example, a CUES member recently told us that her IT director spoke very favorably about attending CUES School of IT Leadership™ last fall. Even more importantly, she noted he had a higher level of energy for his work. She also saw improvements in his performance.
I’m not surprised about this. CUES School of IT Leadership lead presenter Butch Leonardson—director of IT leadership for CUES Supplier member and strategic provider Cornerstone Advisors—believes that being too focused on the technology in your CU can actually limit your effectiveness as a leader. His presentation at the school goes even deeper into leadership than his blog post, “4 Habits of Successful CIO Leaders.”
In the same vein, CUES School of Strategic Marketing™ I and II are designed to teach rising stars not only the nitty-gritty of executing successful campaigns, but also how to take marketing ideas to the credit union’s strategy table.
One final thought about developing a CEO at every employee desk: Virtual learning may be an asset both in terms of fitting your budget and reaching more members of your team.
If you’re a pro at spotting talent and developing leaders at all levels, I’d like to hear from you. Be sure to let our editors know, too, if you know of a credit union leader that’s had an especially interesting path to CEO.
