Some credit unions have coaching rock stars in their ranks.

In these high-functioning credit unions, branch managers hold biweekly, one-on-one coaching sessions with each staff member. Staff look forward to the challenge of addressing the ideas generated during these discussions.

Between sessions, managers offer encouraging feedback to their team after casually or intentionally observing their conversations with members.

But what do you do if your credit union doesn’t operate this way? Maybe you only receive “coaching” during your annual review, and praise is as rare as a flying unicorn.

Is it a lost cause? No.

Anyone can be a coach and provide valuable feedback. You just need to understand the goals and principles of coaching, and be observant of your co-workers and boss.

At CUNA, we use the CUNA Creating Member Loyalty™ Service Strategies program. The lessons we learn empower us to better serve our members, and better serve each other as colleagues.

continue reading »