Leadership Matters: Bringing strategy closer to your employees

Have you seen the Konica Minolta commercial, “The Royal Boss (2012)”? In scene one, a male professional reads a royal CEO proclamation (from a scroll for effect) to a female professional to recognize the CEO’s approval of her efforts and achievements to help the company succeed. In scene two, the CEO is carried by other professionals on two poles holding an executive chair while the CEO gives a distant gesture of thanks. And, in scene three, the elevated CEO is transported head-on into the ceiling “EXIT” sign.

We laugh and replay the video before forwarding to our C-level buddies. Yet, in an offbeat way, we speculate if the distance between us and our managers and professionals might be comparable.

As CEO, you want your credit union’s blueprint for success to be grasped, acknowledged, and implemented by all. It’s called many things – engaged, entrenched, buy-in – and all lead to one result: CEOs want their employees to own their role in credit union success.

Yet, kick-off meetings, logowear for all, and a catchy acrostic often fall short. What works best when creating ways to engage employees in your strategic plan?

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