‘Think Huge’ in 2010

By Mark Arnold

A new year is underway, your credit union is tackling its goals, and yet, you wonder: Are we on track? Are my team members energized? Will 2010 be successful?

I had the same questions a couple of years ago as I planned my credit union's staff development program.

Inspired by the explosive success of Crocs shoes and that company's "Think Huge" mindset, I wrote a memo to my team that eventually evolved into my book, Think Huge.

Through research and interviews, I found several common characteristics among people considered highly effective and successful:

Vision: Knowing where they want to go and how to bring their ideas to life

People: Involving and surrounding themselves with the right people

Passion: Finding and doing something they love

Time: Committing their limited time to what's important

Perseverance: Staying the course even when obstacles threaten their dream

Learning: Continuing to seek knowledge and life-long education

Here are a few examples from Think Huge to show you what I mean about the first three characteristics:

ON VISION – Do you know where you're going?

A few years ago, I was conducting a strategic planning session for a large financial institution in South Carolina. As part of the preparation work, I asked their executive team and key board members who the CU was trying to reach (what target markets they were pursuing).

There was a long pause ... Then they all said, "yes."... It turns out they were trying to be all things to all people. They had no focused vision. We started the planning session by honing in on their vision.

Recently I was doing a brand plan for another client—a large financial institution in New Orleans. When I met with the senior management team, no one knew what their organization's 20+ word mission statement was. It had become old and stale—so much so that even the key leaders thought it was irrelevant.

We had to start their brand plan by examining what their vision was.

ON PEOPLE–Great vision without great people is irrelevant

Mark Twain once said, "I can live for two months on a good compliment."

A friend tells a story about her manager who knew the power of a compliment. One day he was walking by her office. He zoomed past the door because he was always in a hurry, stopped abruptly, turned around and popped into her office. He said, "Good Morning, Julie! You did a great job on the newsletter article concerning IRAs. That was great stuff on the power of compound interest and how compound interest grows over time. Keep up the excellent work; our clients need that kind of information. Compound interest is one of the most powerful tools our clients have and you did a great job showing them that power over a lifetime. Thanks for the article."

Then he smiled and was gone. Poof! It was like a drive-by compliment. He just stopped, gave her a compliment and disappeared.

When Julie was promoted to management, she went to him and asked him how he gives such effective compliments. He said, "I use the power of five Ss":

I was amazed at his funeral and memorial service when people came up to me and said, "Your father encouraged me to go to back to school," "Your dad helped me with a particularly difficult career choice," and "Your father mentored me through a tough time in my life."

Dad accomplished a great deal—he was very successful. However, at the end of the day, my father was remembered not for his accomplishments, but for who he influenced.

ON PASSION– Find your blue flame

We all have God-given talents. We all also have things we are passionate about. In his book Never Eat Alone, author Keith Ferrazzi calls this the blue flame: where your talents and your passions intersect.

To discover your passion, complete this quiz.

Mark Arnold is senior vice president at Neighborhood Credit Union in Dallas and author of Think Huge,  a book and credit union staff development program.