1 minute
From the editor
All over credit union land, we hear the call to innovate. “Distinguish yourself in a commoditized marketplace,” “keep ahead of the technology curve,” “attract younger members”—all with relatively small and overtaxed staffs.
Adding staff may not be an option, but what if there was a low-cost way to redirect the brain power of your existing employees toward innovation? In this issue’s cover story, “Go Along to Get Ahead,” Julie Wilson, head of coaching and senior consultant with Predictable Success, Marblehead, Mass., suggests how: Break down the silos; banish the turf wars.
“There can be a huge waste of talent if you’re not leading the folks in your organization to collaborate,” she points out. “Innovation happens at the intersection of disciplines, when HR feels comfortable bringing a challenge to the table, for example, and finance and marketing weigh in to offer suggestions based on their perspectives.”
Innovation can also occur when credit unions collaborate with each other. True progress (not just endless talk) requires participants to break down their institutional silos and perhaps “reframe what agreement looks like,” Wilson told participants in her CEO/Executive Team Network coaching session last November.
Read more about collaborating inside and outside your credit union.
Collaboration has been in high gear at CUES as we’ve worked to evolve our brand over the past year. As CEO Chuck Fagan shares in “Brand, Elevated,” our efforts began with several full staff sessions, followed by insights from our board and other CUES members, and a team-up with design firm ChappellRoberts, Tampa, Fla. Our work, including a redesigned cues.org, came to fruition in late February.
Read more about our brand journey—and how it impacts you—in this article. Then, let us know what you think!
Mary Auestad Arnold
Editor and Publisher
