How do you lead with strong governance? Move from “winning the vote” to “earning alignment.”
In leadership, it’s easy to equate success with getting a “yes.”
If you’ve ever led a board discussion that ended in a narrow vote, you know the feeling: relief, maybe even pride, that the initiative passed. But underneath that relief is often something more complicated: the awareness that not everyone is truly in alignment.
Across the credit union system, this moment plays out more often than we admit. Leaders equate success with securing approval, when in reality, the real work begins after the vote. As any seasoned leader knows, a decision passed without alignment is a decision that can unravel later.
That’s why strong governance—the kind rooted in communication, clarity, and shared purpose—is such an important leadership skill to prioritize in your development journey.
The Hidden Cost of a Split Decision
Seattle Credit Union President/CEO Richard Romero learned this lesson early in his leadership journey. As a new CEO, he once celebrated a board decision that narrowly passed by a 5-4 vote. “We were thrilled,” he recalled. “It felt like a big win.”
But what followed told a slightly different story. The board’s split decision turned into a meaningful learning opportunity. "What I didn't understand was that the board wasn't unified on that decision," he noted. Upon reflection, he recognized that a close vote isn't about winning, but instead it's a signal to slow down, listen differently, and bring the board into shared understanding.
This led to a fundamental change in the way Richard viewed leadership.
Governance Alignment & Leadership Principles
At its best, governance goes beyond oversight. It really comes to life through the practice of aligning diverse perspectives around shared purpose, while ensuring the board and CEO move together in one direction.
Richard’s story underscores three principles that every leader can apply:
- Alignment over approval. A narrow majority is fragile. True governance requires time and dialogue to reach shared conviction before the vote.
- Boundaries that empower. “The board only has one employee: the CEO,” Richard noted. When boards blur the line between oversight and management, they may unintentionally undermine both.
- Feedback as fuel. Open, ongoing communication between the board and CEO transforms disagreement into discovery. “If a board chair and CEO work well together, there’s trust and transparency,” he said. “That valuable, constant feedback—not once a year but all year—is absolutely critical.”
These principles strengthen both governance and culture, creating a foundation where trust can grow and decisions can move forward with unity and confidence.
From Victory to Vision
Richard’s reflection reframes leadership for today’s environment, taking it from “winning the vote" to “earning alignment.”
In an era where change moves fast and boards face pressure to adapt just as quickly, this shift matters more than ever. As leaders, we must slow down long enough to bring everyone along—not for consensus’s sake, but for clarity’s. Because when leaders lead with vision instead of victory, decisions endure.
How to Strengthen Governance Alignment
Leaders who want to apply these lessons can start here:
- Pause before pushing forward. When the board vote splits or discussion feels rushed, revisit the topic. Use the opportunity to explore dissenting perspectives.
- Clarify governance roles. Revisit your board and committee charters to ensure responsibilities are clear and aligned with cooperative best practices.
- Invest in relationship capital. Build intentional time between the board chair and CEO to share insights, concerns, and direction outside formal meetings. CUES Symposium was created for exactly this purpose, focusing on the importance and value of a strong CEO/board chair relationship.
- Foster continuous education. Engage with resources like CUES Director Education Center or check out this article on the CEO/board chair relationship from Harvard Business Review.
- Encourage open dialogue. Normalize board–management discussions that seek understanding rather than agreement alone.
The Broader Lesson for Credit Union Leaders
Richard’s experience reminds us that in the pursuit of progress, the true measure of leadership isn’t how quickly we reach a decision, but how deeply we unite behind it. When credit union leaders move from victory to vision, they lead with purpose and bring their organizations, teams, and members forward…together.
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