Leadership conduct in focus: Leadership teams and their impact on your credit union culture

Leadership is hard, it is demanding, it is uncomfortable at times. Yes, yes, and yes. And most of all it is a privilege. When we hold leadership roles we have the honor and responsibility of impacting the lives of others every single day.

When we get that shiny new leadership title it feels good. A leadership title is often equated with success, and rightfully so. It is an accomplishment that most often results from hard work, commitment, developed skills and abilities, and performing at a high level. Whether that is Team Supervisor, Branch Manager, VP, SVP, CEO or anywhere it between, it is exciting and gratifying.

This is when the work on ourselves needs to begin, or continue. More than likely we possess the majority of operational skills needed for the role, and will receive training and development on any of the skills we may need some support with. But when we become a leader, or we move up the leadership ladder, it is incumbent upon us to never lose sight of the impact we have on others.

Both in my personal leadership roles, and in supporting others in their leadership roles and aspirations, I have experienced a lot of misconceptions about what leadership is, and what is required to excel.

I was horrible at delegating, I was even worse at providing constructive feedback and coaching. And I was in my third leadership role. I was also, for the first time, receiving true leadership development, and learning a lot of uncomfortable truths. It was the greatest gift in my career, and the greatest gift for my team, and future teams.

For me, these two core leadership competencies were weaknesses that I did not realize I had. Truly, they were blind spots for me. Amazing what you learn when you ask others. I had the opportunity to receive 360 feedback for the first time. This is where you get feedback from your peers, direct reports, and leaders. It was terrifying. It was uncomfortable. It was a gift. Having been through the 360 process many times now I actually look forward to the feedback rather than wince in fear. The data received is invaluable. It gives you not only insights into your strengths and areas of opportunities, but also provides a clear picture of alignment (or lack thereof) of your perception and the perception of others that you impact regularly.

For credit unions to thrive, committing resources to effective leadership development is essential. Equipping leaders with the skills needed, and having accountability standards in place should not be a “nice to have”, it should live as part of strategic priorities. Without effective and consistent leadership throughout the credit union, other strategic priorities may be unattainable, underachieved, or unsustainable. As John Maxwell said, “everything rises and falls on leadership.”

Just as importantly is that this commitment must start at the executive level, where leaders at the top prioritize their own development, model the behaviors and values they wish to see throughout the organization, and consistently hold the entire leadership team accountable to these expectations.

Alignment is essential to success. True story, I was facilitating sessions at a credit union on effective coaching conversations, a portion of which focused on the importance of genuine care and concern, active listening, empathy, and so forth. Every leader was required to attend a session as part of the leadership development program. The CEO attended the first sessions and was focused, taking notes, and actively participating. He did not have his phone with him during this session (this will be important in a minute). The other leaders in that session clearly got the message that this was personally important to him, and he was committed to the development for himself, as well as for the entire team.

Later that day another member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) was attending. He was checking his phone throughout the event (remember, the CEO did not even bring his phone to the session), was clearly not focused on the content or conversations, and did not participate except when it was unavoidable to do so. I learned later that these were common and consistent behaviors for this ELT member whether in meetings, training, or speaking with others.

Throughout the rest of the sessions it was probably a 70/30 split of how the executive leaders showed up. 70% demonstrated the same behaviors the CEO had, and 30% the less desirable behaviors. A quote I reference often that I heard years ago at an event I attended is, “when you accept money from an organization, purportedly to be a leader, you give up the right to be ignorant about the impact you have on others.” It is hard to genuinely convey that leadership development, and agreed upon leadership behaviors are a priority when a significant portion of the ELT do not themselves demonstrate commitment to these expectations.

One of my former CEOs said that in leadership roles we were always “on stage” and being watched by others in terms of our actions and behaviors. And the higher up the leadership ladder you were, the greater that impact was.

Prioritizing intentional leadership development, and holding all leaders accountable to the expected behaviors and norms, can result in capable and inspiring leaders across the organization who are equipped to drive engagement and success. Leadership is not about titles, power, or ego. True leadership is about being genuine, empathetic, and authentic. When leaders embrace their roles with humility and a service-oriented mindset, coupled with the necessary leadership skills and abilities, they create a supportive and collaborative work environment that impacts people in ways that are deep and meaningful well beyond the walls of the credit union.

“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” ― John Maxwell