A Direct Line Blog

This blog was originally posted in July 2015, and yet, still seems relevant today.

Have you seen the cute little movie Who Moved My Cheese? It is one of the greatest examples of work life and interaction I have seen; all told in a comical, animated short (the real key!) style. It discusses change management and seems to be a very relevant topic for Montana’s credit unions right now.

All across our great state, credit unions are going through pretty drastic changes. For some, it is a CEO replacement or building remodel, for others, it is a transition to a new data processing system. There is almost nothing that creates more upheaval in a credit union than a system change. It impacts nearly all staff and their way of doing each transaction. Interaction with members also requires patience since it is different for them too.

As board members, how do you approach change? Do you make a decision and tell the CEO to implement it? Do you discuss it for years and finally decide it is too drastic? There are many ways to implement something different, but keep in mind that not all of your involved parties may feel comfortable moving forward as quickly as you, or maybe they are, but just want to have more data and discuss it one last time. There is sometimes the one who just sits in the corner not saying a word who can be your biggest advocate or largest barrier, but it is important to draw them out to ensure they don’t derail the process after the decision is made.

It is a tricky thing to be in a world where we are told “credit unions have to evolve to survive” and that innovation is the key to being relevant. Both of those involve change. A few ways to keep different personalities in mind in your process might start by knowing what they are. Many different personality analyses are available, and even watching the movie referenced above might help some see that not all are ready to storm the castle.

Whatever your approach, communication is key to any decision. Communicating with all parties well in advance of the impact on them can help with buy-in. It can also shine a light on unintended consequences that management or the board may not have considered.

There is also the ability to talk to other credit unions and boards who have gone through something similar to see what they learned and how they would recommend you approach it. After all, none of us go through a process without learning something, and, isn’t this industry great because we all work to help each other out for the benefit of the members and community?

Oh, and if you are more of a reader than a watcher, you can find information on the book here.