A Direct Line Blog

By Scott Butterfield, MonDak Speaker and Facilitator

Survivors Innovate and Evolve

During a 2016 press conference to announce Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop ended his speech saying, “we didn’t do anything wrong, but somehow, we lost.” Upon this conclusion, he and his entire management team publicly wept. Nokia was a strong corporation. Incorporated in 1865, it became one of the biggest corporations in the world. What happened? I believe the simple answer is that a dynamic, evolving marketplace outpaced company leaders’ strategic thinking.

Today, smart credit union leaders are forward thinking, challenging the status quo, innovating, and adapting to thrive in the hyper-competitive world they operate in. These great leaders will grow and nurture cultures to avoid Nokia’s path.

Innovative and Evolutionary Ideas at the MonDak Roundtable

Montana’s Credit Unions and CUAD have put together a great agenda for their February roundtable! I’m looking forward to sharing ideas and best practices with Amanda Thomas McMeans and Elliot Eisenberg, and to be once again supporting credit unions in Montana and the Dakotas. The focus of my presentations will be on leadership, beginning with “Great CU Leaders Enable Others to Boldly Act,” which will be followed by two board-focused conversations; “Are you Sinking, Swimming, or Just Treading Water?” and “Board Members Behaving Badly.”

I’ll be sharing experiences, insights, ideas, and best practices on how great leaders create environments that support greater innovation, risk-taking, and action. We’ll focus on what these leaders do to motivate and inspire their teams to accomplish great things.

On day two of the roundtable, the focus will shift to Board members. We’ll discuss why educated and engaged boards are critically important to innovation and evolution. We’ll talk about education, new board member onboarding ideas, and best practices to make sure your board is up to speed and ready for our rapidly changing environment. Finally, we’ll take a frank look at issues and challenges that create dysfunctional board and management relationships. We’ll address low commitment, fear of healthy conflict, and the avoidance of making tough decisions (to name a few).

Please consider joining us and participating in these timely and relevant conversations that can set your credit union up for more success. I look forward to seeing you there!

MonDak Roundtable registration is now open. This is our second year of collaboration with credit unions from North and South Dakota on the event. We will also be joined by colleagues from Nebraska, Utah, and Idaho so make plans to attend!