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Leadership Team Development: Learning Together Maximizes Successes

Callahan's LTD program combines Harvard Business School learning with collaborative, hands-on problem solving.

The credit union industry is facing unprecedented changes, including increased competition and FinTech disruption. Traditional responses to competitive pressures which may have worked well for credit unions in the past may not lead to success in the future.

As the industry evolves, many credit union professionals have found that their daily operations have become more complex:

  • Most significant projects require cross-functional teams to execute, which requires convergence, clear communication, and a common framework to maximize successes.
  • Teams are expanding rapidly and, as new employees join, the onboarding process rarely includes strategy discussions.
  • Leadership teams are changing and some mid-level managers are being promoted to senior positions without the background in strategy they will need to thrive in their new roles.
  • Busy teams are so focused on managing the endless day-to-day tasks that they often don’t take the time to discuss or consider strategy.
  • Compounding these problems, teams lack a common language and framework for discussing strategy, which makes communication and execution far less effective and productive.

In addition to coping with the industry changes, credit union professionals may also struggle to embrace the evolving technologies necessary to stay competitive in the marketplace. Credit union leaders should consider some key questions:

  • What innovations should we utilize to grow market share and better meet the needs of our members?
  • How do we change the culture of the organization to execute our mission more efficiently and effectively?
  • As the mobile payments market expands, how do we grow our share of wallet?

As credit union organizations face the various and ongoing disruptions in their business, Leadership Team Development (LTD) from Callahan Associates can help them maximize their future successes. Unlike more traditional learning opportunities, where select individuals go out, participate in the training, and try to bring lessons back to their colleagues, Leadership Team Development offers an innovative approach where entire teams learn the same things, at the same time, for an enhanced, more collaborative experience, all without ever having to leave the credit union.

In our Leadership Team Development program, participants learn a new set of tools to meet the strategic challenges of a disruptive world and rapidly evolving industry. They also learn to build a practical, strategic framework they can use together for applying and managing these tools. To boost productivity and efficiencies, participating teams learn a common language and framework focused on strategy, to ensure everyone is singing the same song in their interactions.

LTD exists in a unique market space, at the confluence of executive education, team-building, and strategic consulting. The program focuses on improving the ability of leadership teams to develop and execute strategy collaboratively and constructively. LTD offers numerous benefits and differentiators, including team interaction and engagement, the convenience of participating anytime from anywhere, no travel or lost work time, the ability to develop and assess rising stars, and huddles that enhance key learnings and boost real-world applications and successes.

Callahan Associates is offering a Leadership Team Development program for the credit union audience, and it’s a team-based learning experience unlike any other in the industry. Callahan’s first LTD offering, Disruptive Strategy with Clayton Christensen, is a groundbreaking course offered in collaboration with HBX, Harvard Business School’s innovative online learning initiative.

Key learnings include how to avoid disruption, create new growth opportunities, and adopt a common language for framing problems and creating solutions. This unique, team-based approach to learning helps credit union executives transform their professional development from individual learning experiences to a collaborative dialogue with their peers in which they build a common language and framework.

One of the important differentiators of the Callahan program is the expert-led webinar huddles that occur after participants complete each of the program’s five online training modules. In these huddles, a senior Callahan facilitator uses real issues that the credit union is facing, and applies tools learned through the program to effectively address them.

Teams practice using the concepts and lessons they’ve learned through the program, using a language and framework designed for discussing strategy as opposed to operations. Interactive group dialogues gather each participant’s unique perspective, identify actionable steps, and apply the right tools to successfully resolve the issue. Everyone is engaged and everyone’s point-of-view is encouraged and considered, as the team works together.

Having an entire team participate in our LTD program together means they’re all learning the same things at the same time. At the end of each session and at the conclusion of the program they’re all ready to hit the ground running, equipped with the common language, framework, and tools to move forward collaboratively and boost future successes.

For more information about Callahan’s Leadership Team Development program or to sign up, please visit Callahan Associates online.

This article is sponsored by a recognized solutions provider in the credit union industry. Callahan & Associates does not endorse vendors or the solutions they offer, and the views and opinions offered here might not reflect those of Callahan. If you are interested in contributing an article on CreditUnions.com, please contact the Callahan team at ads@creditunions.com or 1-800-446-7453.
July 18, 2016

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