The team at Callahan & Associates understands credit union leaders’ inboxes are flooded with emails and information. This year, it is our goal to help you make the most of your valuable time by presenting topics and formats that will inspire you to think differently.
No news, just thoughtful, inspirational stories on areas that matter most.
We have selected four pillars this year to anchor these efforts. The content we produce will bubble up to one of these topics — look for the tags in the newsletters so you can follow along throughout the year.
Meet The Pillars
Why These Pillars?
During the past several years, Callahan consultants have observed how leading credit unions are achieving sustainable growth and remaining relevant in an increasingly competitive landscape. We’ve discovered many of these credit unions follow a symbiotic cycle, which we have coined the “sustainable growth framework.”
It starts by having a clearly articulated, inspiring purpose that is fully embedded in the credit union’s culture. That purpose drives performance because it motivates and empowers employees to do their best work. When employees are aligned with the organization’s purpose and are empowered to live it, they show up differently. They show up with passion, and passion is contagious. Passion creates an environment ripe for innovation, and when innovative minds are focused on how to better serve the distinct needs of their members and communities, the magic of purpose comes alive.
When an organization has a clear focus on purpose and engages its employees in that purpose, member engagement increases. According to research from Gallup, teams that optimize employee or member engagement perform 70% better than those that don’t. Said differently, they boost financial performance by 70%. However, organizations that optimize both employee and member engagement perform 240% better! Nearly two-and-a-half times is a compelling business case for embedding purpose in your organization. It clearly drives the business forward.
When the credit union has profitable, sustainable growth, it can reinvest earnings back into stakeholders. This could take the form of rewards for employees, year-end bonus dividends for members, or philanthropic activities to fuel the community. Rewarding these three stakeholders reinforces the credit union’s purpose and propels the organization forward — fortifying the sustainable growth framework.
Callahan used this model as inspiration when selecting our content pillars. Here is how each pillar fits into the framework:
What’s Next?
We’ll be sending a weekly letter from our editorial team detailing upcoming content across platforms — CreditUnions.com, Exclusive Client Content, webinars, and more. Our newsletters also will showcase which articles align with each pillar, as you might have noticed in the newsletter below.
Armed with this information:
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- Make sure you are registered to receive for the daily newsletter.
- Read and engage.
- Submit a story to our editor. We know plenty of credit unions are doing impactful work in these areas, and we want to hear from you.
- Share the love. Collaboration is a key differentiator in our market. If you’re inspired by something you read from us, we encourage you to forward it to a colleague or an industry peer.
The tough work has just begun at CreditUnions.com. But we are driven to help credit unions impact their members and communities in meaningful ways. We hope you ride alongside us this year as we learn and ignite change together.
