6 Traits Exceptional Credit Union Leaders

The last few weeks we have looked into developing a leadership development model. Leadership plays such a critical role in the performance of any organization. Leadership is about taking charge and influencing others to follow your vision. It’s about going against the odds and accepting responsibility for the outcomes along the way. It’s about exceeding expectations by going the extra mile, by consistently going the distance to insure success.

The key principles of leadership include:

• Long Term Vision
• Excellence
• Advance Planning
• Discipline, Drive & Determination
• Enthusiasm
• Responsibility
• Sacrifice
• Humor and Humility
• Influence
• Perseverance

We grow stronger in each of these principles through practice and a leadership model. Let’s review the steps we’ve discussed over the past few weeks.

1. Create discovery and desire. People must want to learn new skills. When we become truly interested in the topic and see relevance, we become more willing to learn.
2. Set a goal and make a plan. It is far better to build a process that sets goals and makes a plan to reach those goals before attending any formal training. This step will focus you on what you most want to learn during any workshops and put your overall leadership development into a clearer context.
3. Focus on strengths. Any development plan should focus on more than just those things identified as weaknesses. Rather, it should recognize and provide an opportunity to continue to reinforce and strengthen your greatest strengths.
4. Find ways to learn. Recognize that there are many ways to learn, including training, books, magazines, and blogs to read.
5. Find ways to practice. Leadership development is skill development. As with any other skill, your learning process must include opportunities to practice. However, one of the keys for success is to be clear on what you are practicing.
6. Build systems organizationally to support the model. To be a successful leader, your development requires more than an aspiring leader and some training.

One thing you must always think about as an individual is that leadership development is far too important to delegate to your organization. You must take personal responsibility and accountability for your own development!

I’ll leave you with this quote by Robert Townsend; “True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders.”

By Howard Bufe, AVP, Credit Union Resources, Inc.