Tag Archive for DDJ Myers

| January 24, 2013
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Recruiting Board Members

recruiting-board-members

Guest post written by Michael Sessions, Senior Vice President, DDJ Myers

Someone recently said to me: “Recruiting board members? I thought recruiting is what boards did when they looked for a CEO. I had never thought about finding new board members as ‘recruiting.’” But boards are responsible for more than filling the CEO position — they are responsible for finding and training new board members.

Board succession planning is a process that requires intention, attention and effort. It’s about putting systems in place to ensure that the right people are in the right place at the right time. It means aligning the strategic and governance needs of the board with the talent required to carry out those needs. This is the duty of the board, not staff or management.

It’s not enough to find good people. Board members must be educated so that they understand the credit union, policy and governance before they begin voting. The transition should appear seamless and not disrupt the credit union or board’s function. This requires forethought and planning to ensure that recruitment and new member orientation policies remain active.

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Category: Management & Operations | Tags: , , ,
| January 24, 2012
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Shifting to a Practice of Creativity and Innovation in 2012

Guest post by Deedee Myers, founder and CEO of DDJ Myers, Ltd.

Personal Reflection

As 2011 has come to a close, I am reflecting on the commitment and hard work I witnessed throughout the year. The past few years have been a struggle and challenge which produced a sense of hyper-alertness. With so many of us in a constant state of alertness, we have worked hard to sustain the health of our organizations.

The external environment is calling us to encourage and promote creativity and innovation−which is problematic, yet necessary for long-term sustainability−in a tough economic environment. Moving into the 2011 4th Quarter, I noticed an increase in the number of organizations that, in building their 2012 budgets and capital resources, shifted awareness and attention to reframe problems as productive challenges. This shift of attention is a good thing. Actively challenging our assumptions is much more sustainable than being constantly in a hyper-alert and reactive state.

Organizations that start to peel back the covers and look under the surface have so many more resources readily available. I believe the most precious resource in an organization is the individual who comes to work every day. Understanding what motivates the individual and creating an environment where each person makes a difference automatically encourages creativity and innovation−a must for us as an industry, as a country, as a global economy.

Commitment and hard work is evident in individuals, teams, and organizations that challenge established methods and protocols and actively sought ways in 2011 to modify existing models and designs. Why is this so important? It is time to shift from hyper-alertness to embodied creativity and innovation. This, I believe, is a practice we can all give more attention as we move into 2012. This practice does not need a line item in our budget; it happens in conversations involving individuals and teams.

Michael Michalko, in Tinker Toys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques, writes that anyone can learn to pay attention. Richard Strozzi-Heckler, in The Leadership Dojo: Building Your Foundation as an Exemplary Leader writes that learning starts with awareness. An awakening that invites awareness to what is and what matters is the start of learning. I borrowed from Michalko, Strozzi-Heckler, and our custom leadership programs to provide the following simple, no cost practices you and your leadership team can activate over the next couple of weeks as preparation for moving into 2012 with a commitment to encourage creativity and innovation. Read more

Category: Management & Operations | Tags: , , ,