The Credit Union Leadership Podcast

Financial Wellness Training

Community Choice Credit Union is a 1.68 Billion dollar community influencer in Michigan. Their partnership with the University of Maryland, Filene, and ServiStar has allowed them to come to the market with a complete program to educate it's employees using CUNA's FICEP training and teach them the soft skills needed to take that training and implement it with every member, every time, where they are at. 
 
Simply said, Choice Map helps members achieve the life they desire. 
 
Stacey Ferris, is the training manager over the program and is willing to help your credit union out as well. She can be reached at sferris@communitychoicecu.com.
You can also contact our producer, Scott Albrecht who developed this two-and-a-half-day training to learn more about how it can be delivered at your credit union. Contact Scott on Linked In using the link below:Scott Albrecht  
Interested in participating in our 25 year anniversary podcast? Email: Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com to be on air and share your favorite memories of Mike and the team and how they were able to influence your credit union and you. 

Ghost Writing

Trick or Treat!!! It's ServiStar Consulting, here to offer you tricks you can use with your credit union...see what we did there?  :)  
 
In this episode, we have a treat for you: a chat with Vicky Franchino, Industry Ghost Writer. 
 
Vicky fills listeners in on what ghostwriting is, why your credit union might need a ghostwriter, and how you can track down a ghostwriter of your very own. Plus, she weighs in on the question every enquiring mind wants answered, “Is candy corn awesome?” 
 
Stay tuned to this incredibly spooky episode of the Credit Union Leadership Podcast! 
To contact Vicky and have her ghost write for your credit union- email her or visit here website: vickyfranchino.comvicky@vickyfranchino.comAlso, if you want to get a free copy of the article I wrote on Business Development that Vicky helps us with, check that out by emailing me at Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com.
And yes, Vicky also proofed these show notes for me because she is a nice human being :) 

Discomfort is a function of growth.

It's our podcast founder and ServiStar Cheif Learning Officer's birthday and as a gift to the listener, we give you a behind-the-curtains look into what goes on at Vertex Live Nationwide. In this part two of two podcasts, we listen to the 2021 version of Mike Neill on his birthday leading our first-ever Fall Vertex Live Nationwide course through the topic of Employee Motivation. We spend a lot of time in Vertex covering the topic of employee motivation, so this podcast is meant to be more of a taste of the content. Enjoy. 
 
If you are more of a full plate learner- sign up for an upcoming Vertex Live Nationwide class here: ServiStar Consulting | Events

What you are willing to accept will become your standard.

It's our podcast founder and ServiStar Cheif Learning Officer's birthday and as a gift to the listener, we give you a behind-the-curtains look into what goes on at Vertex Live Nationwide. In this part one of two podcasts, we listen to the 2021 version of Mike Neill on his birthday leading our first-ever Fall Vertex Live Nationwide course through the topic of Coaching for Performance. We spend a lot of time in Vertex covering the topic of coaching, so this podcast is meant to be more of a taste of the content. Enjoy. 
 
If you are more of a full plate learner- sign up for an upcoming Vertex Live Nationwide class here: ServiStar Consulting | Events

Crypto in Credit Unions

Chase Larson is a friend of the podcast and is the Chief Lending Officer at St. Cloud Financial Credit Union in Minnesota.  In today's episode, Chase shares his expertise in crypto, how he is looking to use it at his credit union, how others have utilized it at their credit unions/banks, and what the future holds for this technology in your credit union's future. 
To connect with Chase to find out more, email him at: chasel@scfcu.org
 
Chase Larson has almost 15 years of banking and finance experience. He has expertise in mortgage lending, business banking and SBA lending, and crypto utilization at credit unions.
 
 

Brand Marketing w/Jill Sammons

Jill Sammons, Senior Vice-President, Marketing & Strategic Communications
Jill Sammons
Vice President, Marketing & Brand Strategy
BCU
Jill has more than 30 years of credit union marketing and business development experience, beginning in 1991 when she joined BCU. Her work currently includes putting Purpose Into Practice to drive brand value, member acquisition & product engagement, B2B2C relationship management, and improving the financial well-being of everyone BCU serves. She is recognized for her ability to manage strong cross-functional teams, communicate effectively, and positively influence others, and her commitment to empowering people to discover financial freedom is reflected in everything she does. Jill received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, and is a graduate of the CUES Strategic Innovation Institute through Stanford University Graduate School of Business. 
 
On today's credit union leadership podcast, Jill shared the important power of finding your why and building an architect framework around your brand narrative to allow for the purpose to speak through the organization through how it is seen internally and externally. The promises we make, the tagline, and the mission statement all must come after we identify our authentic selves. Then we can begin the narrative of how it sounds through purpose statements, tag lines, and service promises. Everyone is a branch ambassador in this model and serves the purpose of the credit union every day. 
 
Some other podcasts she has been spotlighted on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0fTByj2NEs
https://filene.org/blog/thinking-outside-the-box-on-healthcare-and-financial-well-being
https://businesschief.com/company-reports/bcu-leveraging-todays-tech-tomorrows-well-being
https://www.cuinsight.com/press-release/bcu-is-giving-away-up-to-20-scholarships-to-college-bound-high-school-seniors/
https://www.savvymoney.com/news-and-stories/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/BCU-Partner-Story-FINAL.pdf
 
 

Credit Union Journalism w/ Mike Lawson

Mike Lawson is the face you have seen across the industry for over 20 years with over 5,000 videos with CUbroadcast, a credit union talk show. In this episode of the Credit Union Leadership podcast, Taylor Murray interviews the interviewer. Mike Lawson is putting all his marketing, journalism, humor, and video innovation to work and as a result since 2008, there has been a collection of informative, online video interviews discussing today’s credit union issues and trends with some of the industry’s finest innovators, ambassadors, and game-changers.
To learn about Mike and CU Broadcast visit his website here: https://www.cubroadcast.com/about.html
He also gave a shout-out to the podcast our founder did with our good friends over at Canvas credit union- check that podcast episode 72 of  "In the Room, w/ Todd Marksberry", 
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/e72-mike-neill-executive-director-servistar-llc/id1481513677?i=1000524451068

Employee Accountability

Email me for my employee discount Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com for this upcoming Vertex Live Nationwide Fall Program in this nationwide series you will also get access to :
On-Going LearningTwelve-month access to the following Computer-Based Management Training Courses from the VertexLibrary. Delegation Team BuildingCoaching for Performance Employee MotivationStrategic Thinking LeadershipAccountability Interviewing
All participants will have unlimited access to the trainer, for twelve months from the date of they attendthe management workshop for questions, troubleshooting, consultation, etc. Investment Summary $1350 per participant when 20 or more trained.
Register your team now. ServiStar (servistarconsulting.com)

Employee Motivation/Time Management

We don't have a million dollars to incentivize activity- Carlynne Pouliot joins us again for our mini-series on Vertex Live Nationwide coming up later this month on September 12th running through December. Register NOW to level up your leadership on the topics below:
Module Key Learning Points:
The Key Attributes and Skills of Highly Effective Credit Union Managers• Attributes vs. Skills• Attributes and Skills Common Among High Performing Credit Union Managers• How to Develop Attributes of High Performing Credit Union Managers
Effective Delegation• What Delegation Is and Is Not• Warning Signs One Is Not Delegating• Why Managers Don’t Delegate• The Process of Effective DelegationTeam Building• Why Mission Matters in Team Building• Using the G-R-O-W Team Building Model to Create a Great Team• Resolving the Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Performance Through Coaching• The Key Behaviors of an Effective Coach• Defining Coaching• The Differences in Management and Coaching• Why and How Coaching is an Important Sub-Set of Leadership• Four Critical Coaching Behaviors• Understanding Why Employees Under-Perform• How to Identify the Cause of Under-Performance• How to Coach to the Four Respective Performance Types• Using The Effective Confrontation Model to Redirect an Unwilling/Able Performance Type
Employee Motivation• What is Motivation?• What is Engagement?• How is Engagement Different Than “Buy-In?”• The Impact of Engaged and Dis-Engaged Employees• The Seven Keys to Creating an Engaging Work Environment7
Strategic Thinking• Why Strategic Thinking is Critical to Leadership Success• The Strategic Thinking Gap That Exists in Credit Unions and Why It Exists• The Types of Strategic Thinkers• The Differences in Strategic Thinking and Strategic Planning• How Strategic Masters Differ From Strategic Thinkers• The Three Disciplines of Strategic Masters• Strategic Thinking Challenges• How to Become a Strategic Master
Leadership• The Challenge in Leading From The Middle• Management Vs. Leadership• Why Credit Union Managers Tend to “Over-Manage” and Under- Lead.• The Three Leadership Roles of Middle Managers• The Keys to Implementing Skills Used In the Three Leadership Roles
Employee Accountability• What is Accountability?• The Keys to Effective Accountability• How to Conduct an Effective Performance Meeting• The Keys to Setting Effective Performance Goals
Time Management• The Causes of Many of Our Time Management Issues• How to Organize and Prioritize Using the Urgent/Important Quadrant Model• Time Management Hacks From the Best Time Managers
Conflict Resolution and Effectively Handling Difficult Conversations• The Primary Causes of Conflict• The Impact of Fear of Conflict and Why It Is So Prevalent in Credit Union Culture• What to Avoid in Conflict Resolution• What to Do in Conflict Resolution• How to Handle Peer Conflict• How to Have Difficult Conversations in an Effective Manner

Leadership Training

There are three topics that carry more weight as it relates to what makes up a high-performing leader in the credit union industry, coaching, strategic thinking, and leadership. On today's Vertex Live Nationwide Countdown to our upcoming Fall Session, Carlynne Pouliot discusses using skills in Strategic Thinking and Leadership to take a credit union to the next level. To get your pass for our upcoming Vertex Live Nationwide Fall Session, register HERE. 
 
Why Vertex Live Nationwide?
The Need for Effective Management
The need for effective management, particularly in the middle management ranks is more important thanever before. With changes more rapid, staffing more lean, economic and regulatory pressure making itmore difficult to achieve success, there is a limit to what cost-cutting and technology implementationscan do to create success. A Gallup Survey reveals:• 55% of employees admit that they are disengaged in the mission of the organization, while 16%admit to being actively disengaged.• 71% of employees are not just working below their potential, but working at a minimum level!• The percentage of engaged managers is only somewhat higher than the percentage of engagedemployees - 35% of managers are engaged, while 65% are not engaged in their work!• One in two employees have left their job to get away from their manager at some point in theircareer.• Employees who are supervised by highly engaged managers are 59% more likely to be engaged than those supervised by actively disengaged managers.
The Gallup Organization Surveys reveal that 70% of an employee’s engagement is directly attributable to their manager! The most often provided reason for this disengagement is ineffective management.Vertex Live Develops Outstanding Managers
The Vertex Management Development Program will develop managers who have the ability to improveemployee performance thus creating greater profitability. Improved sales and service levels, reduced mistakes, and increased employee accountability for performance will provide a rapid and significant payback on the investment. Vertex Management Training is based on our ground-breaking researchpublished by the Filene Research Institute, “Attributes and Skills Common Among High PerformingManagers.” Your managers will receive the designation, “Certified Credit Union Manager” from theFilene Research Institute
Register now - Vertex Live Nationwide begins Tuesday, Sept. 13

Attributes and Skills Common Among High Performing Credit Union Managers

Vertex Live Nationwide UPDATE
 
We previously recorded these countdown episodes before the last class graduated. That class suggested we do more classes with less of a time commitment. As a result, our VLN Fall 2022 session is 10 sessions 2 hours each vs 8 sessions 3 hours each. This pushes the start date to August 2
Registration
August 2–December 6
 
Sessions are Tuesday’s from 2 – 4 PM ET
August
2, 16, 30
September
13, 27
October
11, 25
November
8, 29
December
6
 
Register Here_ https://events.servistarconsulting.com/event/vertex-live-nationwide/ 

Coaching for Performance

Vertex Live Nationwide is a 10-topic series that credit union leaders nationwide join in on to learn common traits of high-performing leaders.
Each session is from 2-5 PM ET/11-2 PM PT
Sessions:
Key Attributes and Skills of Highly Effective Managers and Delegation (Tuesday, Sept. 13)
Team Building and Coaching Part 1 (Tuesday, Sept. 27)
Coaching Part 2 and Employee Motivation (Tuesday, Oct. 11)
Strategic Thinking and Leadership (Tuesday, Oct. 25)
Employee Accountability and Time Management (Tuesday, Nov. 8)
Conflict Resolution (Tuesday, Nov. 15)
Group Project Q&A (optional) (Tuesday, Nov. 29)
Group Project Presentation & Graduation (Tuesday, Dec. 13)
Register HERE

Effective Delegation

Another daily mini-series leading up to our most coveted Vertex Live Nationwide 
a special thanks to Carlynne Pouliot - Director of Branch Administration at HRCU who was a participant and is now sharing this Vertex training with the rest of her organization where they focus on offering their members, Better, Not Bigger Banking!
On this first of five mini-episodes we mentioned another guest of the podcast Lisa Chitty- to hear her podcast on hiring for attributes and skills- listen here.
https://servistarconsulting.podbean.com/e/season-3-ep-10-hiring-assessments-with-lisa-chitty/
Vertex Live Nationwide
Begins Tuesday, Sep. 13. Every session is from 2–5 pm ET (11 am–2 pm PT)
Learn how to deploy skills that will improve management performance, employee engagement, member service and profitabilitySee immediate improvements in management performance!  
Whether you are an individual manager looking to grow or you are an emerging manager looking to prepare for success, you'll find that Vertex Live Nationwide will set you up for success as a strong coach.
Presented over an interactive studio-quality live stream from our studio (which means no travel is needed!)
Eight 3-hour online sessions spread out over four months
Interactive group work and individual networking allows participants to connect with and pose questions to peers and instructors
Assessments to validate learning and promote engagement
Access to our Vertex Learning Library computer-based training courses for one year for refresher training.
Investment: Only $1,500 per person
Discounts are available when registering 5 or more employees (email Whitney@servistarconsulting.com for more information).
 
Each session is from 2-5 PM ET/11-2 PM PT
Sessions:
Key Attributes and Skills of Highly Effective Managers and Delegation (Tuesday, Sept. 13)
Team Building and Coaching Part 1 (Tuesday, Sept. 27)
Coaching Part 2 and Employee Motivation (Tuesday, Oct. 11)
Strategic Thinking and Leadership (Tuesday, Oct. 25)
Employee Accountability and Time Management (Tuesday, Nov. 8)
Conflict Resolution (Tuesday, Nov. 15)
Group Project Q&A (optional) (Tuesday, Nov. 29)
Group Project Presentation & Graduation (Tuesday, Dec. 13)
REGISTER NOW
 
Back to All Events

50. Member Interview Training

Stacey Ferris has a heart for the member, the community, and the mission at Community Choice Credit Union. As a training manager, she worked closely with ServiStar Consulting to develop a financial wellness training program that launched in May of 2022. This Credit Union Leadership podcast episode was recorded live onsite with Stacey in the room before the first pilot group arrived. Listen in to the creative ways in which Community Choice Credit Union is changing the game and leveling up their delivery with their new program - Choice Map.

49. Centralized Lending

From the local school system to Wisconsin as a member of CUNA mutual to several regions in Africa as an international CUDE leader, Brent Rempe has been molded to by nature think outside of the box. Brent Rempe worked regularly with ACCOSCA...the continental confederation of national associations, learning about what financials and credit union cooperatives were doing outside of the United States, and as the CLO at Allegiance Credit Union, Brent shares with us how he has used that knowledge to move the meter on outside of the box thinking in Oklahoma.
We learn about his new centralized lending model as well as his newfound success with this model. An advocate for CDFI, Brent is not satisfied with just one progressive step like centralized lending but has his eye on the future of helping communities in Oklahoma by being a CDFI organization. 

48. Credit Unions for Ukraine

At the time this podcast aired, Ukraine was on day 62 of the Russian invoked war in Ukraine. In this episode, we spoke with Andre Vygnanski, Cheif Executive Officer at Ukrainian Selfreliance Michigan Federal Credit Union
Want to help Ukrainians? Join our credit union friends in supporting those immigrating to the US!
There is a big soccer tournament coming on Memorial weekend. Great Lakes Cup. 
Here are two resources and both Facebook pages are good resources.
https://www.usmfcu.org/event-calendar
 
https://www.uacrisisresponse.org/

47. Managing Conflict

Hey Mike, I don't agree with you.
 
Mike previews the topic we are covering in emerging leaders how does an emerging leader deal with the interpersonal conflict they likely didn't know they were signing up for?
Emerging Leaders Workshop
 
STARTS:
MAY 12, 2022
ENDS:
OCTOBER 13, 2022
LOCATION:
ONLINE
REGISTER NOW
ServiStar's Emerging Leaders Program
Improve employee engagementGive new and emerging leaders confidenceHave new managers performing from the first day ‍
Newly promoted managers often find themselves facing many challenges:
How do they build trust?
How do they establish themselves as leaders?
How do they manage people who were their peers just days ago?
Credit unions typically provide about two weeks of training to a new teller.  But how much training is provided to a new manager?  Isn't leading people more challenging than operating a teller window? Should new managers be forced to learn through experience only? Do you think that will have negative implications on employee engagement, production and member experience? 
ServiStar’s Emerging Leaders program will take new and emerging managers and turn them into confident, competent, high-performance leaders who will be able to develop their own personal leadership style, deploy core coaching skills and maximize employee engagement and performance. Through live training, homework assignments, networking with other new managers from across the credit union movement, and unlimited access to the ServiStar experts, your new and emerging managers will begin to thrive.
Who should attend:
Leaders who are early in their management career (5 years or less) or employees who will soon be promoted to a leadership position.
What's included:
Seven 2-hour information-packed sessions.
Homework assignments between each session to ensure implementation of learning.
Personal leadership assessment.
Top 5 Clifton Strengths Assessment with a pre-course workshop led by Scott Albrecht on how to leverage your strengths.
Unlimited one-on-one access to our facilitators to discuss leadership challenges.
Access to the ServiStar Network to collaborate with peers.
Pre- and post-course assessment to validate participant improvement.
Certificate of completion.
Sign Up
Choose invoice if you are receiving a volume discount or if you opt to make monthly payments.
Begins May 12Sessions are most Thursdays from 3–5 pm ET (12–2 pm PT)
Sessions:
May 12 - Common Pitfalls for Emerging Leaders (and How to Avoid Them)
June 9 - Developing a Leadership Brand
July 14 - Mentor Development
August 11 - Coaching
Sept. 8 - Building Trust and Influence
Oct. 13 - Emotional Intelligence
Nov. 9 - Change Management (Note: this is on a Wednesday)
Investment
The investment for this valuable program is just $999 (or spread-out payments over a year). Discounts are available for 5 or more participants! (Contact Whitney at Whitney@ServiStarConsulting.com)
Limited to 50 Participants!

46. Seperating the Personal from the Professional

Hey Mike, want to grab a beer after this podcast?
In this episode of the Emerging Leaders mini-series we ask Mike, what should emerging leaders know about behavior change that needs to take place once they are no longer a peer but a new manager?
Emerging Leaders Workshop
 
STARTS:
MAY 12, 2022
ENDS:
OCTOBER 13, 2022
LOCATION:
ONLINE
REGISTER NOW
ServiStar's Emerging Leaders Program
Improve employee engagementGive new and emerging leaders confidenceHave new managers performing from the first day ‍
Newly promoted managers often find themselves facing many challenges:
How do they build trust?
How do they establish themselves as leaders?
How do they manage people who were their peers just days ago?
Credit unions typically provide about two weeks of training to a new teller.  But how much training is provided to a new manager?  Isn't leading people more challenging than operating a teller window? Should new managers be forced to learn though experience only? Do you think that will have negative implications on employee engagement, production and member experience? 
ServiStar’s Emerging Leaders program will take new and emerging managers and turn them into confident, competent, high-performance leaders who will be able to develop their own personal leadership style, deploy core coaching skills and maximize employee engagement and performance. Through live training, homework assignments, networking with other new managers from across the credit union movement and unlimited access to the ServiStar experts, your new and emerging managers will begin to thrive.
Who should attend:
Leaders who are early in their management career (5 years or less) or employees who will soon be promoted to a leadership position.
What's included:
Seven 2-hour information-packed sessions.
Homework assignments between each session to ensure implementation of learning.
Personal leadership assessment.
Top 5 Clifton Strengths Assessment with a pre-course workshop led by Scott Albrecht on how to leverage your strengths.
Unlimited one-on-one access to our facilitators to discuss leadership challenges.
Access to the ServiStar Network to collaborate with peers.
Pre- and post-course assessment to validate participant improvement.
Certificate of completion.
Begins May 12Sessions are most Thursdays from 3–5 pm ET (12–2 pm PT)
Sessions:
May 12 - Common Pitfalls for Emerging Leaders (and How to Avoid Them)
June 9 - Developing a Leadership Brand
July 14 - Mentor Development
August 11 - Coaching
Sept. 8 - Building Trust and Influence
Oct. 13 - Emotional Intelligence
Nov. 9 - Change Management (Note: this is on a Wednesday)
Investment
The investment for this valuable program is just $999 (or spread-out payments over a year). Discounts are available for 5 or more participants! (Contact Whitney at Whitney@ServiStarConsulting.com)
Limited to 50 Participants!

45. Making Changes before Developing Trust

“Joining a new company is akin to an organ transplant—and you’re the new organ. If you’re not thoughtful in adapting to the new situation, you could end up being attacked by the organizational immune system and rejected.”
In this episode, Mike shares how emerging leaders stay progressive with change yet do so in a way that doesn't get them immediately rejected?
I don't follow people I can't trust, I don't trust people I don't know.
Want to learn the skills emerging leaders need to have to earn the trust of their team? We have that for you in the Emerging Leaders Network. 
Don't move faster than the speed of trust - https://www.forbes.com/sites/rodgerdeanduncan/2018/07/12/the-speed-of-trust-its-a-learnable-skill/?sh=4e219203bbf6
 
Emerging Leaders Workshop
 
STARTS:
MAY 12, 2022
ENDS:
OCTOBER 13, 2022
LOCATION:
ONLINE
REGISTER NOW
ServiStar's Emerging Leaders Program
Improve employee engagementGive new and emerging leaders confidenceHave new managers performing from the first day ‍
Newly promoted managers often find themselves facing many challenges:
How do they build trust?
How do they establish themselves as leaders?
How do they manage people who were their peers just days ago?
Credit unions typically provide about two weeks of training to a new teller.  But how much training is provided to a new manager?  Isn't leading people more challenging than operating a teller window? Should new managers be forced to learn though experience only? Do you think that will have negative implications on employee engagement, production and member experience? 
ServiStar’s Emerging Leaders program will take new and emerging managers and turn them into confident, competent, high-performance leaders who will be able to develop their own personal leadership style, deploy core coaching skills and maximize employee engagement and performance. Through live training, homework assignments, networking with other new managers from across the credit union movement and unlimited access to the ServiStar experts, your new and emerging managers will begin to thrive.
Who should attend:
Leaders who are early in their management career (5 years or less) or employees who will soon be promoted to a leadership position.
What's included:
Seven 2-hour information-packed sessions.
Homework assignments between each session to ensure implementation of learning.
Personal leadership assessment.
Top 5 Clifton Strengths Assessment with a pre-course workshop led by Scott Albrecht on how to leverage your strengths.
Unlimited one-on-one access to our facilitators to discuss leadership challenges.
Access to the ServiStar Network to collaborate with peers.
Pre- and post-course assessment to validate participant improvement.
Certificate of completion.
Choose invoice if you are receiving a volume discount or if you opt to make monthly payments.
Begins May 12Sessions are most Thursdays from 3–5 pm ET (12–2 pm PT)
Sessions:
May 12 - Common Pitfalls for Emerging Leaders (and How to Avoid Them)
June 9 - Developing a Leadership Brand
July 14 - Mentor Development
August 11 - Coaching
Sept. 8 - Building Trust and Influence
Oct. 13 - Emotional Intelligence
Nov. 9 - Change Management (Note: this is on a Wednesday)
Investment
The investment for this valuable program is just $999 (or spread-out payments over a year). Discounts are available for 5 or more participants! (Contact Whitney at Whitney@ServiStarConsulting.com)
Limited to 50 Participants!

44. Leading with Purpose

Team success depends on the team’s ability to identify and focus on a clear and compelling performance challenge or common purpose. It can take many forms, but this challenge or purpose must be clear and compelling to all team members.
In this mini series episode, Mike shares with us one hack emerging leaders can use to lead with purpose?
Gallup’s research shows that just a 10% improvement in employees' connection with the mission or purpose of their organization leads to an 8.1% decrease in turnover and a 4.4% increase in profitability.
Emerging Leaders Workshop
 
STARTS:
MAY 12, 2022
ENDS:
OCTOBER 13, 2022
LOCATION:
ONLINE
REGISTER NOW
ServiStar's Emerging Leaders Program
Improve employee engagementGive new and emerging leaders confidenceHave new managers performing from the first day ‍
Newly promoted managers often find themselves facing many challenges:
How do they build trust?
How do they establish themselves as leaders?
How do they manage people who were their peers just days ago?
Credit unions typically provide about two weeks of training to a new teller.  But how much training is provided to a new manager?  Isn't leading people more challenging than operating a teller window? Should new managers be forced to learn through experience only? Do you think that will have negative implications on employee engagement, production and member experience? 
ServiStar’s Emerging Leaders program will take new and emerging managers and turn them into confident, competent, high-performance leaders who will be able to develop their own personal leadership style, deploy core coaching skills and maximize employee engagement and performance. Through live training, homework assignments, networking with other new managers from across the credit union movement, and unlimited access to the ServiStar experts, your new and emerging managers will begin to thrive.
Who should attend:
Leaders who are early in their management career (5 years or less) or employees who will soon be promoted to a leadership position.
What's included:
Seven 2-hour information-packed sessions.
Homework assignments between each session to ensure implementation of learning.
Personal leadership assessment.
Top 5 Clifton Strengths Assessment with a pre-course workshop led by Scott Albrecht on how to leverage your strengths.
Unlimited one-on-one access to our facilitators to discuss leadership challenges.
Access to the ServiStar Network to collaborate with peers.
Pre- and post-course assessment to validate participant improvement.
Certificate of completion.
Begins May 12Sessions are most Thursdays from 3–5 pm ET (12–2 pm PT)
Sessions:
May 12 - Common Pitfalls for Emerging Leaders (and How to Avoid Them)
June 9 - Developing a Leadership Brand
July 14 - Mentor Development
August 11 - Coaching
Sept. 8 - Building Trust and Influence
Oct. 13 - Emotional Intelligence
Nov. 9 - Change Management (Note: this is on a Wednesday)
Investment
The investment for this valuable program is just $999 (or spread-out payments over a year). Discounts are available for 5 or more participants! (Contact Whitney at Whitney@ServiStarConsulting.com)
Limited to 50 Participants!

43. Failure to Set Clear Expectations

Teams that have clear and compelling goals and expectations are more productive, cost-effective, creative, and adaptive.
In this episode, Mike gives us his silver bullet tip that can help credit union emerging leaders set clear expectations.
While clarity of goals and expectations is perhaps the most basic of team needs, according to Gallup research, about half of employees say they lack direction and aren’t really sure what they’re supposed to do at work.
Emerging Leaders Workshop
 
STARTS:
MAY 12, 2022
ENDS:
OCTOBER 13, 2022
LOCATION:
ONLINE
REGISTER NOW
ServiStar's Emerging Leaders Program
Improve employee engagementGive new and emerging leaders confidenceHave new managers perform from the first day ‍
Newly promoted managers often find themselves facing many challenges:
How do they build trust?
How do they establish themselves as leaders?
How do they manage people who were their peers just days ago?
Credit unions typically provide about two weeks of training to a new teller.  But how much training is provided to a new manager?  Isn't leading people more challenging than operating a teller window? Should new managers be forced to learn through experience only? Do you think that will have negative implications on employee engagement, production and member experience? 
ServiStar’s Emerging Leaders program will take new and emerging managers and turn them into confident, competent, high-performance leaders who will be able to develop their own personal leadership style, deploy core coaching skills and maximize employee engagement and performance. Through live training, homework assignments, networking with other new managers from across the credit union movement, and unlimited access to the ServiStar experts, your new and emerging managers will begin to thrive.
Who should attend:
Leaders who are early in their management career (5 years or less) or employees who will soon be promoted to a leadership position.
What's included:
Seven 2-hour information-packed sessions.
Homework assignments between each session to ensure implementation of learning.
Personal leadership assessment.
Top 5 Clifton Strengths Assessment with a pre-course workshop led by Scott Albrecht on how to leverage your strengths.
Unlimited one-on-one access to our facilitators to discuss leadership challenges.
Access to the ServiStar Network to collaborate with peers.
Pre- and post-course assessment to validate participant improvement.
Certificate of completion.
Begins May 12Sessions are most Thursdays from 3–5 pm ET (12–2 pm PT)
Sessions:
May 12 - Common Pitfalls for Emerging Leaders (and How to Avoid Them)
June 9 - Developing a Leadership Brand
July 14 - Mentor Development
August 11 - Coaching
Sept. 8 - Building Trust and Influence
Oct. 13 - Emotional Intelligence
Nov. 9 - Change Management (Note: this is on a Wednesday)
Investment
The investment for this valuable program is just $999 (or spread-out payments over a year). Discounts are available for 5 or more participants! (Contact Whitney at Whitney@ServiStarConsulting.com)
Limited to 50 Participants!

42. Understanding What Got You Here Won’t Get Your There

What's holding most new managers back?
Who can help?
 
 
 
What's the solution?
 
 
Bonus Giveaway: Register before we hit capacity to receive your free copy of Marshall Goldsmith's Book what got you here won't get you there.  Email your  registration to Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com
Emerging Leaders Workshop
 
STARTS:
MAY 12, 2022
ENDS:
OCTOBER 13, 2022
LOCATION:
ONLINE
REGISTER NOW
ServiStar's Emerging Leaders Program
Improve employee engagementGive new and emerging leaders confidenceHave new managers performing from the first day ‍
Newly promoted managers often find themselves facing many challenges:
How do they build trust?
How do they establish themselves as leaders?
How do they manage people who were their peers just days ago?
Credit unions typically provide about two weeks of training to a new teller.  But how much training is provided to a new manager?  Isn't leading people more challenging than operating a teller window? Should new managers be forced to learn though experience only? Do you think that will have negative implications on employee engagement, production and member experience? 
ServiStar’s Emerging Leaders program will take new and emerging managers and turn them into confident, competent, high-performance leaders who will be able to develop their own personal leadership style, deploy core coaching skills and maximize employee engagement and performance. Through live training, homework assignments, networking with other new managers from across the credit union movement and unlimited access to the ServiStar experts, your new and emerging managers will begin to thrive.
Who should attend:
Leaders who are early in their management career (5 years or less) or employees who will soon be promoted to a leadership position.
What's included:
Seven 2-hour information-packed sessions.
Homework assignments between each session to ensure implementation of learning.
Personal leadership assessment.
Top 5 Clifton Strengths Assessment with a pre-course workshop led by Scott Albrecht on how to leverage your strengths.
Unlimited one-on-one access to our facilitators to discuss leadership challenges.
Access to the ServiStar Network to collaborate with peers.
Pre- and post-course assessment to validate participant improvement.
Certificate of completion.
Choose invoice if you are receiving a volume discount or if you opt to make monthly payments.
Begins May 12Sessions are most Thursdays from 3–5 pm ET (12–2 pm PT)
Sessions:
May 12 - Common Pitfalls for Emerging Leaders (and How to Avoid Them)
June 9 - Developing a Leadership Brand
July 14 - Mentor Development
August 11 - Coaching
Sept. 8 - Building Trust and Influence
Oct. 13 - Emotional Intelligence
Nov. 9 - Change Management (Note: this is on a Wednesday)
Investment
The investment for this valuable program is just $999 (or spread-out payments over a year). Discounts are available for 5 or more participants! (Contact Whitney at Whitney@ServiStarConsulting.com)
Limited to 50 Participants!

41. From Peer to Manager

What is the Emerging Leaders Network?
When does it begin?
 
Who is it targeted for?
 
Why this new training?
 
Where will it take place?
 
How will those listening sign up?
Emerging Leaders Workshop
 
STARTS:
MAY 12, 2022
ENDS:
OCTOBER 13, 2022
LOCATION:
ONLINE
REGISTER NOW
ServiStar's Emerging Leaders Program
Improve employee engagementGive new and emerging leaders confidenceHave new managers performing from the first day ‍
Newly promoted managers often find themselves facing many challenges:
How do they build trust?
How do they establish themselves as leaders?
How do they manage people who were their peers just days ago?
Credit unions typically provide about two weeks of training to a new teller.  But how much training is provided to a new manager?  Isn't leading people more challenging than operating a teller window? Should new managers be forced to learn though experience only? Do you think that will have negative implications on employee engagement, production and member experience? 
ServiStar’s Emerging Leaders program will take new and emerging managers and turn them into confident, competent, high-performance leaders who will be able to develop their own personal leadership style, deploy core coaching skills and maximize employee engagement and performance. Through live training, homework assignments, networking with other new managers from across the credit union movement and unlimited access to the ServiStar experts, your new and emerging managers will begin to thrive.
Who should attend:
Leaders who are early in their management career (5 years or less) or employees who will soon be promoted to a leadership position.
What's included:
Seven 2-hour information-packed sessions.
Homework assignments between each session to ensure implementation of learning.
Personal leadership assessment.
Top 5 Clifton Strengths Assessment with a pre-course workshop led by Scott Albrecht on how to leverage your strengths.
Unlimited one-on-one access to our facilitators to discuss leadership challenges.
Access to the ServiStar Network to collaborate with peers.
Pre- and post-course assessment to validate participant improvement.
Certificate of completion.
Begins May 12Sessions are most Thursdays from 3–5 pm ET (12–2 pm PT)
Sessions:
May 12 - Common Pitfalls for Emerging Leaders (and How to Avoid Them)
June 9 - Developing a Leadership Brand
July 14 - Mentor Development
August 11 - Coaching
Sept. 8 - Building Trust and Influence
Oct. 13 - Emotional Intelligence
Nov. 9 - Change Management (Note: this is on a Wednesday)
Investment
The investment for this valuable program is just $999 (or spread-out payments over a year). Discounts are available for 5 or more participants! (Contact Whitney at Whitney@ServiStarConsulting.com)
Limited to 50 Participants!

40. Improve Member Experience

Find out how to not exist tomorrow, if you are not going to be open to change today.  Innovation has been a theme in Season 4- Taylor Murray, Chief Executive Officer at ServiStar Consulting covers what innovation looks like in a credit union.
For more on Innovation check out:
Episode 2,3,4 with Anika Davis Ed, D
Episode 8 with George A Hofheimer 
Build a better team.Improve member experience.
 
We’ll show you how.
We teach credit union leaders how to maximize employee performance through dedicated training and engagement.
Get Started
 
Find Your Perfect Solution by emailing Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com
 

39. Cross Selling in Contact Centers

Back in May 2021, Mike Neill sent the producer an article on the journey to evolve from Contact center  to Engagement Center Source: Credit Union Business News
It’s Time to Evolve: The Journey From Contact Center to Engagement Center
 
By Steve Kaish, SVP of product marketing and partnerships, Glia 
 
Since then, ServiStar began the work on creating a specific 3-hour workshop for Call Center representatives to be the place that is the single point of contact for 90 percent of all credit union transactions. Where the environment, much like a branch environment, where we are going to treat you like you are a guest in our home. To the degree that we are not treating members like that just walked into the branch in our contact centers, it gives us an opportunity to ramp up what we are doing at a much higher level.
Contact Producer Scott Albrecht for more information on our Contact Center Workshops: HERE
Scott Albrecht, ServiStar Consulting's AVP of Sales and Training
 

38. Sales, Service, and Leadership Training

On Taylor Murray's 1 year Anniversary, we discuss the roadmap for 2022, what changed in 2021, and how we are building on our successful model to dominate in this space and be there for our clients where they need us to be in the areas of sales, service, and leadership training.
T
Check out the newest offering at ServiStar below:
Emerging Leaders
 
STARTS:
MAY 12, 2022
ENDS:
OCTOBER 13, 2022
LOCATION:
ONLINE
REGISTER NOW
ServiStar's Emerging Leaders Program
Improve employee engagementGive new and emerging leaders confidenceHave new managers performing from the first day ‍
Newly promoted managers often find themselves facing many challenges:
How do they build trust?
How do they establish themselves as leaders?
How do they manage people who were their peers just days ago?
Credit unions typically provide about two weeks of training to a new teller.  But how much training is provided to a new manager?  Isn't leading people more challenging than operating a teller window? Should new managers be forced to learn through experience only? Do you think that will have negative implications on employee engagement, production, and member experience? 
ServiStar’s Emerging Leaders program will take new and emerging managers and turn them into confident, competent, high-performance leaders who will be able to develop their own personal leadership style, deploy core coaching skills and maximize employee engagement and performance. Through live training, homework assignments, networking with other new managers from across the credit union movement, and unlimited access to the ServiStar experts, your new and emerging managers will begin to thrive.
Who should attend:
Leaders who are early in their management career (5 years or less) or employees who will soon be promoted to a leadership position.
What's included:
Seven 2-hour information-packed sessions.
Homework assignments between each session to ensure implementation of learning.
Personal leadership assessment.
Top 5 Clifton Strengths Assessment with a pre-course workshop led by Scott Albrecht on how to leverage your strengths.
Unlimited one-on-one access to our facilitators to discuss leadership challenges.
Access to the ServiStar Network to collaborate with peers.
Pre- and post-course assessment to validate participant improvement.
Certificate of completion.
ServiStar (servistarconsulting.com)
Begins May 12Sessions are most Thursdays from 3–5 pm ET (12–2 pm PT)
Sessions:
May 12 - Common Pitfalls for Emerging Leaders (and How to Avoid Them)
June 9 - Developing a Leadership Brand
July 14 - Mentor Development
August 11 - Coaching
Sept. 8 - Building Trust and Influence
Oct. 13 - Emotional Intelligence
Nov. 9 - Change Management (Note: this is on a Wednesday)
 
We also have Quarterly Training Offerings that we discussed on the podcast: 
2022 - Quarter 2 - Referral Sales Champion Livestream Training
 
STARTS:
APRIL 12, 2022
ENDS:
APRIL 12, 2022
LOCATION:
ONLINE
REGISTER NOW
Becoming a Referral Sales Champion
Tuesday, April 12 from 1-5 pm ET (10 am-2 pm PT)
Tellers and call center representatives are focused on serving members quickly. There is no time to cross-sell credit union products or services. These employees, however, are in perfect positions to identify ways to improve the member's financial well-being. In this 4-hour Livestream course, ServiStar will help your employees understand the importance of their role and teach them to quickly make a referral.
Identify What Will Improve the Member's Financial Life
Facilitated by Scott Albrecht, AVP of Sales and Training, Becoming a Referral Sales Champion will equip your employees with the tools and practices required to quickly ascertain a product or service need that will greatly improve the member's financial life, and then make the appropriate referral. This Livestream training includes lectures, Q&A, and breakout sessions with credit union employees from across the country. ServiStar will show your employees how to set themselves up for success and how to create an extraordinary referral experience.
10 Seconds Is All It Takes
ServiStar will teach your employees what to listen and look for, how to communicate effectively, and how to provide a referral - that easy, that quickly.
Sign Up New Employees or Current Ones in Need of a Refresher
This Livestream course is for any credit union employee who works in a position that can refer products and services to members, like tellers and call center representatives. Free up valuable HR/Training personnel time by sending your new employees to this training or current employees seeking a refresher course. In fact, this course is offered twice a year so your credit union can make it part of your New Employee Orientation.
Let the Experts From ServiStar Train Your Employees
Why choose ServiStar? We offer research-based credit union-specific solutions that have successfully worked for the top-performing credit unions in selling and referring.
Investment: Only $199 a person
Discounts are available when registering 5 or more employees (email Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com or more information).
Registration is now open  
Tuesday April 12th from 1-5 pm ET (10 am-2 pm PT)
Topics include:
What is Relationship Selling and why is it important
How to quickly identify product and service needs
How to use the 10-Second Referral Process
Who: Any employee in a referral position (e.g., tellers and some call center representatives)
When: Tuesday, April 12 from 1-5 pm ET (10 am-2 pm PT)
Where: Online - this is a live virtual training (a Zoom link will be sent after confirmation of registration)
Facilitator: Scott Albrecht, AVP of Sales and Training
 
2022 - Quarter 3 - Becoming a Sales Champion Virtual Workshop
 
STARTS:
AUGUST 2, 2022
ENDS:
AUGUST 2, 2022
LOCATION:
ONLINE
REGISTER NOW
Becoming a Sales Champion
Tuesday, August 2 from 1-5 pm ET (10 am-2 pm PT)
Many credit union employees shy away from anything to do with selling. However, in order to live out a credit union's mission of improving the financial well-being of its members, selling is a necessity. In this 4-hour Livestream course, ServiStar will help your employees understand the concept of relationship selling and give them the confidence they need to move beyond being order takers and into someone your member's trust has their best interest at heart.
Learn How to Thrive in a Sales Environment
Facilitated by Scott Albrecht, AVP of Sales and Training, Becoming a Sales Champion will equip your employees with the tools and practices needed to thrive in today's challenging sales environment. This live online training includes lectures, Q&A, and breakout sessions with credit union employees from across the country. Learn how to set your credit union up for success and create an extraordinary sales experience.
Identify Ways to Improve a Member's Financial Life
The main three reasons why employees don't want to sell are 1) Lack of product knowledge 2) Fear of rejection and 3) Afraid of being pushy. But, what if we show your employees a way to identify products or services that will improve your member's financial well-being and teach them how to offer it? Doesn't sound like selling when you're helping, right?
Sign Up New Employees or Current Ones in Need of a Refresher
This Livestream course is for any credit union employee who works in a selling position, like branch and call center managers, and member service and call center representatives. Free up valuable HR/Training personnel time by sending your new employees to this training or current employees seeking a refresher course. In fact, this course is offered twice a year so your credit union can make it part of your New Employee Orientation.
Let the Experts From ServiStar Train Your Employees
Why choose ServiStar? We offer research-based credit union-specific solutions that have successfully worked for the top-performing credit unions in selling and referring.
Investment: Only $199 a person
Discounts are available when registering 5 or more employees (email Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com for more information).
Registration opening soon. Get notified when registration opens by filling out the form below.
Tuesday, August 2 from 1-5 pm ET (10 am-2 pm PT)
Topics include:
How to identify product and service needs
How to ask effective questions
Benefit selling
Overcoming objections to products and services
How to ask for the member's business
Effective follow-up techniques
Who: Any employee in a sales position (e.g., branch and call center managers, and member service and call center representatives)
When: Tuesday, August 2 from 1-5 pm ET (10 am-2 pm PT)
Where: Online - this is a live virtual training (a Zoom link will be sent after confirmation of registration)
Facilitator: Scott Albrecht, ServiStar Consulting's AVP of Sales and Training
 
We discussed a shift to the digital age and our learning in and doubling down in an online and virtual classroom experience that is industry best. 
Most importantly, we are listening to you. We are and want to continue to be the trusted partner that can customize content and be there for our clients in the ways and areas they want us to be without watering down the academic level research-based criteria that we are known for.
Offering a more convenient offering to credit unions in our new digital studios is something we have refined over the two years we have offered it. with over 1000 virtual training hours in 2021, we have quickly become the best in the market in this area. Virtual has quickly become our go-to way for delivering training content and yet our success over the years has also come from in-person training. Being able to offer both and even a Hybrid setup is crucial in our training programs going forward. 
 
2022 - Quarter 3 - Coaching for Performance Virtual Training Series
 
STARTS:
AUGUST 9, 2022
ENDS:
AUGUST 23, 2022
LOCATION:
ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAM
REGISTER NOW
Coaching for Performance
Tuesday, August 9, 16, and 23 from 1-5 p.m. ET (10 a.m.-3 p.m. PT)
What's the difference between coaching versus managing?How do you effectively redirect undesired behavior?Where can you find the time to coach?
Let the experts from ServiStar train your coaches
ServiStar offers research-based, credit union-specific solutions that have worked for top-performing credit unions. Using breakout groups, role-playing, and case studies to transfer knowledge, this dynamic, live training broadcast from our studios is just just like having us onsite. Participants will be given assignments between each session so they can implement their new skills quickly.
Get your coaches ramped up for success fast and efficiently
Each 4-hour session will provide managers with the knowledge and confidence to know what to do to be effective performance coaches. This Livestream training series is a great way to onboard new managers into the ServiStar coaching practices that your current managers utilize.
Sign up new managers or current ones who want to hone their skills
This training is not just for new managers.  It is also valuable for managers who previously completed ServiStar's Coaching for Performance training and want a refresher.
Investment: Only $599 a person
Discounts are available when registering 5 or more employees (email Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com for more information)
Schedule
Session 1 - August 9
Defining Coaching vs Managing
Understanding the Importance of Coaching  
Using a Performance Management System
Session 2 - August 16
Diagnosing Performance Deficiencies
Conducting Effective Redirection
Session 3 - August 23
Learning How To Be a One-Minute Coach
Setting Goals for Skill Improvement
Registration opening soon. Get notified when registration opens by filling out the form below.
Monday, August 9, 16, and 23 from 1-5 p.m. ET (10 a.m.-3 p.m. PT)
Topics include:
Understanding the Importance of Coaching
Using a Performance Management System
Setting Goals for Skill Improvement
Who: All frontline and support managers
Where: Online - this is a live virtual training (a Zoom link will be sent after confirmation of registration)
When: Tuesday, August 9, 16, and 23 from 1-5 p.m. ET (10 a.m.-3 p.m. PT)
Facilitator: Scott Albrecht, ServiStar Consulting's AVP of Sales and Training

37. Strategic Thinking w/ George Hofheimer

See why without George A. Hofheimer in 2000, Mike Neill is confident in saying there would be no ServiStar in 2022.
Would credit unions be willing to invest money in having the ability to be able to develop a culture that would engage employees, create outstanding service both to external members and internal teammates, and be able to dominate on culture? George A. Hofheimer at CUES led the way in selling the idea, promoting the idea which gave us traction throughout the United States and Canada. 
We are sure you have heard of all that George A Hofheimer has accomplished but what you may not know is that he 100% CRASHED out podcast without Taylor's knowledge- this may be a new game for us in 2022. Crash the Cast!! :) We had him discuss Strategy from a fundamental and simplified perspective. How Strategy ties into Innovation. And how hiring can affect your organization's ability to be Strategic and grab insights from the outside world and link them into your business model.
 
About George: 
A strategic advisor to consumer finance organizations. 
Contact Him Here
George Hofheimer has 20+ years of experience advising the consumer finance industry.
​
George was the head of research and development at Filene Research Institute, the credit union industry's think tank, for 15 years. Previously he was the chief learning officer at CUES, the credit union industry’s leading executive education association for 8 years.
​
He has conducted nearly 400 advisory and speaking engagements with consumer finance organizations across the globe and authored dozens of research reports.
 
George began his career in international business development, including as a member of the first group of Peace Corps Volunteers in the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan.
 
George obtained his MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 
Advised a multi-billion dollar credit union's board and senior staff on the creation of a socially responsible organizational strategy. 
Facilitated the new strategic direction for a start-up credit union.  
Coached a credit union's chief strategy officer  on strategy development and execution
Advised a multi-billion dollar credit union's board of directors on governance renewal practices 
 
Conducted research and built a roadmap on the future of consumer lending for a multi-billion dollar credit union. 
If you stayed tuned in till the end check out his charity work - you can donate here at 
https://ripmedicaldebt.org/

36. Change Management

We are in the right business- find out why buy-in is a bankrupt term and why working for ServiStar is like working for Jenny Craig in America on this episode of the podcast, Leading the Charge for Change. 
 
Today we discuss John Wooden's quote, "go fast but don't be in a hurry" a very applicable topic when you are a leader in charge of leading change in those who don't want to change. 
 
Find out in this episode how to get your team to change especially when change is expected and employees don't want to change. 
 
Change Management is one area that we haven't done a specific training on but we want your opinion- email Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com if you think we should add it as a topic in our Vertex Live Nationwide series - what's that- you've not heard about Vertex Live Nationwide? 
Our Spring Session Just Started but there is room in our Fall Session
2022 - Fall Session - Vertex Live Nationwide Virtual Training
 
Vertex Live Nationwide
Begins Tuesday, Sep. 13. Every session is from 2–5 pm ET (11 am–2 pm PT)
Learn how to deploy skills that will improve management performance, employee engagement, member service and profitabilitySee immediate improvements in management performance!  
Whether you are an individual manager looking to grow or you are an emerging manager looking to prepare for success, you'll find that Vertex Live Nationwide will set you up for success as a strong coach.
Presented over an interactive studio-quality live stream from our studio (which means no travel is needed!)
Eight 3-hour online sessions spread out over four months
Interactive group work and individual networking allows participants to connect with and pose questions to peers and instructors
Assessments to validate learning and promote engagement
Access to our Vertex Learning Library computer-based training courses for one year for refresher training.
 
Management Development
Looking for low-cost credit union-specific management training? Search no further. Through our extensive academic-level research, we know exactly which key skills are common among the highest-performing credit union managers (and we bet some of them will surprise you). We designed a program to teach your current and future leaders how to improve management performance, employee engagement, member service, and profitability. And because we know that one size does not fit all, we have several ways to deliver this training to your staff.
 
Investment: Only $1,500 a person
Discounts are available when registering 5 or more employees (email Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com for more information).

35. Service Excellence

Find out how to make Mike Neill madder than a rat terrier on crack. In Episode 6 we discuss where Service stands in Credit Unions today and how as leaders we can set up Service Excellence practices.
Last year for the first time EVER credit unions scored lower than banks in service delivery. There has been a shift in service to the speed of service or ease of service, but not all of our downfalls are there. Credit Unions win the day if we are easy to work with and delightful when serving a member. Unfortunately, that is more of an ideal state than reality.
Our ServiStar Member Experience Builder program is specifically designed to set up a culture of service inside and out and delivers a structure that sustains service after the trainers are gone. Check out how this program can serve you at 
ServiStar Consulting | Our Solutions
Member Experience Builder
Ready to develop your organization’s culture? We’re on it! We’ll provide you with all the tools you need to ensure your employees develop lasting needs-based selling behaviors and performance. Fully customizable, our comprehensive and scalable suite of tools will maximize employee engagement, member experience, and credit union profitability.
 
Internal Service Survey
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times: The service we give the member will never be better than the service we give each other. And since studies show that the #1 cause of employee disengagement is poor communication between departments, we’ve developed an internal service survey that resolves this challenge and others by measuring the internal customer experience at virtually every touchpoint

34. Talent Aquisition

Today's episode focuses on leading strategies from one of our industries leading stars, Charles Akinbola, CUDE, Talent Acquisition Partner at Elements Financial
Charles and I met up on the University of Wisconsin's campus one fall back in 2018 when we were both participants in a credit union program called Development Educators or CUDE for short. He is now hiring and recruiting individuals in a very tight market and shares his tips and tricks with the listeners.
 
We also have a new program coming up in May, 2022 email me to get on board Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com The Emerging Leaders Network will be a 8 series leadership session for those new to their roles, needing a refresher or those highlighted by the organization as future leaders. The first 5 to email me will receive a copy of Marshall Goldsmith's What Got You Here Won't Get You There. 

33. Innovative Thinking

Dr. Anika Davis is an experienced organizational leadership and development professional with a successful career in strategic planning and execution and organizational development practices. She joins today's podcast as CEO of Winning Results, LLC, a full-service strategic curation, implementation, and execution firm. She has a doctorate (Ed,D) in Leadership and Learning in Organizations and is Accredited by Kirton’s Adaption Innovation Inventory the Virginia Tech as a KAI Practitioner. 
Anika Davis Ed, D is participating in a three-part podcast series on Innovation. 
In the last episode of our three-part series with Dr. Anika Davis, we explore if there is harmony between innovative leadership and running innovative cultures and if not what to do if say a leader is less innovative than the culture or more. 
We teased the BIG giveaway in our last podcast - make sure to get ahold of Dr. Anika Davis to take advantage of her generous offer by emailing her here: anika@getwinningresults.com

32.Innovative Credit Unions

Dr. Anika Davis is an experienced organizational leadership and development professional with a successful career in strategic planning and execution and organizational development practices. She joins today's podcast as CEO of Winning Results, LLC, a full-service strategic curation, implementation, and execution firm. She has a doctorate (Ed, D) in Leadership and Learning in Organizations and is Accredited by Kirton’s Adaption Innovation Inventory the Virginia Tech as a KAI Practitioner. 
Anika Davis Ed, D is participating in a three-part podcast series on Innovation. 
In this episode, we bring back Dr. Anika Davis for a look into what an innovative company looks like and specifically a credit union. In part one we identified if we were credit union leaders or not. And in part three we will dive into what to do when there is a gap between your level of innovation and the credit unions.  Enjoy Season 4 Episode 3 of the Credit Union Leadership Podcast and stay tuned for the next episode - next week :) 
 
Want to receive more ProTips like this? If so, subscribe to our mailing list so you can be the first to receive our training opportunities, webinar details, quarterly newsletter, and bi-weekly ProTips for CU Professionals. It’s easy! Just click the button! Sign me up!

31. Innovative Leadership

Dr. Anika Davis is an experienced organizational leadership and development professional with a successful career in strategic planning and execution and organizational development practices. She joins today's podcast as CEO of Winning Results, LLC, a full-service strategic curation, implementation, and execution firm. She has a doctorate (Ed, D) in Leadership and Learning in Organizations and is Accredited by Kirton’s Adaption Innovation Inventory the Virginia Tech as a KAI Practitioner. 
Anika Davis Ed, D is participating in a three-part podcast series on Innovation. In Part 1 we zoom in on the credit union leader and assess their levels of innovation. To find out more about how Anika helps others, shoot her an email at: anika@getwinningresults.com
At the end of the podcast we teased the 2022 Vertex Live Nationwide registration: Click HERE to be included in that class and bring be sure to bring a friend along for the ride. 
 
ServiStar (servistarconsulting.com)

30. Selling in the Drive Thru

Our special guest on this new season's first episode is none other than branch manager, Rob Bartlelt of Dane County Credit Union. He is a graduate of the Vertex Live Nationwide program that has seen so much success since it's first launch in 2021. 
 
Since then we have grown up elite leaders in this industry whose investment pays dividends in those "others" they influence. You will hear that theme a lot on this short episode and may think to yourself, I would like to be part of a journey that ends with developing and growing the talent around you in a more effective way. If so or if you have a friend- register them for either Spring or Fall sessions coming up. 
 
Spring Session Registration: https://www.servistarconsulting.com/event/2022-vertex-live-nationwide-spring-session
 
Fall Session Registration: https://www.servistarconsulting.com/event/2022-vertex-live-nationwide-fall-session
 
I look forward to seeing the podcast audience there :) - If you want to submit a topic or question to the podcast do so here : Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com

29. Gratitude

We cap off a great year for the podcast with Vertex Live Nationwide Fall 2021 Graduate, Meggan Schwirtz. 
This podcast is 100% about gratitude- for you -the listener- and those who have contributed to the podcast 
Season 3 : 
13 regular episodes with several bonus episodes Krystin Dix
Briana Dominguez
Taylor Murray
Carlynne Pouliot
The Birch Box
Bjorn Larson
Lisa Chitty
Tansley Stearns
Shannon VanSkickler
Oh and one more- Meggan Schwirtz, AVP Branch Experience at Great River Federal Credit Union, and recently certified CUCM through Vertex Live Nationwide - if you are looking for a future leader in the credit union movement to connect with- that's Meggan - connect with her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meggan-schwirtz-4958636a/
Games we played:
What’s in the box
Guess the Guest
Quote me on that
 
We have a ton of content coming next week and year - starting Season 4 off with a BANG- 5 episodes in 5 weeks as a celebration of our new Season- Season 4 :) With Coaching Thru The Drive-Thru, Innovation a 3 Part Series with Dr. Anika Davis, and Hiring in the Great Resignation. 

28. Developing Mortgage Departments

Passionate & Committed to the Credit Union Engagement at Arch, Shannon VanSickler has worked over 30 years in diverse lending experience encompassing sales and service with a credit union focus for the past 22 years to include her present position of VP of Credit Union Engagement for Arch Mortgage Insurance. 
 
On today's podcast we asked Shannon to share what she was seeing in leadership in mortgages. Our friend Shannon shares what some credit unions have been doing to combat the craziness in mortgages over the past several years.
Both Shannon and Scott offer up a life line to mortgage managers as a Christmas special. To get ahold of Shannon to hear about CUREN's in their area email: svansickler@archmi.com
To get a free coaching call with Scott email: Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com
 

27. Member Journey Mapping w/ Tansley Sterns

Grab a hot cup of Tea and relax as Tansley Stearns joins the podcast - a lifelong friend of ServiStar and expert on Member Journey Mapping!!!
Tansley is a dynamic force of nature, fiercely crusading on behalf of all credit unions while tirelessly driving forward the brand image and family spirit of Canvas. She joined us in April 2018 and has spent every moment since amplifying the credit union’s ability to transform lives with her innovative marketing, brand, communications, and strategy efforts.
Tansley brings with her more than 20 years of credit union leadership experience, including roles in research, sales, service, and government relations. Tansley is a pivotal addition in every community she serves, activating the credit union movement with grace, and as always, a smile.
On today's podcast we also got the pleasure to hear from Tansley's daughter MacKenzie...you won't want to miss this...so make sure to listen till the end.

26. Closing Local Branches

On today's podcast, we answer a question submitted about Business Development. To submit your question to the podcast email Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com
 
Our Business Development training program is an 11 module instructor led workshop that improves credit union leaders ability to increase membership, share of wallet and awareness in the community of how your credit union differentiates and benefits potential members. It also covers commercial business to business relationship selling either for banking purposes or for company partnerships like a traditional SEG. 
 
Topics covered in our Business Development training include
A Credit Union Specific Intro as to Why Business Development is important
Business Development Strategy
Identifying Target Markets
Building A Pipeline
Event Management
Presentation Skills
Member as an Advocate
Media Content 
Sales Skills in Business Development
Networking
 
We cover more in Season 3 Episode 6 of this podcast. 

25. Pre-Employment Behavioral Profile

The great resignation has credit union leaders in a pinch and short staffed. Don't risk making a mistake when the stakes are high, today we discuss how to hire talent that clicks with Lisa Chitty. 
 
In order to maximize the assessment's precision with the fewest number of questions, we can interview smarter...at the end of this podcast Scott Albrecht offers a list of behavioral interview questions for free- all you need to do is email Scott at Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com

24. Emotional Intellegence

Today we bring on special guest, friend of ServiStar and emotional intelligence expert Lisa Chitty who is a Certified Emotional Intelligence practitioner with Genos International, a world leader in emotional intelligence programs that enhance self- awareness, empathy, leadership, and resilience. A timely topic for leaders today who are looking to level up their EQ and their teams productivity as a result of it. 
 
Also we have a special series Lisa is providing for 26 participants on Emotional Intelligence that is filling up fast. To reserve your spot now and pay later click here. 

23.Life, Money, You

In today's episode we look at Financial Wellness, yesterday today and tomorrow with Financial Wellness Strategist, Bjorn Larson, who has spent a decade in this line of work and now working for one of the fastest-growing credit unions in BCU is developing tools, benchmarks, and industry insights that allow his team to deliver on their promise to their member-owners...to empower their financial wellness!
 
We are all people helping people - contact me if you would like to brainstorm on your financial wellness strategies : Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com
 

22. Strengths Based Leadership

Team Building, Strategy, New Hire Orientation all can benefit from the use of personality profile tools like Strengths Finders. If you have not heard of this tool, it's in over 500 countries in 50 different languages and gives credit union employees and their managers a common language that describes their God given talents and helps to break down barriers and build trust on teams old and new. 
VLN Fall Class got the assignment of listening in to see if you can use SF assessments for Strategy and Team Building before their upcoming leadership development program- a hello to the Fall class of 2021!
Finally we got to play my favorite game (Scott) What's in the box which is probably my favorite game because it's my box and I know what's in it :) Also it's made of birch wood...I digress.
To get yourself the free assessment (full 34) and a free one on one coaching session ($100 value) Book time on my calendar here https://go.oncehub.com/ServiStarConsulting

21. Business Development Training

Business Development is an area seldom explored by credit unions. On this episode of the Credit Union Leadership podcast we get Mike Neill, Executive Director and Founder of ServiStar Consulting asking Taylor Murray, Cheif Executive Officer at ServiStar and Scott Albrecht, producer of this podcast and AVP of Sales/Training about the topic of going out of the credit union doors figuratively or literally to share the benefit of credit union membership with eligible non members, businesses, partners, and co-operatives who value the opportunity to work together to serve a bigger purpose. 
 
On this episode we offered a free discover call to learn how you can do Business Development at your credit union. Book that call with Taylor or Scott here https://go.oncehub.com/ServiStarConsulting

20. From Managing to Coaching

Why managing simply isn't enough to be a complete leader and what distinct differences you can observe between management and coaching. Taylor Murray, the Chief Executive Officer of ServiStar, kicks off this podcast with a series of questions answered by producer and AVP of Sales and Service, Scott Albrecht.
This one goes deep, so deep we should probably charge for it...but instead we added additional free ways for you to improve your coaching by contacting one of us using this link here. https://go.oncehub.com/ServiStarConsulting
Don't let this opportunity pass by to hear what credit unions around the country are cooking up in there coaching kitchen as a result of this great resource..we train culture and that all leads back to coaching at the end of the day. 
Also at the end of the day...it's night :)

19. Team Building

Today we get to hear from the experts at ServiStar and one of the shining stars and recent graduates of our Vertex Live Nationwide program, Carlynne Pouliot, Director of Branch Administration at HRCU where she leads over 25 employees, applying the new skills and insights after each of our Vertex courses. 
We discussed some activities she built out as a result of our work with her on TeamBuilding. To be the winner of the team building book we reference in our training, The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, email me here: Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com 
Our Vertex Program is offered up in three ways: Nationwide (2 Sessions annually Spring and Fall), Live Virtual and Live Onsite. All three come with computer based training courses and participant guides the team can access before our training to get familiar with the philosophy, terminology, and skills we will be teaching. More information on the Vertex program can be found here: https://www.servistarconsulting.com/Our-Solutions/#12300
 

18.The Brainy Business of Behavioral Economics

Yes, when you get quality talent like Taylor in front of a microphone the wisdom is not enough to contain in one podcast. Enjoy this part 2 of his interview with us. 
In this part of the interview Taylor brought up a podcast he listens to you can check it out here: 
 
The Brainy Business | Understanding the Psychology of Why People Buy | Behavioral Economics
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brainy-business-understanding-psychology-why-people/id1404578385
 
“Consumers are weird. They don't do what they say they will do and don't act how we think they "should." Enter Melina Palmer, a sales conversion expert with a personal mission to make your business more effective and brain friendly. In this podcast, Melina will take the complex concepts of behavioral economics (the study and science of why people buy - or not) and provide simple, actionable tips you can apply right away in your business. Whether you're a small business or thriving corporation, Melina's tips can help your business increase sales and get more customers.”
 

17. CU Rock Star Award Winner

Oh the show notes always give the big reveal away don't they.
On this special episode of the credit union leadership podcast, we introduce a new star to the ServiStar family but an old face as it pertains to how many people already know of him in the industry. A recent winner of the CUNA News CU Rock Star Award- Taylor Murray joins us on the podcast and on the team as our Chief Executive Officer
CUNA CU Rock Star - Prioritize opportunitiesTaylor Murray is an expert at learning on the job.
We also ran a new give away. Go here to schedule time with Taylor or any of us to get your copy of a free e book on us!
ServiStar Consulting - Online scheduling (oncehub.com)

16.Vertex Live Nationwide

We recorded this episode mid way through Briana's journey in ServiStar's Vertex Live Nationwide - a virtual way for participants to engage in our most requested workshops on leadership, from team building to employee motivation in an online training network that collaborates with each other, learns from our trainers in 10 official sessions, and participates in a group project and graduation that helps take the classroom knowledge and moves it over into action items that can be taken and implemented to help make your credit union better today. 
A huge thankyou to Briana for helping us learn from her journey with us at Vertex Live Nationwide and you can go here https://www.servistarconsulting.com/Our-Solutions/#12300 to register for the fall session. If you want to RSVP early you can reach the producer Scott Albrecht at Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com
Also congrats to our winner from our last podcast Laura Enquist who won 30 days access to the Missional Leadership library from Episode 2 of this season. Lets see who reads the show notes- if you put some time on Scott's calendar to discuss this podcast - we will give you a free e copy of one of Mike's books schedule that call with Scott here: https://go.oncehub.com/ServiStarConsulting

15. Virtual Training

On this episode we interview Kristyn Dix, a .....wait a second...no cheating here- you will have to listen to the episode to get what department she works in there as we introduce a new segment - Guess the Guest. Here is a little I can share about her background for some more clues: 
Kristyn attended Bowling Green State University majoring in communications. She began her career at Kemba CU as a teller in 1986 and spent most of my time here in Branch Operations. 
She has a passion for their members and how they serve them. Working in the ___________ arena she gets to prepare and develop others on how we handle the experience our members receive!
Once we revealed her secret identity we discussed her recent group project with ServiStar - a culture workshop we call Vertex. In it she discusses: 
4.10 How she found ServiStar (Michael Neill really)
4.55 The benefit of having the entire organization go through a program like Vertex
6.14 How the training worked out virtually versus in person
8.30 Kristyn shares her favorite online module and email me to get 30 days access to the CBT course here  
To find out more about our Vertex program described in this episode visit our website here. 
And to schedule an appointment with the hosts here to discuss similar cultural programs for your credit union. 
Thanks for sharing and listening to the credit union leadership podcast. We have so much in store for the upcoming year for you listeners....stay tuned.

14. Emerging Leaders

The transition that, if not done correctly, can set a new manager up for failure. Good thing the credit union leadership podcast is here to help. 
In this episode we mentioned that if you have questions about the peer to manager transition to email Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com and those of you who submit a question will get a copy of the book "What Got You Here, Won't Get You There" from Marshall Goldsmith, a book we reference often when consulting with credit unions. 
 
By the way ServiStar has been consulting with credit unions for over 20 years, growing them in the areas of cultural development, leadership development, and management training. To learn more about what ServiStar can do for you or your credit union, check them out at https://www.ServiStarConsulting.com
 

13. Leadership Skills

Lets all get in the DeLorean and get our orange vests on- we are setting the flex capacitor to Dec 13, 2013...the day our producer Scott Albrecht was hired to manage. On today's podcast, he and Mike discuss taking 3 concepts learned at ServiStar back into the past to apply as a new branch manager for Baxter Credit Union 7 years ago. 
 
We also introduce a new game to the show, "what's in the box" to see the box, borrowed from Scott's daughter- check out ServiStarConsulting.com
 
We mentioned the upcoming webinar on Virtual Selling- it's free and you can register here 
 
And finally we played a 2 minute clip from the online computer based training : Missional Leadership. As a thank you to our audience we are giving every listener 30 days access to all 5 modules of this ServiStar Training. Simply email Scott@ServiStarConsulting.com and Scott will connect you to the free access.

12. New Hire Orientation

Mike Neill, Executive Director and Founder of ServiStar Consulting and Scott Albrecht, Producer and AVP of Sales and Training sit down in this new season to discuss what kind of employee onboarding is effective after hiring the right person for your opening. 
 
This episode gives reference to a ServiStar Consulting product that helps with new hire onboarding - link included here https://www.servistarconsulting.com/Our-Solutions/#12299
 
It also gave some teasers for some new products and podcasts coming up- one being the Nationwide Live Vertex program - click here to register (limited to 25 and almost full) https://www.servistarconsulting.com/Our-Solutions/#12300
 
To contact the podcast or to be on the podcast - contact us here https://www.servistarconsulting.com/#Contact-Us
Thanks for listening to this episode of Season 3 of the Credit Union Leadership Podcast Subscribe and Share this Podcast with your credit union peers.
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11: Managing in the Messy Middle

In this episode, Mike Neill talks about managing in the “messy middle."
 
Anyone that tells you they can give you a list of three things that will solve every performance problem and employee issue is not being truthful. The tactics and principles that ServiStar Consulting teach are research-based and have been proven to work over the years, but, they work in only about 90% of situations that we find ourselves in. The full truth is that we will all find ourselves in situations for which there are no flow charts or bullet point-solutions designed. You then find yourself in what Mike Neill calls the "messy middle." Learn how to identify your personal core values and guiding principles, which will lead you to a solution that is consistent, emotionally intelligent, and maintains relationships. 
 
Visit us at www.ServiStarConsulting.com.

10: The Connection Between Member Experience and Employee Engagement

 
This is season two of the credit union leadership podcast. Today's episode is, “The Connection Between Member Experience and Employee Engagement,” where Mike and I talk about the critical elements that make for a great member experience. But it all starts with employee engagement, so this episode focuses on the connection between those two vital elements for any credit union. Here's Mike Neill on the Credit Union Leadership Podcast.
https://twitter.com/MichaelNeill1https://www.facebook.com/CUESServiStarmike@servistarconsulting.com
This is the Credit Union Leadership Podcast with Mike Neill. Mike Neill has been consulting Credit Unions for nearly two decades now. He and his team help companies with three aspects of growth: cultural development, leadership, and management development.
To learn more about how Mike Neill and his team can help your credit union grow, visit www.servistarconsulting.com.

8: Michael Neill and Associates Services

Today's episode is about the services that Michael Neill and Associates offer. Mike shares the various offerings you can utlize as a Credit Union leader.
https://twitter.com/MichaelNeill1https://www.facebook.com/CUESServiStarmike@michaelneill.com

7: Living Out the Credit Union's Primary Purpose

Today's episode is, “Living Out the Credit Union's Primary Purpose,” where Mike talks about how credit unions can really serve the needs of their members and how that's the key to success for any credit union. In this episode you'll hear what Mike Neill has learned over his years of consulting hundreds of credit unions. Here's Mike Neill on the Credit Union Leadership Podcast.
https://twitter.com/MichaelNeill1https://www.facebook.com/CUESServiStarmike@michaelneill.com

6: Outstanding Internal Service (feat. TBA Credit Union)

Today's episode is, “Outstanding Internal Service (feat. TBA Credit Union)” where Mike and I talk about the nature of internal service, what it takes to lead a credit union through growth, and a practical tool that will help you. In this episode you'll hear what Mike Neill has learned over his years of consulting hundreds of credit unions. Here's Mike Neill on the Credit Union Leadership Podcast.
https://twitter.com/MichaelNeill1https://www.facebook.com/CUESServiStarmike@michaelneill.com

5: Hiring the Right People

Today's episode is, “Hiring the Right People,” where Mike talks about methods and practices for hiring the right people for credit unions. In this episode you'll hear what Mike Neill has learned over his years of consulting hundreds of credit unions. Here's Mike Neill on the Credit Union Leadership Podcast. https://twitter.com/MichaelNeill1 https://www.facebook.com/CUESServiStar mike@michaelneill.com

4: Coaching for Maximum Performance

This episode is about how credit union leaders can coach for maximum performance. Mike Neill shares how to help employees accomplish their goals, staring with a clear definition of coaching. The goal is to coach with high efficiency, including how to help employees transfer into "the workplace" what you teach them in "the classroom".

3: Leadership

This episode is all about leadership. Since this is the Credit Union Leadership Podcast, we thought it'd be fitting to have an episode devoted to the nature of credit union leadership. Mike discusses everything from what makes a good leader at a credit union to the role of organizational mission for credit union leaders. Here's Mike with the definition of leadership to start.

2: Employee Engagement

Today's episode is about employee engagement. Mike Neill talks about the difference between employee engagement and buy-in, what engagement really looks like in a credit union, and his advice about how to increase employee engagement at your credit union in a natural way. In this episode, you'll hear what Mike has learned over his years by consulting hundreds of credit unions. As a bonus, we've got a special guest, Christine Blake, one of Mike Neill's clients and the CEO and President at Cardinal Credit Union. She shares the story about how Michael Neill & Associates helped her increase employee engagement at Cardinal Credit Union. Here's Mike with the definition of employee engagement, a critical piece of the puzzle for credit union leaders who want a highly engaged workforce.

1: Organizational Culture

In this episode, Mike Neill discusses the nature of organizational culture, the key elements of a thriving credit union culture, and how exactly leaders can create a thriving credit union culture. In this episode you'll hear what Mike Neill has learned over his years of consulting hundreds of credit unions, and we've got a special guest, Mike Kloiber, who shares his experience along the journey toward a thriving organizational culture as a credit union CEO at Tinker Federal Credit Union in Oklahoma City.