Leadership can make or break an organization, and unfortunately there are many examples of where leadership has gone awry. A good leader is more than an eloquent speaker or inspiring motivator – he or she empowers employees to do their jobs effectively and keep the organization going in the right direction. Fortunately, credit union leaders can learn from these failures and work toward a more positive future.

Here are six leadership lessons to apply to your credit union to achieve success:

1. Foster a positive company culture. It is leadership's responsibility to promotea healthy company culture. The Wells Fargo scandal last year, in which fraudulent accounts were opened on behalf of millions of customers, shed light on poor business practices and a toxic company culture. Setting sales goals that were too aggressive contributed to this downfall. By focusing more on sales and profit than its people, Wells Fargo lost trust of its customers and the public.