Culture has dominated the corporate conversation in recent years. The importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (or DEI) has become more evident than ever. Many credit unions are looking for a recipe to make their workplaces more respectful and inclusive while also getting the highest level of performance from each person.

But the most current research from Gallup stated that only 39% of all U.S. workers are engaged in their jobs. As we in the culture world identify it, engaged employees are those who consistently go above and beyond to ensure their credit union succeeds. So why do only 39% feel engaged? Much of the reason can be traced back to the manager, since he or she is most responsible for creating the team's work environment. Think about it like this – two people can work at the same credit union and one might feel like it's the greatest place in the world to work, while the other can feel like it's the worst. The difference? The manager.

By my count, this is a percentage that can substantially damage our industry. Think about the difference we might see in our credit unions if we could increase that to 70% of employees giving their discretionary effort to support our members and each other. It would be a totally different ball game, wouldn't it?