Building a Leadership Team That Dreams Boldly
Winning the war for talent requires a mixture of art and science initiated by a strong leadership team.
As I approach my first year as CEO of Community Financial Credit Union, I can already see results from the transformative journey we’ve embarked upon. At the heart of it is the cohesive, dedicated and passionate team we have grown into, together. And this began by building our leadership team.
In the current “war for talent,” most organizations concentrate on recruitment and retention. But doing so at the leadership level demands its own dedicated strategy, with laser focus on securing talent that will serve the entire organization. It requires a delicate balance across an immeasurable number of dynamics. It is a mixture of art and science. As leaders, we can take steps to simplify the process while remaining intentional throughout.
Recruitment
Listening charts the course for an undertaking as significant and far-reaching as building a leadership team. Before any decisions are implemented, it’s critical that leaders seek to understand where the organization is today and its history. This is particularly important for new leaders, who can all too easily begin prescribing changes without having the pulse of the team’s structure. You must understand the current system before you can enhance it.
Through the listening process, gaps will become clear and needed positions can be identified to drive the operating model to new heights. From here, the search begins to identify candidates for these roles.
When new CEOs onboard, many assume they will bring their own “regime.” While there is value in leveraging a CEO’s connections to usher additional talent into the organization, a strong leader should recognize internal talent first and foremost. Team members who have history at the credit union and are engaged with its strategy bring countless insights that matter deeply. It is our job to continually develop these team members, as their contributions to your leadership bench will be limitless.
Through the process, we can also assess which areas will benefit from new perspectives and complementary strengths. By looking at the team holistically, you can identify the traits that can be added to “make you whole.” Is the organization predominantly filled with introverted team members? Then bringing in a few extroverted personalities will create a new, dynamic energy. Mixing in external voices helps us to see the world differently, which leads to a powerful, well-rounded team.
When evaluating candidates for roles, whether internally or externally, most organizations traditionally focus on subject-matter expertise. Instead, I’d argue that aptitude should be weighed most heavily. While knowing a candidate has experience with a specific task gives an initial advantage, what determines success in the long term is whether the individual holds the gifts of leadership. Having skills we’ve often thought of as intangible or “soft,” such as deep curiosity, a gift for casting vision and an ability to curate teams, will ultimately carry the business forward.
I also encourage our industry to break the mold and think of new ways to build teams. What will the future of work look like, and how can your organization help guide this? At Community Financial, that meant shifting our mindset away from the standard “in-office” model. By removing these geographic barriers, we can now cast a far wider net when recruiting.
Certainly, there are some positions that require a daily physical presence in the branch or office. But for many positions, coming into the office once or twice a week, or even less frequently, will serve our needs just as well. We believe we can extend this beyond support team members as well. Imagine if we could leverage technology and data to better understand the needs of our members, and craft a more Uber-ized approach to scheduling for the frontline.
And perhaps this will uncover new, unexplored possibilities. One of our digital leaders, for example, is a remote team member living in another region of the state where we have a physical presence without a concentration of senior leaders. This leader’s location enables our regional branches to have a nearby presence from leadership.
Again, it comes down to the person and the gifts they offer, rather than expecting our team members to fit within a narrow set of parameters. When we find an individual who brings the values, commitment to learning, skills and work ethic we rely on, proximity shouldn’t lead to a missed opportunity. When there’s a will, there’s a way … so long as both parties are engaged and open to the possibilities.
Retention
Strong retention can naturally follow a focus on what matters most to the organization during recruitment. Shared values and the ability to dream boldly are the common traits across our leadership. And securing talent based on these factors is far more effective than the “race to the bottom” approach relying on pay and benefits. Top talent is drawn to bold goals and the ways an organization can impact their growth.
Visionary and passionate human beings naturally want to surround themselves with others that share these dreams and drive. Team members with innate leadership instincts will be eager to stand shoulder to shoulder with others who have accomplished impressive feats and offer complementary strengths. By handpicking a leadership team hungry for this work environment, we can build a strong and enduring culture. And the momentum will only grow.
Leaders must also be intentional about integration in order to establish an organic cohesion. To us, the answer is simple: Giving our time. We build unstructured blocks of time into our workplace, such as off-sites and dinners, where we are not running through an agenda. Instead, we’re building relationships and having fun. It’s for this very reason that our remote work strategy can flourish. By creating these purposeful moments together, and manifesting joy within the purpose of work and human connection, we can provide greater flexibility over the long term. We know every single team member is committed to one another’s success, no matter what. We put others before self.
Measuring Success
An organizational structure is ever-evolving and will never be permanent. Nor should it if leadership is focused on innovation and transformation. But evaluating a leadership team’s performance at regular intervals should be built into the process. How do you measure this form of success?
It comes back to listening. Ensure there is a steady feedback loop to hear what areas the team feels well supported in and which areas can be expanded upon. Most importantly, be willing to celebrate the successes and address the pain points in equal measure.
Other business metrics will indicate which areas are thriving, such as award wins or successful campaigns. But perhaps the most intangible yet essential measure is the team’s energy. When a leadership team establishes a culture of commitment and care, the energy in the room during meetings will be palpable. Just like at concerts, weddings, family reunions or other special moments, we can create fulfilling environments at the workplace. A strong culture is contagious, and when built with intention and diligence, always leads to bottom-line results. The impossible becomes probable with the best humans. That’s not the soft stuff. That’s business and human beings at their finest.
Tansley Stearns President/CEO Community Financial Credit Union Plymouth, Mich.