{"id":897,"date":"2013-05-28T05:56:38","date_gmt":"2013-05-28T10:56:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theshef.com\/wordpress\/?p=897"},"modified":"2013-07-03T04:58:22","modified_gmt":"2013-07-03T09:58:22","slug":"creative-credit-union-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theshef.com\/blog\/creative-credit-union-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Creative Credit Union Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are some CEOs who are pretty good, then there are those who weave their personality and vision into the fabric of an organization, creating a lasting legacy. A few years ago, I had the great pleasure of meeting\u00a0the CEO of\u00a0<\/span>Ascentra Credit Union<\/a>,\u00a0Paul Lensmeyer (as a bonus, he is\u00a0<\/span>a huge Green Bay Packer fan). Ascentra Credit Union has 10 locations in the greater Quad Cities Area.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lensmeyer,<\/p>\n

I also had the honor of working with the great team at Ascentra in a consulting capacity, and they displayed excellence at every level<\/em>. Last<\/span>\u00a0week Paul passed away<\/a>, but his memory will continue to live on. Paul was a dedicated family man and a great leader.<\/p>\n

Here are 3 great leadership traits\u00a0that Paul displayed every day:<\/p>\n

1. Realize that your work family is just that…a family<\/em>.<\/h3>\n

When an employee enjoyed success inside or outside of work, they were eager to share it with Paul, who always lent an eager ear. He was also a voice of encouragement when times got tough. If you needed a cheerleader, he was there; if you needed a kick in the butt to accomplish your goal, he was there as well.<\/p>\n

2. Weave a vision into the fabric of your organization and reinforce that vision continuously.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Like many CEOs, Paul could boil down the most complex ideas into bite-sized sayings and action items. Keep your mission simple and repeatable. Ascentra’s mission of “Listening, Caring, Doing What’s Right<\/em>” embodies just that.<\/p>\n

3. Engage your community!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

No one builds a business alone. Your community must be reminded that you are on <\/span>their<\/em> side. The best local banks and credit unions make it a point to help a sick or injured customer or member when times were tough (<\/span>See my previous post on Business Awesomeness<\/a>), they’ll involve their people into community events, and will generate goodwill in their community.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever your business may be, strong leadership principles and hard work will help shape it into everything it can become. The true test of a great leader is how something runs when they are not there. Paul will be missed by many people, but his legacy will live for generations to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are some CEOs who are pretty good, then there are those who weave their personality and vision into the fabric of an organization, creating a lasting legacy. A few years ago, I had the great pleasure of meeting\u00a0the CEO of\u00a0Ascentra Credit Union,\u00a0Paul Lensmeyer (as a bonus, he is\u00a0a huge Green Bay Packer fan). Ascentra […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[488],"tags":[510,362,512,513,515,518,511,57,414,514,509,516,517,25],"class_list":["post-897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-banking-convention-topics","tag-ascentra-credit-union","tag-banking-convention-speaker","tag-banking-leadership","tag-building-community-banks","tag-creating-a-vision-for-your-credit-union","tag-credit-union-convention-speaker","tag-credit-union-leadership","tag-dave-sheffield","tag-keynote-motivational-speaker","tag-leading-a-banking-team","tag-paul-lensmeyer","tag-quad-cities-credit-unions","tag-speakermatch-banking-speaker","tag-the-shef"],"yoast_head":"\nCreative Credit Union Leadership<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A great leader is essential to any bank or credit union. 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