Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone

As the seconds ticked away during the SuperBowl...as Brady's last-gasp pass attempt bounced off the turf, a sinking feeling took hold of me, almost as soon as the confetti began to fall.

Football was done. (Sigh.)

But the meloncholy soon lifted.  I realized that March Madness was just around the corner.  Brackets. Buzzer beaters.  And very stressed men pacing back and forth near the bench.  Those would be the coaches.

As we near the frenzy of tournament basketball, I thought I 'd spend a few minutes on two of basketball's more famous leaders.  

Mike Kryzewski.  In this article (Washington Post), the author details another journal article in which Coach "K" lays out his leadership style.

1. Adjust your strategy to your team.
2. Be your best player's friend.
3. It's the leader's job to get rid of distractions.
4. Don't have rules. Have standards. 

The article fleshes out those four points.  

John Wooden.  I was going to put pen to paper on the late Coach Wooden, when I realized that I had already done so a few years ago.  Here's what I wrote back then, which I still feel rings true today. 

If you are not a sports fan, Mr. Wooden is generally regarded as the greatest college basketball coach our nation ever produced.  Some would say that he is the best coach of any category.  I've been reading quite a few stories about him.  There were times when the UCLA basketball team would come in for halftime, and Coach Wooden's entire halftime speech would center on...enthusiasm. He wouldn't talk about boxing out, or how to work on a trap.  He'd often just talk about an important quality he wanted on his team.  It could be enthusiasm, or friendship, or self-control.  Coach Wooden's thought was that if you took care of certain smaller things, success was inevitable.  He turned his thoughts into the pyramid of success.   The pyramid is made up of qualities that Wooden felt lead to greater teamwork, and ultimate success.  I don't care if it is basketball, soccer or compliance.  That chart works for me.  Perhaps it will work for you. 

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And now, a shameless plug.

NAFCU will provide training on succession planning on Wednesday, February 22, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Those who sign up for the training event will give their credit union access to the broadcast either live, or on demand for an additional 12 months.   A few thoughts:

• NCUA expects you to have a succession plan. See chapter 7 of NCUA's examiner's guide.  Simply search for the word "succession," and you'll see what I mean. 
• NCUA's CAMEL Rating system points to succession planning. 
• All of us will eventually leave the credit union industry...one way or the other.  We owe it to our respective organizations to make sure that inevitable transition is as smooth as possible. 

You learn more about the training event, and sign up here.