Michael Hudson’s Most Requested Speaking Programs for Professional Groups and Trade Associations

Top performers are easy to spot, whether they are individuals or organizations. But when you look a bit deeper it is often less than obvious what makes them different. In this presentation you'll learn the five key things that top performers use to succeed. We'll also explore the importance of creating a sustainable difference in a dynamic and crowded market. You'll gain insights into the factors that should frame your strategy and leave with new ideas you can use to transform your credit union into a top performer.

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The changing marketplace for financial services places new pressures on credit union leaders and challenges them to think differently. This thought-provoking program explores some of the changes that may occur in the future and outlines a framework for implanting strategic thinking within your leadership team. Though we won't be forecasting the future, you will gain insights that will help you strengthen your planning efforts and engage your team in looking beyond the day-to-day to define a compelling future for your credit union. You'll leave energized and ready to take your credit union to the next level!

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The foundation of the credit union system is cooperation. As the financial system continues to work its way through the current challenges, credit unions are uniquely positioned to leverage their past history of working together to create a more collaborative future with each other, with their members, and with on-traditional partners who can help them distance themselves from the competition in the marketplace. In this inspiring presentation you'll learn specific strategies for becoming more collaborative and gain insights you can take back to your credit union for quick and easy implementation. Bring your ideas and get ready to learn how to work together on the next level!

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Leadership is never easy, and the recent changes in the marketplace have increased the challenges for credit union leaders at all levels. But the essence of leadership remains... defining the vision, engaging the team, measuring progress, and redirecting as necessary. In this session you'll gain tools you can use to lead across the generations in the workplace in the face of ongoing uncertainty and change. The practical action steps shared will help both staff and volunteer leaders increase their effectiveness in leading their credit unions through challenging times.

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Few things are more important to the long term success of your credit union than making sure that you are developing the knowledge, skills, and abilities of those who will lead it in the future. Defining what succession planning is and what it isn't for your credit union is step one. From there we'll explore alternative pathways to developing the capacity of your team so that future leaders will emerge prepared to step up and guide the credit union when the time comes. Special attention will be paid to the application of these approaches to your Board.

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Though often overlooked, one of the most significant challenges faced by credit union leaders is managing the engagement of senior staff. In this interactive session you'll learn specific strategies for working with your senior leadership team to keep them motivated. Using a coaching framework, we'll explore what it takes to get the best performance out of those who have already achieved a high level of success in their area of specialization, and how to gain their buy-in to taking it to the next level. You'll leave with tools that will help you keep your leadership team on track by leveraging the unique knowledge, skills, and experiences that they bring to your credit union.

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One of the most difficult things for credit union leaders to do as their organizations evolves it to stay focused on strategy and not get bogged down in fighting the inevitable operations fires that pop up in the course of doing business. In the interactive session we'll take a look at different approaches leaders can use to stay focused by considering the real reasons that operational fires tend to eat up so much time, and why you tend to keep getting involved despite your best efforts not to do so. You'll leave with practical skills you can take back to your credit union to develop others to take care of the operations issues so you can stay focused on the big picture stuff you need to do to grow your credit union and develop your team.

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One of the impacts of the impending wave of baby boomer retirements will be the loss of a number of current credit union CEOs. But who will fill these positions? The logical choice is experienced senior managers, but often they lack experience with the specific skills required for success at the CEO-level. This session will help senior leaders interested in being future CEOs fill in the gaps by providing practical guidance regarding how to develop the relationship skills needed to move from being the leader of an area of operations to the leader of a growing organization. We'll explore the impacts of personal style and communication style on CEO success and identify specific ways to develop the community leader skills that support success at the CEO level. You'll leave with a personal action plan for developing your skills and expanding your personal capacity to put yourself on the pathway to becoming the next CEO!

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One of the critical challenges for credit unions, and indeed the entire credit union industry, is developing the knowledge, skills, and experiences of senior leaders to ensure that the leaders who will guide the industry in the future are ready when the time comes. In this workshop, we'll focus in on three key areas that will support the development of senior managers:

How to Keep Getting the Most from Those at the Top

Explore what it takes to get the best performance out of those who have already achieved a high level of success in their area of specialization, and how to gain their buy-in to taking it to the next level.;

Staying Out of the Weeds

Look at different approaches leaders can use to stay focused by considering the real reasons that operational fires tend to eat up so much time, and why you tend to keep getting involved despite your best efforts not to do so.; and

Tips, Tools, and Tactics for Future CEOs

Explore the impacts of personal style and communication style on CEO success and identify specific ways to develop the community leader skills that support success at the CEO level. A participant workbook will be provided that supports the development of your personal action plan for taking your leadership to the next level, and in the process making sure you are prepared for the opportunities that come your way in the future.

NOTE: This program is best delivered as a one-half day workshop and can include a pre-event survey of participants to better tailor the program to their needs.

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How well is your Board functioning? Do you have a solid plan in place to improve the Board so that it can and will grow with your credit union? What are the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for your Board? These (and many other) questions will form the basis for a wide-ranging, idea-filled discussion that will provide you with specific actions you can take to make your Board better. We'll talk about ways to get your Board focused on the things that will have the greatest impact on your members, explore ways to build your board for the future by leveraging the talents of your current and past Board members, and discuss ways to overcome the obstacles that make it difficult to attract new volunteers.

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It seems these days that every financial services business is claiming that they deliver great service. The result is that the long-time credit union differentiator of first-rate member service has become less of a distinction—high quality service is rapidly becoming the norm in the industry, not the exception. In this information-packed program you'll learn how your credit union can achieve service excellence by focusing on long-term member relationships that exceed member expectations. We'll explore generational differences in service expectations, technology tools that can enhance member interaction, integrating sales into the service process, and specific tactics for defusing member concerns, all in the context of what members expect from their financial institution today.

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Creating long term success is seldom an accident. The more we learn about successful businesses, the more we realize that they thrive because of their commitment to engage people in doing what they do well in pursuit of a shared vision that is defined in terms of member outcomes. As a new generation of employees emerge as leaders within your credit union, nothing is more important than making sure that the culture is well defined so that the essence of your organization survives. In this session you'll learn the keys to creating a culture that accommodates the inherent diversity of today's workforce by getting the right people into the right positions. If you are ready to tackle the challenge of building a stronger credit union by truly empowering your team, this program will show you how to do it.

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