{"id":6286,"date":"2026-08-19T12:40:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T17:40:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncultheaffiliate.com\/?p=6286"},"modified":"2026-08-19T13:15:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:15:46","slug":"how-credit-union-leaders-can-chart-a-smooth-course-to-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncultheaffiliate.com\/?p=6286","title":{"rendered":"How Credit Union Leaders Can Chart a Smooth Course to Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|||||&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|||||&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>by Libby Calderone, President &amp; CEO of Envisant<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ncultheaffiliate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Picture1.png\" width=\"216\" height=\"110\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6304 aligncenter size-full\" style=\"float: left;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When sailing into the unfamiliar territory of digital innovation, credit unions who have a clear course and destination are more likely to enjoy a successful journey. After decades in credit union leadership\u2014and more than a few lessons learned on a sailboat\u2014I know the value of a reliable compass and wind indicator. For credit unions, our cooperative values are that compass. With a little recalibration, these values can keep us moving confidently with purpose as we discover innovative ways to serve our members.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong> Plot your bearings: Observe with purpose<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>When steering towards innovation, purposeful observation brings insight into what members truly want. Invite employees to stay alert, speak up, and share what they\u2019re seeing. Identifying friction points is more than resolving operational headaches\u2014it\u2019s a way of honoring our commitment to improve members\u2019 financial lives.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few tips to strengthen your observation skills:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ask questions: Encourage your team to be observant by asking them questions. Find out what slows them down. Ask frontline staff what questions members keep repeating. What recurring questions do you receive?<\/li>\n<li>Watch for process pain: Notice when tasks consistently take members and staff a long time to complete or cause them to show frustration.<\/li>\n<li>Do tasks yourself: This can help you discover if any part of a process, like an online loan application, is confusing or time-consuming.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Takeaway:\u00a0<\/strong>Active, deliberate observation will help you chart a clear route to innovations that elevate the member experience.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><strong> Trim the sails: Test small adjustments for a more secure journey<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Once you understand where friction exists, it\u2019s time to adjust your sails. Small, thoughtful changes can quickly steer members into calmer waters and build confidence across your credit union. Start by removing obstacles that slow down the member journey, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Manual, repetitive tasks\u2014data entry, paperwork, and routine phone calls<\/li>\n<li>In-branch tasks, like loan applications, that can be done online<\/li>\n<li>Member wait times or delays, whether for service or decisions<\/li>\n<li>Cumbersome steps, forms, fields, or clicks in digital processes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Next, follow a low-risk innovation approach: test improvements in a controlled way. Pilot an update with one branch, one team, or one member segment. Measure what matters\u2014time saved, accuracy improved, or steps removed\u2014and use that data to choose your next move.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Takeaway:<\/strong>\u00a0Small updates speed up the impact of innovation while controlled tests reduce risk, maximize limited budgets, and build steady momentum.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><strong> Collaborate for a successful course<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Every department contributes to the member experience. If you want to successfully innovate, then create opportunities for different teams to share insights and cooperate.<\/p>\n<p>How to bring people together:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Create cross-functional sessions between teams that don\u2019t normally interact\u2014Marketing and Operations, Lending and Finance, and beyond.<\/li>\n<li>Explore partnerships with other credit unions to share costs on bigger projects or gain access to specialized expertise, such as fractional CTO support.<\/li>\n<li>Keep your board updated. Share what you\u2019re observing, how removing friction will add member value, and how low-risk testing ensures responsible progress. Highlight wins to build trust and alignment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Takeaway:<\/strong>\u00a0Creating opportunities for all stakeholders to get involved leads to stronger, more effective innovation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What comes next<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re reading this article, you\u2019ve already started your journey towards innovation, so here are some tips to keep that momentum going!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ask your team: \u201cWhat frustrated members\u2014or you\u2014this week?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Complete one member journey yourself<\/li>\n<li>Identify one unnecessary process step, remove it and test what happens<\/li>\n<li>Shadow a frontline staff member<\/li>\n<li>Host a cross\u2011functional meeting<\/li>\n<li>Share your insights, risk reduction steps, and results with your board<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When you combine the timeless compass of credit union values with deliberate observation, practical adjustments, and collaborative effort, innovation becomes not only achievable\u2014but natural. It\u2019s a strategy that leads to real improvements in members\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n<p>As you continue the next phase of your journey, Envisant is here to navigate alongside you. From payments solutions to strategic fintech partnerships, our team works with credit unions nationwide to achieve their vision for member service. Explore how we can help at:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.envisant.com\/solutions\/\">https:\/\/www.envisant.com\/solutions\/<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 Originally Published on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cuinsight.com\/how-credit-union-leaders-can-chart-a-smooth-course-to-innovation\/\">CUInsight.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n  ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|||||&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|||||&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221;] by Libby Calderone, President &amp; CEO of Envisant &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; When sailing into the unfamiliar territory of digital innovation, credit unions who have a clear course and destination are more likely to enjoy a successful journey. After decades in credit union [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncultheaffiliate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6286"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncultheaffiliate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncultheaffiliate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncultheaffiliate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncultheaffiliate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncultheaffiliate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6286\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncultheaffiliate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncultheaffiliate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncultheaffiliate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}