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Jan 15, 2025 | 
cuinsight.com | Kevin Martin |Jeff Rendel |Mark Arnold |Randy Pennington
In the dynamic world of business, changing your strategic plan is not a matter of if, but when. The challenge lies not in recognizing the need for change, but in identifying precisely what needs to change and why. Through years of experience in strategic planning, I have developed what I call the Smart Strategy framework—a simple system that breaks strategy down into distinct, manageable parts. This systematic approach also enables diagnosing and adapting strategic plans when they need adjustment.
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Nov 26, 2024 | 
cuinsight.com | Ronni Martinez |Mark Arnold |Randy Pennington |Linda Lafortune
Checking accounts and other banking methods have been around for a very long time and the world has certainly learned effective ways to save, manage, and use money. There’s no question that checking accounts have evolved immensely from their beginnings as a safe place to store coins and jewels to the digital platforms that we know today. But with shifts in digital transformations, member expectations, and tightening margins, credit unions must continue to rethink the role of the checking account.
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Nov 26, 2024 | 
cuinsight.com | Melissa Kopp |Scott Butterfield |Mark Arnold |Diego Achio
For many immigrants and refugees in the United States, fears of financial institutions stem from experiences in their home countries. Political instability, economic crises, or corruption may have eroded trust in banks, leading to cash-based lifestyles. For credit unions, which pride themselves on being community-driven and member-focused, understanding these cultural nuances is essential to earning the trust of these communities and driving product adoption.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
cuinsight.com | Mark Arnold |Randy Pennington |Linda Lafortune
Can you feel it? The pace is slowing down—PTO requests are coming in, and the hustle of the year’s initiatives is easing up. For credit union leaders, it’s the perfect moment to take stock, reflect and set the stage for a purposeful new year. Here are seven pivotal questions to ask yourself as you start to wind down the year:Do we know where we’re going? Closing out one year should come with a clear vision of the next. What’s on your credit union’s list for 2025?
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Nov 8, 2024 | 
cuinsight.com | Mark Arnold
Bigfoot is real. The Loch Ness Monster exists. Elvis is alive. Just ask any conspiracy theorist. While many people acknowledge those myths are pure folklore…they still exist today. You might even see some people running around as Bigfoot or Elvis this Halloween night. Marketing myths also exist today. Everyone thinks they’re a marketing expert, and that results in many falsehoods about that key area.
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Nov 6, 2024 | 
cuinsight.com | Mark Arnold
“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” That much-used quote from author Jim George is a great principle to keep in mind when running your credit union or community bank. No matter if your financial institution had a fast or slow start to the year, you still need to finish 2024 strong. As the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said: “Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.”So, how do you end 2024 strong? How can you finish on a high note during the next few months?
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Nov 5, 2024 | 
cuinsight.com | Mark Arnold
In today’s fast-paced culture, people are always looking for quick ways to improve. Fast diet plans and pills guarantee you can drop 20 pounds in two weeks. Quick exercise regimens offer ways you can move from the couch to a 5K in a month. It’s often the same way with branding…institutions want quick fixes. The challenge, however, is that branding is a long-term play. It’s certainly not an overnight process.
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Oct 16, 2024 | 
cuinsight.com | Mark Arnold
In a now infamous rant, Dennis Green – former coach of the Arizona Cardinals – once said after a game, “They are what we thought they were.” And one of legendary coach Bill Parcells’ most famous quotes is: “You are what you are.”I was reminded of those lines recently when, after presenting a marketing audit report to one of our clients, the CEO said, “We’re not as good at service as we think.” He was referencing the mystery shop portion of the audit.
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Sep 16, 2024 | 
cuinsight.com | Mark Arnold
Community financial institution leaders should always be on the move. Learning new things. Tackling new challenges. Growing, growing, growing. Because if you’re not growing…you’re stagnating. Like the antelope and lion in the proverb, you must run!But what’s the difference between the antelope and lion in bank and credit union leadership training? It might seem like the antelope is weaker since it “runs away,” but that’s not necessarily the case. Each leadership style has its strengths and weaknesses.
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Aug 8, 2024 | 
cuinsight.com | Mark Arnold
Successful credit union strategic planning sessions require a number of things. The right environment (going off-site always helps). The right people (mix of executives and board members). The right facilitator (yes, I’m biased on that point). But one often overlooked aspect of strategic planning is having the right level of honesty. Participants need to share the truth about the organization. The entire truth. And in some cases … the unvarnished truth. The challenge?
