Results for Strategic Planning

From 5 months of planning to guest speakers from the industry, these credit unions know how to prepare for the biggest meeting of the year.

A strategic plan is a document where you write your business goals and strategies to reach them. Learn how to write a strategic plan for your business.

Members of the Illinois REALTORS® Strategic Thinkers Working Group and key association staff members concluded their two-day meeting Wednesday in Springfield, developing a three-year plan for the a…

I'm known to apply my military training in daily life. For wedding planning, I liberally applied the strategic planning cycle theory.

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors refer to key elements commonly used in assessing the sustainability and societal impact of an organization. Attention to ESG should not be used as window dressing or for crafting anecdotal stories devised to make a company appear environmentally and socially responsible. For credit unions, it goes well beyond stories. It […]

Strategic planning furnishes a blueprint which assists your businesses in understanding where you are now and where you want to be.

Athletes warm up because it raises the temperature of their bodies and their muscles, readying them for high performance. The same is true when board members and executives are getting ready for a strategic planning session. They will perform better if they first warm up their thinking. Experts in strategic planning suggest that reviewing external […]

“What we need to do is always lean into the future; when the world changes around you and when it changes against you—what used to be a tailwind is now a headwind—you have to lean into that and figure out what to do because complaining isn’t a strategy.” — Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon The […]

Strategic planning ideas are a second thought for many this year. For example, a financial institution executive was recently discussing with me the severe impacts from the pandemic: earnings are tanking, investment income is negligible, fee income is dropping significantly, and loan volume/income is slowing. As a result, the board decided to postpone their strategic […]

There’s a common belief in credit union land that you have to be over $500 million in assets to survive, some even say $1 billion. We say, “That’s a bunch of hooey!” Small credit unions can survive. But to do so, you must specialize. When your entire credit union is the size of a big …

Traditionally, strategic planning sessions for community banks occur in the fall. However, after partnering with dozens of financial institutions as a facilitator on strategic plans over the last few years, I can safely say that a growing number both plan and conduct their sessions at other times of the year. We remind our clients regularly …

It’s that time of year again. Fall colors are appearing, temperatures are dipping, and credit union strategic planning season is coming to an end. For me that means less time in airports, more time in my own bed, and fewer sketchy meals on the run. It also means that I have some time to reflect …

Financial institutions around the world are exploring ways to respond to the needs of a changing consumer universe that is more mobile, more digitally adept and more demanding. In an effort to overcome legacy processes and technologies, banks and credit unions are converting to a...

We Need Your Help
Please click on the following message link from Ken Parchman, Chair of the CABR Strategic Planning Committee.
Soon you will be invited to complete a 2013 CABR / MLS Member Satisfaction Survey. The responses to this survey will help guide our Strategic Planning Committee in determining the future direction of CABR.
As a valued member of MLS and/or CABR, your feedback is very important to us. It shapes the products and services we provide and ensures that we address…

Great Clips, Inc. President Rob Goggins knows first-hand how a strategic plan can make a difference for a business during challenging times.

Is rock music better than rap music? Which is more effective, planning or improvisation? Are people inherently good or inherently selfish? Which is more important, individual rights or collective rights? Will America’s future be better than its past? Are low-income people less intelligent than high-income people? Is Wells Fargo the devil? Aren’t credit unions just …

Effective strategic planning events are one of the main differentiators between underperforming credit unions and healthy, growing credit unions. However, making an event effective requires more than simply showing up and putting some dreams on paper. Before diving into the best practices that growth-minded credit unions follow, let’s make two things clear. First, this is the most […]

Did your board and leadership team leave your credit union’s strategic planning session pumped for action last year, but now you’re left standing in front of your ridiculously large sticky notes of your big plans wondering where the time went? Prior to a strategic planning session for a credit union several years ago, the CEO […]

Do the words “core conversion” send a shiver down your spine? You’re not alone. The number of core conversions happening at credit unions of all sizes has increased significantly as our industry tackles fintech and works to provide members with more robust digital tools. Because a core conversion touches every area of your credit union, […]

Strategic planning—now there are two words that can strike cynicism and frustration into the hearts of any bank or credit union executive. And with good reason. Financial institutions spend a great deal of time, money and energy on strategic planning, all too often with sketchy results. The refrain goes a little something like this: “Year […]