Do You Have the Resources to Empower Your Leaders?
Empowering managers through leadership development doesn’t just happen. In my first blog post, I shared how you can make this dream a reality at your credit union by dreaming big, making it a strategic priority, and creating your game plan. Developing an entire suite of courses sounds like a large undertaking (and it is!), however, you don’t need to do it alone. Allow me to share the resources we received at Central Minnesota Credit Union (CMCU), and how these benefits can make a difference in your credit union.
When CMCU started creating our game plan, we reached out to the Alexandrea Technical and Community College’s Customized Training Center for assistance in curriculum development. The college introduced us to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and the grants they offer. The grant we submitted for was through the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Program, which is geared toward colleges that partner with businesses to develop new-job training or retraining for existing employees. Excitingly, CMCU received a three year grant for $228,000 in in-kind contributions!
From there, a partnership formed between the college and CMCU staff to create the series of Leadership and Financial Leadership development courses. Within those three years, the following courses were either developed or revised: Workplace Skills, Aspiring Management, Intro to Management, Navigating Management, and Financial Leadership (I-IV). Additionally, we introduced online modules for learners to complete as pre and post training to either introduce or reinforce key ideas aiding in retention.
Building a leadership development program is certainly no easy task, however when you have the commitment from the organization, and the resources needed to develop the courses, your dream can become a reality. Is this a dream for your credit union? Is it a strategic priority? Do you have a game plan? If so, then reach out to your state’s department of employment and economic development to see what resources they may be able to provide to your credit union so you can start empowering your managers through leadership development!
Jodi Maus
