MADISON, Wis.–The CUNA CEO Council has published a new white paper, “Leadership During a Crisis.”
“It’s a skillset you hope you never have to use: leading during a major crisis,” the Council said in releasing the paper. “Crises can take many potentially devastating forms—from major weather events, to terrorist attacks, robberies, staff deaths, cyberattacks and breaches, and more.”
The paper notes that in recent years, credit unions have sustained widespread damage due to catastrophic hurricanes, floods, fires, unrest, and technological crises. These crises have had major impacts on the credit unions, their members, their staff, and volunteers.
According to the Council, the white paper from the CEO Council examines leadership during a crisis and addresses:
- Developing leadership characteristics to demonstrate during and after crises (examples in action and advice for honing those characteristics)
- Setting the tone (the CEO and the credit union) for how to actively help people affected by crises, and how to model a humanitarian response
- Practicing the art of responding vs. simply reacting
- Implementing a nimble, active, solutions-oriented response—enabled through prior planning and rehearsal
- Taking care of the emotional needs of staff, members, and others
- Dealing with complications when staff are also victims
- Examining how leading through a crisis demonstrates proof of purpose
CUNA Council members are eligible to receive complimentary copies of this, and hundreds of other white papers. The paper is available online in the white paper section of www.cunacouncils.org.