Becoming healthy organizationally in the new world of work

Deborah Mersino, Principal Consultant at Mersino Consulting LLC, is an Organizational Consultant and Executive Coach who supports leaders and teams of nonprofits, not-for-profits, b-corps, and purpose-driven companies in achieving ambitious results. Deborah will be Our Day 1 (November 3rd) Keynote Speaker at our upcoming 2021 Leadership Summit LIVE speaking on the topic of Healthy Organizations, as well as a Breakout Session Speaker on Day 2 (November 4th) on the topic the 5 Responsibilities of Leaders.

Check out the following article written by Deborah Mersino on what elements make up a “Healthy” organization – a sneak peak on the content that will be covered more in-depth during the Springfield Chamber Leadership Summit. While the article is originally geared toward a credit union audience, the leadership principles apply to any business/ organization.

**This article was originally published on CUInsight‘s website and has been reposted with permission. The original can be viewed here.

Where Can you Grow?

We’re living in “The New World of Work.” The past 18 months have fundamentally shifted our organizations and how leaders must lead. Look at recent statistics on resignations, hiring, and employees looking for new jobs while working, and it’s clear we’ve entered a new realm. The “Healthy” side of our organizations – defined as minimal politics, minimal confusion, high productivity, high morale, and low turnover – has never been more vital for leaders. Its impact is potent. Get it right and the competitive advantage is clear.

Patrick Lencioni first defined these five “Healthy” areas in his book, The Advantage, and now, these same principles are becoming the antidote to The Great Resignation and more. 

Here are questions you can ask yourself to gage how “Healthy” your organization is. Score yourself from 1-5 (with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best relative to the scenario). How do you think your credit union’s Executive Team and/or organization is doing in each of the five categories?

• Minimal Politics
  • Are there silos?
  • Do people have meetings after meetings?
  • Is there a united and aligned front at the executive level?
  • Are you witnessing and/or participating in any third-party talk or gossip?
• Minimal Confusion
  • Is everyone clear on the purpose of the organization (even though we’re in a pandemic)?
  • Do people know the values of the organization? Are they being used for decision making (hiring, firing, investments, volunteering, projects)?
  • Does everyone know what makes your credit union or organization different from others? Do they know the top three strategic anchors/differentiators?
  • Is everyone clear on the priorities and timelines?
  • Are decision-making protocols clearly defined and understood (including in meetings)?
  • Are communications being cascaded down clearly and regularly?
  • Do people understand what’s happening with projects and policies?
  • Are proper change management/transition methodologies being employed?
• High Productivity
  • Are meetings efficient and effective?
  • Are meetings enjoyable and do people get to use their strengths often?
  • Do meetings have healthy conflict?
  • Are priorities well-defined at different levels, so that it’s easy for work to get done?
  • Do people have a chance to be in a state of flow?
• High Morale
  • Are people feeling seen and valued by their managers?
  • Do staff feel connected to the purpose of the organization?
  • Are they being measured in a way that’s meaningful to them in an ongoing manner?
• Low Turnover
  • Are you having difficulty hiring?
  • Have you lost good people?
  • Are your employees feeling overworked?

These are the areas that make up a “Healthy” organization. When credit unions thrive in these categories, their respective areas such as strategy, finance, technology, operations, marketing, and more (known as the “Smart” side) are exponentially stronger.

You may have found that there’s one or two “Healthy” areas that you would like to improve upon. Maybe you see potential work in each category. That’s where organizational health strategies, methodologies, and tools that are relevant, time-sensitive, practical, and results-focused can benefit credit unions today. 

Start, though, by applauding yourself. You just became more aware. That’s exactly how the next echelon of leaders in The New World of Work will begin navigating the change, pace, and challenges that lie ahead.

Deborah Mersino

Principal Consultant, Mersino Consulting, LLC

Before founding Mersino Consulting in Vancouver, Washington, Deborah served as Chief Marketing & Experience Officer at Oregon Community Credit Union (OCCU) and Chief Marketing Officer at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). She was our neighbor! She boasts more than 25+ years of executive business experience with 7 years of that directly in the C-suite. She spent the first 18+ years of her career in Chicago, where she helped run multiple businesses and worked with Fortune 500 companies, as well as small- and medium-sized companies and nonprofits and came to understand the inner workings of leadership teams. She is now certified in The Table Group methodologies and practices, including its latest Working Genius productivity tool. She graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and received her Digital Marketing Certification from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. She currently serves as Communication Chair for the NU Club of Portland, and she and her husband have two daughters in college (a Beaver and a Duck) and a rescue dog named Jackson.

Organizational Consultant and Executive Coach Deborah Mersino supports leaders and teams of nonprofits, not-for-profits, b-corps, and purpose-driven companies in achieving ambitious results. She can be reached at Deborah@MersinoConsulting.com, via LinkedIn or through MersinoConsulting.com. Bringing more than 20+ years of executive experience with 7 of those in the C-suite, Deborah is certified in the methodologies of Patrick Lencioni as an inaugural member of CAPA Pro and serves CEOs, presidents, and leadership teams with an approach that’s pragmatic, relevant, and fast. She serves credit unions throughout the United States and her company, Mersino Consulting, is a StrategicLink partner of the Northwest Credit Union Association.