NAFCU Journal July August 2021

There are a number of reasons credit union leaders are reluctant to change some processes, explains Myers. There may have been attempts to make changes that didn’t go well in the past, or some processes may have been put in place by the leaders—who don’t want their ideas and accomplishments changed, he says. “It is incumbent on the CEO to recognize these ‘land mines’ and be willing to embrace change of things that have been untouchable in the past,” he says. Just asking for ideas and suggestions from team members may not produce the best results and can backfire later on, points out Myers. A commonly missed step is the creation of a structure to propose and nurture ideas, he explains. “Underdeveloped ideas are easier to dis- count,” says Myers. When team members submit a proposed change to a process or product and provide examples and data, the proposed idea is a well-constructed thought versus a spitball idea, he says. Not only does this approach spur a more thorough evaluation of how the change affects the organization, but it also provides more substantive information to consider, debate and build upon among the leadership team. At SkyPoint Federal Credit Union, team members came up with an idea to improve member service that led to enhancements for the institution’s mobile app. “We closed two of our three branches and provided some services by appointment in the remaining branch as well as operated the drive-through window at the open branch,” explains Jim Norris, CEO of Skypoint. “Moving all drive-through transactions to one branch resulted in long lines for members.” Tellers and other branch personnel identified the most common transactions and suggested that some of them be automated through the app. “We added an item to our app’s menu that allowed members to request a check to be mailed to their home address, so they did not have to come to the branch to withdraw from a savings account,” says Norris. This has led to consideration of other func- tions that can be automated through the mobile app, such as requesting loan pay- off letters, changing joint ownership on an account or even changing loan terms. “Not only did this one change improve convenience to members, but it also greatly reduced the drive-through line, so employees could handle phone calls, open new accounts, and help members in other ways.” Leadership commitment and a corporate culture that supports innovation is also important to successful performance improvement through innovation, says Myers. Leadership teams that continu- ally review what the organization does well, along with what is not done well, and identify opportunities to improve, demonstrate support of innovation, he says. Leaders who relentlessly pursue improvement—in growth, in member satisfaction scores, or in employee performance—inspire team members to do the same. “There is nothing wrong with taking time to celebrate accomplish- ments and recognizing efforts to reach a Leaders have to be willing to change core processes—they can’t say that they want innovation and also say some things cannot ever be changed. PETER MYERS, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF DDJ MYERS A continually growing assortment of technological tools for financial institutions can result in a lot of suggestions for additions to a credit union’s digital support for employees and members. At SkyPoint Federal Credit Union, they have an Innova- tion Lab—a virtual “lab” that serves as the centralized location for the collection, evaluation, testing, and THE NAFCU JOURNAL July–August 2021 Innovation Lab Provides 22