On a hot and humid Saturday in Houston, Texas, I was honored to facilitate offsite strategic planning for Cy Fair Federal Credit Union. Cy Fair is a former education-based credit union, transformed into a community CU charter, but the board substantively consists of current and former educators and administrators. The CEO is Cameron Dickey, and the subject of this innovation-driven growth blog is his leadership.
I have facilitated many strategic planning sessions, and it’s truly difficult for a senior leader to sit back and let other people drive the conversation. The impulse is to speak first, give your opinion up front and then let people comment on it. That’s a mistake. When the CEO speaks, there is little chance someone who might have a differing opinion would feel comfortable stating it. Cameron, a model CEO, allowed the conversation to flow, letting his senior staff and board members speak before he would offer his opinion. The only time he “jumped in” the conversation was to provide context or to offer accurate information supporting a statement; this led to a healthy and vigorous discussion.
I’ll be frank, this type of environment is joyous for a facilitator, and not all that common. I recall performing a similar strategic planning session for a fintech company in Houston in 2017. In the opening portion of the session, the CEO spoke first, cutting people off and making statements like, “Well, we would never do anything like that” in response to statements from his senior leadership team. At the first break, I took the CEO aside and explained he needed to allow his people to talk, then provide his opinion at the end of the discussion, not the beginning. I tried to help him understand how stifling his comments were to those attempting to honestly participate. He listened intently without commenting at all.
At the end of my “speech,” I asked him if he would agree to change his behavior. He looked at me, smirked, and said “good luck with that” before storming off. Unbelievable, though he is no longer CEO of that company.
I learned some other things about Cameron as well. I was talking with Valarie Prillman, my primary contact at Cy Fair following the session, and she explained how happy she was that everything had gone so well. She shared this was her first “solo” in planning the entire SP session, including choosing me as a facilitator. I realized Cameron had entrusted her with a very important and visible part of their annual senior management activities.
Great leaders give their direct reports a chance to step up and exhibit their own leadership. Further, part of what I reviewed with the group was a 2022 vision, not all that unusual as many organizations envision four to five years in the future of where they want to be. However, Valarie told me the 2022 vision is what Cameron shared with the board when he was hired in 2012. A ten-year look ahead vision? You bet, and it is really good. Just try to write down how you think your organization will look in 2028 and you’ll see just how hard this is to do.
Cameron was open to making micro-adjustments to the Cy Fair mission to more accurately reflect their corporate behavior. At every opportunity, he exhibited leadership, sometimes by offering a clear and direct statement of his opinion, other times by being quiet and letting others speak. How many of us leaders have the insight to know when to speak and when to be quiet? I’m learning to practice “being quiet,” especially when it’s strategically important to do so. Cameron Dickey is a good model to follow, and I will endeavor to mimic his leadership style.