Successful leaders live by fundamental leadership principleswith discipline and focus. They commit to continuous learning andstrive to have their behaviors serve as a reflection of theirvalues – setting the standard and expectations for others in yourcredit union.

The CEO's communication philosophy and actions sets the tone,whether it is openness with the board or sharing information withemployees during challenging periods. Relationships need afoundation of trust. Actions must speak the truth to serve themission of the credit union more effectively.

We have seen the impact that communication has on theimplementation of strategies – whether it's the successfulcompletion of mergers and acquisitions, strengthening or weakeningexisting member relationships, closing new business deals orengaging team members, employees and boards.

Your actions as a CEO or senior manager create the culture ofyour credit union. While speaking to a group of senior managersrecently, the meeting was supposed to start at 9:15 a.m. The firstspeaker was late and we were waiting for the CEO to arrive. Themeeting didn't start until 9:30 a.m. This communicated the subtlemessage that it's OK to start meetings late, decreasing creativity,productivity and engagement.

The people around the room were well-meaning, smart and ready togo. But not starting on time sets the wrong tone and example.Actions that do not reflect standards are communicated as part ofthe culture of your credit union; they trickle down and become thenew standard of acceptability.

In another example, a CEO had a problem with a member of hisboard who was a vendor. This potential conflict of interest createdan unnatural tension for the leadership team and flew in the faceof their stated ethics policy. As a CEO, you hear it and payattention. But then, if you sense potential trouble, do youact?

Do you communicate your concerns and take action to create anethics policy that sets the tone and establishes the rightfoundation for behaviors on the board and throughout the creditunion? Managing these sensitive issues to avoid both personaland organizational reputational risk is critical.

Have you ever watched the behavior of one of your team membersinternally and wondered if they are conducting themselves in thesame way with your members? Don't be in denial and assume that it'sjust internal behavior. In our client base, wework with CEOs who are juggling many key strategic initiatives andare being held accountable by boards and shareholders and membersto achieve results. If our communication doesn't fit their needs,we stop providing value. If a team member's style takes you offfocus, or is constantly creating work due to lack of clarity intheir communication, this is a sure sign that your members arebeing put off as well. Ensuring long-term member relationships is abasic objective of any credit union.

People who wear thin, internally, are wearing thin, externallyas well. Think about whether you accept behaviors in yourorganization that you know are harmful to creating futureopportunities.

During a recent medical visit, the doctor pointed out to herassistant that my chart reflected the wrong birth year. I couldn'thelp myself from pointing out the potential negative impact of this“minor” error, which could lead to subscribing the wrong medicineto the wrong person, increasing the length of time to get properlyreimbursed, and the associated headaches and frustration from losttime spent to correct poor communication. View yourcommunication with this kind of intensity.

When creating a strategic plan, listening and sharing data inthe right way engages your team and engages your board, brings theright thinking to the table, increases learning from one anotherand leads to innovation. Identifying your values and beliefs helpsto build a team and board based upon shared values that createscommon bonds where members know what you and your organizationstand for. It increases your ability to challenge your team andboard based upon the right intellectual, not personal, issues.

Mission, vision and values are not buzz words. When developedcorrectly, they are extraordinarily meaningful and provide thefoundation for all strategic decision-making. And strategiccommunication is no different. When communication is linked back tomission, vision and values, it is viewed in the most meaningfulcontext and it will become a powerful differentiator for yourcredit union.

Stuart R. Levine is chairman and CEO of Stuart Levine &Associates LLC, a strategy, leadership and governanceconsulting firm.