CHICAGO — Credit unions looking to foster innovation should haveleaders that speak last, according to an executive who has made hiscareer in fostering the development of ideas.

Scott Belsky is CEO of Behance, a New York City consulting firmwhich helps companies and individuals create ideas and then seethem through to become innovati

He made his comments Tuesday to credit union executivesattending CO-OP Financial Services' THINK 2013 conference, whichruns through Thursday at Chicago's Swissotel.

Belsky used a noted corporate leader, retired General ElectricCEO Jack Welch, who was known not as much for asking his staff whatthey thought about a given problem but instead giving his opinionabout a given solution to a given problem.

What that meant, Belsky observed, is that the staff eitherparroted back what Welch had said or appeared to agree with hisideas whether or not they actually did.

“If he had not done that, he would have heard some wacky ideasfrom the newcomers, some ideas from other perspectives from othersand he might have heard someone who already had the idea he had aswell,” Belsky said.

Belsky's talk focused on what organizations and individuals cando to keep the good ideas they might have from being swallowed upby day-to-day pressures and concerns. Ideas ranged fromfurther tweaking ideas that already work well to identifying thedifferent roles colleagues play in fostering or failing to fosterideas.

The challenge an organization has, Belsky explained in aquestion-and-answer session afterwards, is to both address thethings that genuinely need to be urgent, pare down the things thatdon't and then focus on the long term important.

“The ATMs have to run,” he pointed out, “so that is necessarilyurgent. But are there things that are not so urgent that can bediscarded so that you can work on longer term ideas that are veryimportant?”

Also from THINK 13:

• Virtual Teller Idea Wins THINK Prize13
• The Great Change Debate
• THINK 13 on Wednesday: SlideShow
• Starring on Google+
• Mayor Booker Keynotes on Change
• Innovation That MaintainsIdentity
• Innovation Needs Controls
• THINK 13 on Tuesday: Slide Show
• Self-Assessment First Step inInnovation
• CO-OP Rebrands ATM, BranchingNetworks
• Chicago Confab Kicks Off