I've never been the quiet type. I've always had lots of thoughtsand plenty to say. In grade school my teachers often wrote “talksexcessively in class” on my report cards. This was my first tasteof feedback, and it wasn't the good kind. I quickly realized thevalue of the feedback loop.

I've generally always been vocal. If my words didn't reveal mythoughts, my facial expressions usually gave me away – and that'sstill true to this day (although my filter has gotten better).

In the workplace, this can be useful because I'm not scared tomake a suggestion on process improvements. However, not everyone isa social extrovert ready to provide their feedback. Whether you'rean introvert or an extrovert, a feedback loop is essential in lifeand the workplace. Feedback allows you to make necessaryadjustments when others see an opportunity for improvement.

In a credit union, there's no better person to provide feedbackthan those on the ground doing the work. Employee feedback allowsleadership to gauge the climate of the credit union and makeadjustments accordingly. It also promotes empowerment amongstemployees and makes them feel like their ideas and opinionsmatter.

Credit unions, at the very heart of their existence, arecooperative institutions working for the greater good of theirmembers. Success is nearly always a collective effort,which is why feedback is so important, and this is something the$571 million Direct Federal Credit Union in Needham, Mass.,recognizes. Direct created an app called the “DirectThinker,” whichallows credit union employees to provide feedback to leadershipthrough an app installed on each employee's computer.

Kristen Johnson, director of marketing for Direct, said the ideafor the app came to fruition because the credit union was trying tofoster a culture of innovative idea generation, involve employeesacross the credit union in its strategic planning process andempower all employees to voice their opinions – no matter what thetopic may be.

Johnson said, “DirectThinker is set up to mirror our strategicplan. When an employee goes to submit their idea to the app, theyfirst must choose which focus area of our strategic plan the ideafalls into. This helps reinforce our strategic plan to employeesand helps them directly correlate how their idea will better thecredit union. The idea is then submitted and reviewed by a'DirectThinker Committee' who reviews each idea and passes it alongto the specific senior leader it applies to; the senior leader thenresponds directly to the submitter.”

The DirectThinker app has improved processes at the creditunion, which in turn has saved employees' time in their everydaywork. For example, an employee submitted feedback on how to improvethe member survey process. In turn, the process was dramaticallyshortened. Another employee submitted feedback saying that membersoften bring their children to home equity line of credit closings.Now, the credit union provides the children of these members withcoloring books and crayons during closings to keep them occupied sotheir parents can focus on going through all the HELOCpaperwork.

It's these small, often cost-free adjustments that can have somuch impact on a credit union's culture and work productivity.Joseph Walsh, president/CEO for Direct, said, “There is no greatercompetitive advantage than empowering every employee of Direct tosubmit ideas across all strategic areas of the organization.”

Johnson said employees now feel more empowered to provide ideas and feedback, andappreciated when they receive feedback directly about their idea.He added it has helped contribute immensely to alignment effortsacross the organization.

Rita DellaRocca, Direct's director of first impressions, who isresponsible for greeting members, said, “I love that my voice isheard at Direct. With DirectThinker we all have the means toexpress our ideas and apply them in the credit union strategy.”

Johnson said all credit unions and employers should have an employee feedback tool inplace.

“We have found that the best ideas come from those who are doingthe work every day. The smallest idea may make the biggest impact.It is also beneficial to help see trends in any one area where anidea is coming from. If we start seeing a lot of ideas about oneparticular pain point, we know that we have to take a step back andlook at that pain point in more detail.”

Does your credit union have a feedback tool in place? If so, howhas it impacted your credit union? Shoot me an email and share yourfeedback.

Tahira Hayes is a Correspondent-at-Large at CreditUnion Times. She can be reached at [email protected].