Jeff and I were sitting in the green room behind the stage at the Forum Credit Union conference center discussing leadership. I had met Jeff only a few months previously and he is a genuine and caring man who desires to lead others in the best way possible.
Mr. Welch has the responsibility of overseeing finances as the CFO of Indianapolis based Forum Credit Union. Through my interactions with Jeff and others in this organization I have gathered this is an organization with an outstanding culture.
When we started our conversation, I asked him to explain leadership from his role in the organization. He believes he must bring clarity to where the organization was, where they are now and where they are headed as it relates to the financial details. Addressing these areas makes the numbers relevant to others in the organization. While answering those questions, he correlates the numbers to the organizational goals and how people are making a difference in their role. One additional question he asks himself as a leader who desires to be transparent and authentic is: how much is enough information?
LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES
Mr. Welch values people and that is evident in how he communicated with me, but also in his guiding leadership principles.
Communication
Many leaders have this as a foundational principle. Specifically Mr. Welch believes communication must be consistent and timely. If we are leaders who develop other leaders and not developing followers then we need to provide information in a manner that enables those we lead to make informed timely decisions. Consistent, timely communication enables that.
Relationships
In order to maintain strong relationships with those he leads Jeff seeks to build unity and trust. When a mistake is made he accepts responsibility for his part in it and makes it known by saying “we messed up.” This humble response builds unity and trust among his team. Jeff also takes time to think about each individual and how to be present with them in the way they need. He modifies his communication approach instead of expecting them to adjust to him.
DELEGATION
Mr. Welch’s third principle was the idea of delegation. He admits his struggle with being a perfectionist so this has been an area of great growth for him. Because of this reality I dove a little deeper on this idea and he provided some more detailed insights on effective delegation.
- Provide a clear goal. As the leader he knows he must make the goal and expectations of the task/project clear. At the same time, he is willing to adjust his expectations for himself and others.
- Create a win/win. Jeff has the humility to allow and encourage those he leads to push him to delegate. This atmosphere also encourages creating win/win situations where he distributes responsibilities to free his time while providing others with opportunities to stretch and grow their leadership.
- Team thinking. When delegating a responsibility Jeff tries to create a team. A couple key questions for him are: what is the problem? Who needs to be involved? In answering these questions as accurately as possible he can build an effectively empowered team that will accomplish the goal.
This is a man who is authentic, humble and continually seeks to grow through his involvement in organizations outside of Forum. How about you? When it comes to relationships, communication, and delegation what is one way you can grow to become a more focused, effective, and purposeful leader? Need help thinking into this? If so, contact me. In the meantime, lead well.
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