CUNA News
  • LOG IN
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • LOG IN
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • Credit Union Magazine
    • Buyers' Guide
    • Digital Edition
    • Credit Union Hero
    • Credit Union Rock Star
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Topics
    • Community Service
    • Compliance
    • Credit Union Hero
    • Credit Union Rock Star
    • Credit Union System
    • Directors
    • Human Resources
    • Leadership
    • Lending
    • Marketing
    • Operations
    • Policy & Issues
    • Sales & Service
    • Technology
  • Awards
    • Nominate Credit Union Hero
    • Nominate Credit Union Rock Star
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Jobs
  • Contact

News

Home » Apply 4 questions to every project
Leadership

Apply 4 questions to every project

'The longer you wait to try, the longer you wait to learn.'

November 5, 2019
Bill Merrick
No Comments
Diana Kander
“Making yourself accountable is the secret to hitting your goals," says author Diana Kander.

If your credit union is wildly successful, be very worried. That’s when complacency sets in, says Diana Kander, author of “The Curiosity Muscle."

“Every dollar you make is a reason not to change,” says Kander, who addressed the 2019 CUNA Lending Council Conference. “Hubris born of success makes us complacent. I want to make you paranoid—and much more curious.

“Curiosity is the antidote to hubris.”

Kander says applying four questions to every project will create a significant impact in your organization:

1. How will you find your blind spots?

“You walk around every day with information that’s either incomplete or not true,” Kander says. “That’s a blind spot that’s slowing you down from what you want to accomplish.”

Because people can’t see their own blind spots, finding them requires getting sometimes painful feedback from someone who has already experienced the issue or from those you serve.

“Huge blind spots are part of every initiative we take on,” she says. “Understanding what they are will help us solve the problem much faster.”

Kander does a blind spot gut check every six months. “If I haven’t heard anything surprising or painful, I know I have blind spots.”

2. What can you try?

Amazon is successful because it experiments constantly, Kander says.

Many companies avoid experimenting because they fear failure, she says. “But if you don’t try, you don’t learn anything. The longer you wait to try, the longer you wait to learn. You can’t afford to do that.”

3. How will you know if it’s not working?

Kander calls programs that take more effort than the value they create “zombie projects.”

While Amazon is one of the world’s most successful companies, it has had its share of these failures, Kander says, citing the Fire phone, Amazon Local, Amazon Wallet, and other ventures that didn’t pan out.

“[Amazon CEO] Jeff Bezos is the world’s richest person. He’s not a genius—he has institutionalized how to find zombie projects,” she says. “Amazon is great at shutting down what’s not working.

“All companies have committees for creating new products, but they don’t have them for shutting projects down.”

She advises implementing “failure metrics” so companies know when to exit efforts that aren’t working.

4. Who will hold you accountable?

A lack of accountability is the top reason people fail, Kander says.

“The more success you have in an organization, the less accountability you have,” she says. “Making yourself accountable is the secret to hitting your goals.”

►Click here for more conference coverage from CUNA News. Learn more about the CUNA Lending Council, a member-led professional society for credit union executives, at cunacouncils.org.

KEYWORDS CUNA Lending Council

Post a comment to this article

Report Abusive Comment

Credit Union Magazine: Rock Stars 2023

Rock Stars 2023

Credit Union Rock Stars are outstanding credit union professionals and directors from a wide range of disciplines who inspire and innovate to advance the missions of their credit unions. The 25 members of the 11th class of Rock Stars were selected for their exceptional creativity, innovation, and passion.
Digital Edition •  Subscribe

Trending

  • Meet the 2023 Credit Union Rock Stars

  • Senate Banking Committee passes cannabis banking bill

  • Senate committee to mark up SAFER Banking Act this week

Polls

Do you plan to use the FedNow instant payment service?

View Results
More

Champion for the Credit Union Movement

Credit Union National Association is the most influential financial services trade association and the only national association that advocates on behalf of all of America's credit unions. We work tirelessly to protect your best interests in Washington and all 50 states. We fuel your professional growth at every level and champion the credit union story at every turn.

More CUNA

  • Membership
  • Contact Us
  • Careers

Resources for

  • Credit Union Advocates
  • Leagues
  • Press
  • Providers

Our Affiliates

  • American Association of Credit Union Leagues (AACUL)
  • Credit Union Awareness
  • Credit Union House
  • CUNA Strategic Services
  • National Credit Union Foundation
GET CUNA UPDATES
© 2023 Credit Union National Association | ADA Compliance Notice & Legal
Email Us