“On The Mark Strategies is almost like a remote employee of ours. We have access to Shawn – our facilitator – as a resource, and the whole experience has been unbelievably positive.”
– Gina Rasmussen, COO, TruStar FCU
On The Mark Strategies performs anywhere from 50 to 70 strategic planning sessions a year for financial organizations, and its facilitators are in high demand for how they educate, engage and entertain participants. Your On The Mark Strategies planning process is different from the experiences other facilitators offer for five key reasons:
- Our proprietary trends report (the M-Scan)
- New exercises (we throw out the SWOT)
- Frienemy approach (we love you like a friend but challenge you like an enemy)
- The 10% Rule (give more than 90%)
- Follow-up (the best plans get implemented)
See how TruStar FCU went through this process and the difference it made for its staff.
Situation
TruStar FCU is a successful credit union serving six counties in Northern Minnesota. Following a change in leadership, credit union executives spent a few years focusing on internal tasks and holding task-based planning sessions. These sessions helped during the transition, but leaders realized they needed to look farther into the future. They sought out external expertise to help form this vision at their next session.
Actions
An On The Mark Strategies strategic planning facilitator guided credit union leaders through a “strategic planning funnel” process that included industry trends, survey reviews, unique exercises and discussion on issues unique to the credit union. Gina Rasmussen, COO at TruStar FCU, said the process “was really great and made sense” and her facilitator was “engaging, very inspiring, knowledgeable and willing to help.”
Rasmussen also commented on the “10% Rule” used in sessions: “I’ve never been given the opportunity through a strategic planner to know it’s alright to have a 10% comment. It’s alright to say things you wouldn’t normally say. It stuck with the group. I use it in my agendas now to get all our cards out on the table.”
Results
TruStar FCU came away from the session with vital action items, including aligning their leaders under the “Team One” concept and prioritizing up-to-date data analysis and usage. The credit union also engaged On The Mark Strategies for leadership training and another planning session the following year.
“It’s been inspiring. It’s been eye-opening. I feel thankful. Our team of managers left this session feeling more inspired than we have in a very long time. On The Mark Strategies has been absolutely wonderful to work with,” Rasmussen said.
Do you want similar value? Book a free consultation now and let’s chat about your next strategic planning session.
