A Culture of Empowerment

Jeff Olson shares his “Insights & Intuition” with Prairie Business magazine on building a culture of empowerment and accountability. 

Jeff Olson

Editors note: Jeff Olson was recently asked by Prairie Business magazine to answer the question, “How does your organization build a culture of empowerment and accountability?” Read the article here or reprinted in its entirety below.

Submitted by Jeff Olson, president/CEO, Dakota Credit Union Association
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Here at the Dakota Credit Union Association, we openly discuss, encourage and practice accountability and empowerment through trust, our core values and mission, along with daily, quarterly, and annual strategies and objectives.

Trust: We are a small, but mighty team. At our organization, empowerment and accountability starts with trust and establishing strong professional relationships. Because we serve two states, North and South Dakota, we also cover a large geographic space.
Our team members have to function with a degree of autonomy, which in itself empowers them to be fully engaged in an independent work environment.

Core Values & Mission: As a member-driven professional trade association, it’s imperative that our staff believes in our core mission and consistently practice returning value to our stakeholders. There is no “diffused responsibility” – and this has resulted in team members taking responsibility for what they do. More importantly, as a “not for profit” organization, our team is fully engaged in providing value to our membership. Each person’s outcome is proof of their appreciation of the value of the work they do and how their individual roles impact a positive outcome for our stakeholders.

Strategic Tasks and Objective Based: An effective strategy for us has been utilizing a “tasks and objective based” approach. Outlining clear, realistic, and achievable objectives has helped to create confidence in our team members to successfully meet and exceed expectations. Recognizing successes and performance outcomes provides additional engagement. 

Providing Solutions: Our mission here is pretty simple; we’re in business to help our association’s members succeed. We empower our team to solve problems by offering solutions for our stakeholders, often before they experience an actual industry-related obstacle. We like to think of ourselves as “pain relievers” for our members.
I’m truly amazed at how energized and creative people can be when you give them ownership, confidence, and resources to be servant leaders.

Professional Development and Personal Values: As a smaller organization, it’s certainly easier to get to know each team member personally. In my leadership role, understanding their unique personal values and professional goals helps in mentoring and guiding their individual development and growth within the organization. It also supports and solidifies the value proposition each brings on a daily basis.

Ownership: Finally, allowing team members to own their department’s strategic goals as well as taking ownership in our overall organizational goals not only nurtures innovation, it allows individuals to grow both personally and professionally. Fostering a supportive environment where they can continually and successfully contribute develops long-term loyalty and deeper empowerment.

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