Navigating leadership change successfully

PHOENIX (STN) – Major change at high levels of leadership can be hard. As a new person takes the reins of an established organization, not only is a spotlight on that office, but there can be a ripple effect of change throughout all departments. That can be tough to navigate.

Less than 14 months ago, after having already served at the helm of two other credit unions, Brandon Michaels took over as president and CEO at OneAZ Credit Union. He joined “It Happens at STN” to talk about his first year on the job, what he brings to OneAZ Credit Union and what it takes to guide an entire organization through change at the top—a process he said started long before he got the job.

“You go through the interview process, you talk to the board, you look at the website, you look at marketing material, you look at all those types of things,” Michaels explained. “I wanted to understand the people. I wanted to understand what they thought and calibrate that with the changing needs of the industry.”

Getting to know what makes an organization successful and making sure the employees you will be leading are well-equipped to handle a major change in leadership takes time. Something Michaels said was a lesson he learned from two previous stints as a credit union president and CEO where he felt pressure to hit the ground running.

“My first CEO job, I came out and I wanted to make an impact on the organization immediately,” Michaels said. “You learn over time that you just need to be patient and you need to wait and you need to connect with the employees.”

Watch the full interview with Brandon Michaels in the video below:

Michaels said bringing a new CEO on board can create a lot of fear and anxiety among employees.

“My LinkedIn blew up as soon as they announced that I was going to be the CEO,” Michaels said. “They’re all looking at me and they’re researching me. I just didn’t want to do anything for six months. The best thing that you can do is just be quiet and just listen.”

During those six months of being quiet and listening, Michaels said he talked to more than 500 employees to get a sense of their opinions of the organization, as compared to the opinions of board members, and get a better sense of what the employees thought of the recent, and rapid evolutions in the banking industry.

“The industry is changing so much,” he said. “How you interact with your apps changes how you think you should interact with banking. So we’re undergoing massive change and I needed to understand where the organization was and were we ready for it.”

In the end, Michaels explained that the best thing any new CEO can do is take care of the people who work for you.

“People are stressed out right now,” he said. “Be authentic. Show a lot of empathy. But, don’t let the desire for perfection slow you down.”