Current and Aspiring Leaders Build Knowledge and Skills with Bellevue University Leadership Programs
May 18, 2022
In August, 2019, Cobalt Credit Union recognized the need to provide their management personnel with foundational leadership skills and knowledge in order to prepare for an agile and prosperous future. They turned to Bellevue University. Together, Cobalt and the University selected coursework that addressed their need. “This customized leadership program allows us to strategically evaluate and select coursework we know is essential to being a successful leader in our organization,” noted Allison Malone, Vice President of Culture Development and Marketing for Cobalt Credit Union.
The leadership program courses include business courses like Business Leadership, Leading Others Through Change, and Financial Basics, as well as PowerSkills™ courses like Problem-Solving, Judgment, Decision-Making, Self-Management, and Values Clarification.
The course content is offered online. To ensure that course content hits home with daily and long-term experiences, each class of leaders meets after each course to discuss what was learned, and how it applies to their current roles and the Credit Union mission and vision.
That program has been so successful that Cobalt Credit Union soon after introduced a new program for Aspiring Leaders. Participants in this program are those who are interested in moving into leadership at Cobalt Credit Union. Aspiring Leaders concentrate on Business Management, Communication, and Collaboration. They follow the same application collaboration model as the leadership program, meeting after each course to discuss how to apply learning to their roles and sharing case studies.
To date, 26 Cobalt Credit Union employees have participated in one or the other of these programs. Importantly, these programs are seen as lynchpins to the company’s growth and succession planning. According to Malone, “As a result of these programs, we have begun building a group of credit union leaders who are smart, confident, and ready to lead our organization in the future.”
Aspiring Leader graduates Chopa Park, Phi Smith, Shelly Galloway, Emmy Niroula, Maribel Garcia & Brenda Johnston.