Conscious Leadership with Dan Berger

Dan Berger is an economist and leadership expert. He’s also President the CEO of NAFCU, The National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions. There are some great hacks and lessons from Dan including: How focusing on culture and wellbeing drives results Why hiring slow and we firing fast stimulate the right attitude and supports aptitude Sharing more of who you are builds relationships (including on his Harley Davidson) Be thoughtful how people receive your communication especially electronically   Join our Tribe at https://leadership-hacker.com Music: " Upbeat Party " by Scott Holmes courtesy of the Free Music Archive FMA Transcript: Thanks to Jermaine Pinto at JRP Transcribing for being our Partner. Contact Jermaine via LinkedIn or via his site JRP Transcribing Services Find out more about Dan below: NAFCU Website https://www.nafcu.org Dan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/bdanberger/   Full Transcript Below ----more----  Steve Rush: Some call me Steve, dad, husband or friend. Others might call me boss, coach or mentor. Today you can call me The Leadership Hacker.   Thanks for listening in. I really appreciate it. My job as the leadership hacker is to hack into the minds, experiences, habits and learning of great leaders, C-Suite executives, authors and development experts so that I can assist you developing your understanding and awareness of leadership. I am Steve Rush and I am your host today. I am the author of Leadership Cake. I am a transformation consultant and leadership coach. I cannot wait to start sharing all things leadership with you.   Our special guest on today's show is Dan Berger. He's an economist, leadership expert and president the CEO of NAFCU, The National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions. But before we get a chance to speak with Dan, it's The Leadership Hacker News.   The Leadership Hacker News   Steve Rush: Most of us would agree that empathy is an essential ingredient in leadership. In my book, Leadership Cake, empathy is in fact the “E” in C.A.K.E. and the lack of this essential ingredient became a talking point on the 9th of February when it emerged in an article with the Guardian newspaper, calling out that KPMG boss and Chairman Bill Michael had urged staff to stop moaning about the effects of COVID-19 and get on with their jobs in a staff video called the previous day, recordings of which soon made their way online. Bill Michael had also gnashed his teeth at employers saying they were playing the victim card with regards to current working conditions and also rallied against his own firm's inclusion efforts by saying. “There's no such thing as unconscious bias, I don't buy it. Because after all, every single unconscious bias training this firm has ever done, nothing's ever improved.” How ironic is that? Huh? Shocked and confused and reverberated through KPMG's workforce. Mr. Michael issued an apology saying, I'm sorry for the words that I used, they did not reflect what I believed in. I have apologized to my colleagues looking after the wellbeing of our people and creating a culture where everyone can thrive is a critical importance to me and at the heart of everything this firm does. However, a few days later, he next his resignation, with a senior elected board member being a matter of replacing him as chair. Michael empathy gap sparked a significant amount of controversy across the world and across the press with Gemma McCall, head of a bullying prevention software firm called Culture Shift told the guardian. “Leaders really do need to take heed and exceed expectation when it comes to creating a safe and supportive environment for all employees.” News of Mr. Michael blunt embracing staff called coincided with the Financial Times publication of Redis feedback, highlighting a wave of pandemic burnout that has hit the papers audience of white-collar professionals. Based on anecdotal responses from 250 readers from around the world, the FT’s piece laid bar