In boardrooms across the credit union industry, a familiar question appears on slides and dashboards: “Will we reach our goal by the target date?”
The question seems reasonable. Strategic plans often contain bold aspirations—$1 billion in assets, 100,000 members, a new market expansion, or top-tier member experience metrics—each paired with a firm date. Directors want accountability. Executives want clarity. Consultants want progress.
But there is a growing problem with how many organizations interpret those dates. Too often, a missed date is treated as failure. That thinking is not only inaccurate; it’s strategically dangerous. High-performing credit unions focus less on the date and far more on the trajectory.
Strategy Is Motion, Not a Moment
A strategy is not a single point on a calendar. It is a direction of travel. In the real world, strategies rarely move in straight lines. External forces accelerate or delay progress:
• Interest rate cycles reshape loan demand
• Local economic shifts affect membership growth
• Technology implementation takes longer than expected
• Mergers create sudden scale opportunities
• Regulatory reviews delay timelines
• Unexpected market opportunities appear
In short, strategy lives in a dynamic environment. When boards and executives become obsessed with a specific date, they risk focusing on optics rather than outcomes. Management may feel pressure to rush initiatives, cut corners, or overextend resources simply to say the goal was achieved “on time.”
But members do not care about the date. They care about the value.
The Real Question: Are We Moving in the Right Direction?
Great boards ask better questions:
• Are we moving closer to the destination?
• Are our initiatives producing measurable momentum?
• Is our growth model strengthening the organization?
• Are we building capabilities that will compound over time?
This is what I call strategic trajectory. Trajectory measures direction and velocity, not just arrival. A credit union moving steadily toward its goals, even if the date shifts, is far healthier than one that technically hits a milestone but sacrifices long-term sustainability to get there.
Trajectory reflects organizational strength. Dates simply reflect calendar math.
The Unexpected Is Not Failure
In the modern financial services landscape, the unexpected is not the exception. It is the rule. Consider what credit unions have navigated in just the past several years:
• Pandemic-driven economic swings
• Rapid interest rate increases
• Deposit competition from fintechs and mega-banks
• Accelerated digital expectations from members
• Mergers reshaping local markets
Under these conditions, insisting that a strategy unfold exactly as originally scheduled borders on unrealistic. A strategic plan must be resilient enough to adapt without losing its destination. This is where strong governance matters.
Boards should not measure success by whether the organization hits a date. They should measure success by whether leadership continues to strengthen the credit union’s competitive position.
A 10XCU™ Example: Trajectory in Action
Within the 10XCU™ framework, one credit union established a bold aspiration: triple assets over a ten-year horizon while becoming the dominant financial partner in its region. The initial strategic roadmap projected reaching a major milestone – $2 billion in assets – by the end of Year Six.
Then the unexpected happened. First, a major technology conversion delayed several member-experience initiatives. Implementation took longer than planned. Some board members worried the timeline was slipping.
Then something else happened. A neighboring credit union approached them about a merger. The opportunity aligned perfectly with the organization’s growth model and community mission. Pursuing it required leadership attention and regulatory review that pushed other initiatives slightly off schedule.
If the board had remained rigidly focused on the original date, leadership might have dismissed the merger opportunity. Instead, they focused on trajectory.
The result? The credit union reached the $2 billion milestone one year later than originally planned; but with a dramatically stronger balance sheet, expanded membership base, and broader community impact. In other words, the destination became even more valuable. That is the power of strategic trajectory.
The Board’s Role: Guard the Direction
Directors play a critical role in protecting this mindset. Their job is not to enforce rigid timelines. Their job is to ensure the credit union is moving in the right strategic direction. Boards should ask management for three things:
- Clarity of Destination. Where are we going? Why does it matter to members?
- Evidence of Momentum. What indicators show we are moving closer?
- Adaptability of Strategy. How are we adjusting when the environment changes?
If those three elements remain strong, a delayed milestone is not failure. It is simply part of the journey.
Progress Beats Perfection
The most successful credit unions in the country share a common trait. They think long term. They understand that building relevance, scale, and member loyalty happens through consistent forward motion, not perfect adherence to a calendar.
Progress matters more than perfection. Direction matters more than deadlines. Trajectory matters more than timing.
In the end, members do not measure their credit union by whether a strategic milestone happened in June instead of December. They measure it by whether the institution continues to become stronger, more relevant, and more valuable in their lives.
And that is the real destination.
Jeff Rendel, CSP, is Principal of Rising Above Enterprises, and a leading strategic advisor to credit unions nationwide. He is the creator of the 10XCU™ high performance system, which helps credit unions build scale, relevance, and member value through bold strategy and disciplined execution. Contact: jeff@jeffrendel.com; jeffrendel.com; 951.310.7275.