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Berger outlines leadership strategies, keys to NAFCU's growth in exclusive interview
In an exclusive interview with Adam Mendler, an expert in thought leadership and strategy development and CEO of The Veloz Group, NAFCU President and CEO Dan Berger discussed his experience as one of Washington's most influential advocates, strategies for successful leadership, and how he led NAFCU to record membership growth.
"The best advice I can give is to always be respectful of others and value their time. Be prompt when arriving for meetings, be responsive to policymakers' questions, and be sure to keep open lines of communication through proactive outreach and honest interactions," said Berger, who has been recognized as a top lobbyist by The Hill for 17 consecutive years. "The surest way to have a lawmaker’s door close on you or to burn a relationship is to undervalue the needs of others."
After taking the reins as president and CEO of NAFCU, Berger used these leadership skills to help refocus the association’s agenda towards issues credit unions cared deeply about.
"Trade associations in Washington have a habit of trying to be all things to all people, but at NAFCU, we focus on advocacy, compliance assistance, and education and training – that is it!," said Berger. "And our members have supported us every step of the way. Because of this, we have grown our membership by over 40 percent in just over seven years and we now represent 54 percent of the industry's assets."
To accomplish this, Berger explained his leadership style that fits the needs of the association and the team-at-large.
"Leaders can never forget the importance of servant leadership. As president and CEO of NAFCU, I have found getting buy-in is so much easier and a better way to lead than by throwing a hammer at the problem," added Berger.
"While striving toward consensus is a noble endeavor, leaders must also be decisive and step up to make the hard decisions. Feedback and insights that offer unique perspective and knowledge from your team are invaluable during this process."
You can read Berger’s full interview here. Mendler previously interviewed the founder of Samuel Adams Jim Koch, Kevin Harrington of Shark Tank, and executives from Amway, Zoom, Redfin, Orange Theory, among others.