Our Strategic Journey
Making BCU's Strategy Explicit
Over the next six months, we'll surface the strategy BCU is already operating with, build a shared language for strategic decisions, and identify opportunities to strengthen how you win with members.
Roger Martin explains why a plan is not a strategy
Before Thursday's Workshop
Where We Are, and What Thursday Does
This page catches you up so you walk into Workshop 5 already oriented. You don't need to prepare anything.
We took inventory
We listed every project BCU had going and screened them against the strategy. Four rose to the top as keeps. Nothing got cut, which became its own finding.
We mapped what each takes
For those keeps, we mapped the people, processes, and values each one needs, and where BCU comes up short. The two hires got their specs. Awareness came out as a gap BCU has barely started to close.
The board backed the work
The board voted to continue through a September planning session. Mikal asked the board to take part in the next phase.
What Thursday Does
Workshop 5 is Prioritization and Trade-Offs. We take the project list from Workshop 3 and the capacity picture from Workshop 4, and decide what fits the team you have.
By the end, we want four things:
- 1.One project stopped or deferred, for a team that has had trouble cutting anything.
- 2.A decision on each of the two hires, the Operations Supervisor and the VP of Lending.
- 3.An owner on everything you keep.
- 4.One number that shows by December whether the new branch is working.
The Engagement
Six months of strategic clarity
Every organization has a strategy, whether it's written down or not. BCU has a strategy embedded in how you make decisions every day. Over the next six months, the goal is to define it clearly, examine whether it's the right one, and ensure you have the capacity to execute it.
Each quarter follows an alternating pattern: coaching call, workshop, coaching call, workshop, coaching call, workshop. This rhythm maintains momentum without overwhelming.
6
Coaching Calls
Kristin 1:1
6
Team Workshops
Senior Executive Team
1
Board Session
30-min Progress Review
What the Board Has Asked For
2026 Strategic Planning Goals
Three priorities the board has formally approved for 2026. Every piece of cascade work, project filtering, and capacity planning ties back to these.
Growth and Community Impact
- Open the new Capital Drive (Midtown) branch by July 1, with a soft opening in June
- Add new branch metrics (members, loans, deposits) to board reports by June 30
- Grow active financial counseling participants from 9 to 24 by Dec 31
- Build a 3-year plan for the financial counseling program by Dec 31
Internal and Efficiency Focus
- Continue middle-management coaching with biweekly training on relationship building, coaching, and team engagement
- Create an evaluation plan for expectations, goals, and accountability across all staff by June 30
- Complete branch accounting implementation by June 30
- Conduct a branch accounting review with reporting accuracy and feedback by Dec 31
Community Development Strategic Plan
- Quarterly board updates on the Community Development Strategic Plan
- Increase digital adoption of products and services by 10% over the next two years
- Open the new branch and participate in at least one community event mid-2026
- Continue Credit Specialist promotion through Q1 and Q2; deliver 2 workshops and 24 one-on-one sessions in Q3-Q4
Headline Financial Targets (2026)
ROAA Ratio
-0.26 to 0
New Members
1,000 - 1,200
Loan Growth (overall)
0 - 2%
Net Loan Growth
7 - 8%
HELOC Program
+8%
Homeownership Counseling
25 members
Source: 2026 Strategic Planning Goals, Quarter 1 Update (board-approved, April 27, 2026).
Your 6-Month Roadmap
Phase 1: January - June 2026
Strategy Definition
Goal: Define Brewery CU's current strategy
Outcomes
- Understanding of core concepts behind strategy, its development, and its management
- A clear, shared one-page statement of BCU's current strategy
Workshops
- Jan: What is Strategy? (Core concepts & framework)
- Feb: Strategy Definition (Define BCU's current strategy)
- Apr: Project Inventory (Assess alignment)
Capacity & Capability Mapping
Goal: Balance strategic opportunities with operational responsibilities
Outcomes
- Determine whether BCU has the right people in the right roles doing the right work
- Understand BCU's realistic capacity
- Validate strategic direction
Workshops
- May: Capability Mapping (Gap analysis)
- Jun: Prioritization Framework (Trade-offs)
- Jul: Strategic Bets & Validation (Testing)
Board Progress Update
30-minute session with the board: progress summary, objective feedback on capability gaps, and key learnings.
Our Sessions
Click each session to see details and outcomes. Coaching calls and workshops alternate throughout the engagement.
The Strategy Cascade
Playing to Win says that strategy is built on five integrated choices. These questions cascade from top to bottom, and each choice constrains and reinforces the others.
What is our winning aspiration?
What does winning look like for BCU?
Where will we play?
Which members, products, geography, and channels?
How will we win?
Why will members choose BCU over alternatives?
What capabilities must be in place?
What must BCU be excellent at?
What management systems do we need?
What measures and processes reinforce the strategy?