PALM DESERT, Calif.—On Wednesday at the Defense Credit Union Council’s Annual Conference, Heather McKissick, CEO of CUES, brought humor, energy, and a deeply practical message to a packed room of credit union leaders: Leading through change is no longer optional—it’s the job.
"The #1 most requested leadership topic in our industry is change," McKissick told attendees at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort. "We’ve all been navigating prolonged, unprecedented uncertainty. The question now is—how do we lead change effectively?"
Rather than deliver a standard lecture, McKissick asked attendees to engage in an exercise. Attendees stood, partnered up, and made small changes to their appearance, guessing what had shifted. It was lighthearted, but the purpose became clear: change, even when simple, is disorienting.
“That discomfort you just felt? That’s the first truth of change: people feel awkward,” McKissick explained. “Even if you support a change, it’s clunky to live through.”
She shared seven adapted lessons from Ken Blanchard’s work on change leadership:
- Expect Awkwardness – People feel uneasy at the start of change. It’s normal, even when the change is welcome.
- Change Often Feels Like Loss – People instinctively remove things first—glasses, badges—because they equate change with giving something up.
- Change Fatigue Is Real – Especially among volunteers and middle managers. “We keep moving forward, but our people are carrying a lot more than just our initiatives,” she noted.
- People Are at Different Readiness Levels – Not everyone starts from the same place. “The leader at the front isn’t the only leader. Someone in the middle connects vision to action. Someone at the back makes sure no one is left behind.”
- Scarcity Is a Default Mindset – When faced with change, people often worry about not having enough—time, money, support. “Creativity is your way out,” she urged, sharing the story of a man who, running out of things to change in the earlier exercise, drew a mustache on himself with a flip chart marker.
- People Will Revert Without Reinforcement – “We are hardwired for habit,” McKissick said. “Unless you intentionally reinforce the change, people go back—fast.”
- Purpose Fuels Resilience – “People will push through tough times if they know what they’re protecting. If they believe the change is fair—even if they disagree—they’ll support it.”
She closed by encouraging leaders to stop defaulting to strategy-only thinking and instead become operationally excellent, purpose-driven change leaders—those who connect strategy with the human side of leadership.
“Ask yourself,” McKissick challenged, “the next time there’s a change—what would you do differently to champion it?”