From Dr. Tracey C. Jones, T3 Solutions

Last week, I stood in front of 27 credit union leaders from 7 different institutions and made an announcement:

"I have a special guest speaker joining us today. Someone more powerful than John Maxwell."

The room perked up.

"More famous than Simon Sinek."

Eyes widened.

"More emotive than Brené Brown!"

And then… Hedgie the Hedgehog waddled into the room. 🦔

The place erupted.

Why a Giant Hedgehog at a Leadership Workshop?

Here's what I've learned after 30+ years of leadership development: serious content doesn't require serious delivery.

We were diving into Jim Collins' Hedgehog Concept from Good to Great—the idea that great organizations focus on the intersection of what they're passionate about, what they can be best at, and what drives their economic engine. Heavy stuff. Important stuff. But it needed a moment of joy to land well.

That's where Hedgie came in.

The surprise appearance didn't just make people laugh (though it did). It created a pattern interrupt—a moment that broke through the typical conference room monotony and made the content stick. Those leaders will never forget the Hedgehog Concept now. Not because I lectured about it, but because they experienced it.

What Actually Happened at the Visionary Leadership Workshop

I had the privilege of working with Horizon Federal Credit Union and their leadership community—bringing together executives from multiple Pennsylvania credit unions for a full-day intensive on visionary leadership.

Here's what we covered:

Vision development using frameworks from Jim Collins, Simon Sinek, and Patrick Lencioni
Custom self-assessment that participants rated as "one of the best they've ever taken"
Strategic thinking exercises including STOP, START, CHANGE methodology
Cross-institutional collaboration with intentional seating design

The 50/50 Rule: Why Seasoned Leaders Need Space, Not Just Content

These weren't entry-level supervisors. These were CEOs, COOs, VPs, and senior managers with decades of combined experience. They didn't need me to lecture at them for eight hours.

That's where the 50/50 rule comes in: 50% teaching, 50% application.

Seasoned leaders already have wisdom—they need space to apply it and frameworks to organize it. My job wasn't to fill their heads with information. My job was to create the environment where their own insights could emerge.

Morning: Mixed Tables for Cross-Pollination

We started the morning with strategic mixing. Instead of sitting with their own teams, I intentionally placed leaders from different credit unions together at five tables. Why?

Because transformation happens when you hear how someone else solved the problem you're facing. When a VP from one credit union shares their PESTEL analysis with leaders from six other institutions, everyone gets smarter.

The morning session focused on:

Environmental scanning and strategic forces
Values identification and alignment
Collaborative learning across organizations

Afternoon: Credit Union Teams for Vision Drafting

After lunch, we reorganized. Each credit union sat together as a team because you can't draft YOUR vision statement sitting next to someone from a different organization.

This is where the application happened. Armed with frameworks from the morning, each team:

Clarified their unique strategic position
Identified their "hedgehog" focus
Drafted actionable vision statements they could actually use

Not visionary fluff. Not corporate word salad. Real, strategic, implementable vision.

The Results? Repeats, Referrals, and Rewards

By the end of the day:

Leaders were asking about additional training opportunities
Referrals to other credit unions were already in motion
Participants left with actionable vision statements that will actually drive strategy (not collect dust in a drawer)

One leader told me afterward: "This wasn't just another training day. This was different."

That's the goal. That's always the goal.

But Vision Is Only One Piece of the Puzzle

Here's the truth about organizational transformation: Vision without values is just wishful thinking. And values without mission, culture, strategic planning, and tactical objectives? That's just a poster on the wall.

Credit unions (and any organization, really) need all the pieces working together:

Vision – Where are we going?
Mission – Why do we exist?
Values – What do we stand for?
Culture – How do we treat each other?
Strategic Planning – What's our roadmap?
Tactical Objectives – What are we doing this quarter?

At T3 Solutions, we don't just teach one framework. We help leadership teams build the complete strategic infrastructure that drives sustainable transformation.

What Makes T3 Solutions Different

After working with credit unions, corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies, I've learned that adults learn best when training is:

Grounded in proven frameworks (Collins, Sinek, Lencioni, Covey)
Customized to your context (not cookie-cutter content)
Interactive and engaging (because death by PowerPoint helps no one)
Balanced between teaching and application (the 50/50 rule)
Delivered with authenticity and joy (yes, sometimes that means a hedgehog shows up)

Whether you need a keynote, a half-day workshop, or a multi-session leadership development program, we design training that doesn't just inspire—it equips.

Ready to Transform Your Leadership Team?

If your organization needs strategic clarity around vision, values, mission, culture, or strategic planning—or if you just want a leadership experience your team will actually remember—let's talk.

Because transformation doesn't happen in boring conference rooms with recycled content.

It happens when serious content meets serious joy.

(Hedgie optional, but highly recommended.) 🦔

Dr. Tracey C. Jones is President of T3 Solutions, Inc. and a leadership educator, consultant, and coach specializing in transformational training for credit unions, corporations, and organizations committed to developing their people. Contact Tracey to discuss bringing visionary leadership training to your organization.

More Famous Than John Maxwell: How a Giant Hedgehog Taught 27 Credit Union Leaders About Vision