OnSite: CUES Symposium CEO/Board Exchange

If you thought that the CUES Symposium at Grand Wailea here in Hawaii was all fun and games – think again! The past few days have been packed with learning and priceless moments that couldn’t happen anywhere else.

The team from DDJ Myers has been hard at work engaging both credit union CEO’s and board members in discussions that can help them keep up with the changing pace of the industry. The balance of this relationship is crucial, yet tricky. It’s important to establish early on who will be responsible for setting the mission and strategy for the credit union in the coming years –only then can you successfully tackle issues that you both face; such as diversity, outdated technology, compensation, talent and mergers. Clarity of roles is a key component and cannot be stressed enough. CEO’s and board members ask yourself this question: “In 10 words or less what am I responsible for?” This gives you a starting point for open communication moving forward.

Another point driven home here was the idea of creating “priceless surprises”. With help from MasterCard, attendees had the opportunity to meet golf pro, Tom Watson. Credit unions pride themselves on being member-centric and while you might not be able to arrange a meet and greet between a celebrity and your members what you can do is create a moment that they will always remember. Take a moment to consider what your members really care about and what influences their lives – then ask yourself how you help them achieve something they never thought possible. What I love most about this concept is that it’s scalable; creating a moment that a member cherishes will earn your credit union more loyalty and more “word of mouth” points than any promotional campaign could possibly achieve.

In a fast paced world where being in the grind seems impossible to get out of, I challenge you to make time to be honest and transparent about your responsibilities, skills and limits. I also challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and really focus on your members as individuals and not a sub-group of the community you serve: what can you do for them that no one else can? Let’s make 2016 the year that members will never forget!

Randall Smith

Randall Smith

Randall Smith is the co-founder of CUInsight.com, the host of The CUInsight Experience podcast, and a bit of a wanderlust. As one of the co-founders of CUInsight he looks ... Web: www.CUInsight.com Details