As Twitter announced their new CEO last week, Jack Dorsey, the way in which the announcement was handled is a lesson for credit union staff and volunteers: use your own products and services.

To announce Dorsey as the new permanent CEO, Twitter used its own service, not a press release. Are you using your own credit unions’s products and services? If not, it’s a missed opportunity to learn more and to improve by stepping into the shoes of your members. There have been several occasions in applying for a product or service through one of my credit unions that I uncover an obstacle that should be remedied for the sake of members convenience.

If this seems like common sense, I can’t tell you how often I ask staff and volunteers of various credit unions if they have a loan with their credit union, and hands don’t go up. If you want members to be active members cooperating and participating in your financial cooperative, it starts with you and your team!