What’s your attitude size?

I love credit unions because we often have our own “special lingo” talking about our services and our members.  A standard for categorizing in almost every way is asset size, but I have recently begun to buck that theory.  It’s not your asset size that determines your capacity or your success, it’s your ATTITUDE size that matters.

The most enjoyable credit union I worked for was a $37 million credit union.  I will never forget what my (future) boss said during the interview.  “We’re a $37 million credit union that acts like a $300 million credit union.”  And it absolutely did.  

I hear so many credit unions say “we’re small” and “we can’t do that” when beginning any conversation about things they want to do.  Don’t get me wrong – there are a LOT of limitations and strains on small credit unions, including capital, human resources, and budget.  

The small credit unions that are really successful are ones that may be small, but they have swagger and moxie.  They don’t care so much about their asset size and they truly believe that they are the best financial services provider out there for their members and the community(ies) they serve.  They succeed because they’ve gotten good at telling their story and showing their difference.

Most importantly, this attitude drives their strategy and their decisions as they are committed to doing whatever they possibly can to serve their members, be a great employer, and compete in their financial services market.  It’s your attitude size that matters.