Experiencing the CU Water Cooler Symposium.

CU Water Cooler - Annual SymposiumAnother Credit Union Water Cooler Symposium has come and gone, and it has matured into a thoughtful and even brave event. For me, it was a highlight of 2012 so far, and I think fair to say one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended.

I have this experience a lot at CU conferences where the things that seem like the most important things we as financial cooperatives need to discuss are far from the things that actually get discussed. We stick to what’s safe, and don’t get into the challenging issues that credit unions face, or, more importantly, the challenges that people in our communities face. Problems that credit unions were formed to address.

The people who are drawn to come to the Symposium for a variety of reasons were ready to talk about some of those big important issues and stay with them. From the first presentation right through to the final wrap up, discussion after discussion about the soul of credit unions kept emerging. They took a variety of forms. Superficially, the discussions may have been about branding, or leadership, or getting employees on side, but down deep they were all really about our mission and purpose. That was the great throughline to the Symposium this year.

And for so many of the presentations the audience was so present, you could hear a pin drop.

I’m going to work on a post for the CU Water Cooler site over the next couple of weeks in which I’ll formulate my thoughts and go into more detail. I just felt the need to put something out there to wrap up while the experience was still so fresh.

Thanks to all who were there.

A digital evolution.

I think I’m seeing a trend, but maybe it’s just a couple of random examples. I’m curious if any of you have seen it too.

People I know who embraced digital early, stuck with it and become known for their leadership in applying digital tools to further business goals are moving away from digital. I recently made this move, and today I was speaking to a colleague at another company and he’s making a similar decision. And as we chatted I thought of a couple of other people I know who pioneered digital areas in their organizations who are being tapped to apply their backgrounds, which were full of smart risk-taking, innovation and seeing things a little differently, to other key areas that need that kind of intrapreneurial aptitude.

Here’s what I think. As more and more people in organizations have evolved to be able to harness digital tools, as marketing departments grow this competency, as social media becomes just another tool and maybe we can finally stop navel-gazing about it, there is less of a need for “gurus” and more of a need for a team of people who embrace these tools. That normalization of previously new media may lead to a kind of boredom and restlessness among the digital specialists and leaders within organizations, which frees them up to focus elsewhere. It’s also time for new people in these organizations to bring their creative ideas and acumen to the table and fresh thinking and energy to the utilization of digital tools. I have seen that in the people who have taken over my former accountabilities. They bring ideas I didn’t have and are focusing on places that I didn’t see. It’s very exciting to watch. It’s evolution.

If you’re at an organization with someone who has moved your digital agenda forward, maybe it’s time to think about getting them to focus on organizational change, or leadership development, or moving your organization to new places. Ask them to help solve over-arching business problems. Redeploy them.

So is it just me, or is this a trend?

Joining Filene i3.

I am pleased to tell you that I am joining the Filene i3 program.

What’s that?

Filene i3Well, Filene is an organization “dedicated to scientific and thoughtful analysis about issues affecting the future of consumer finance and credit unions“. Not the people who have a basement. Same family, different mission.

i3 is their two year program for credit union leaders across North America focused on the three Is: Ideas, Innovation, and Implementation. It is my distinct honour to join my fellow members of the 2012 i3 cohort and I look forward to collaborating with them to move the movement forward and advance the cause of sustainable banking.

And I gotta thank Matt Davis and George Hofheimer for their encouragement and support.