Generations, Connections, Stories

A co-worker was seeking a speaker to fill a conference slot. The names she was considering were new to me. I did a Google search to see what their footprint would tell me about them. (What would a Google search say about you? I digress, that’s a different story.) In addition to seeing how active the individuals were in the credit union movement, I found Twitter and LinkedIn profiles. Connections were made.

Josh Allison, CUDE, was selected to fill the presentation slot. I looked forward to meeting him and having a chance to visit at the conference. Our Twitter connection already “broke the ice”.

Based on our conversations, Josh recommended a book he thought I'd be interested in. He was spot on. We discussed the book. We communicate via Facebook, Twitter, email, list serves, talk on the phone, and in person when we have the opportunity. With each connection, our relationship grows. With different knowledge, experience, and passions, we have opportunities to mentor each other.

Different Generations/Perspectives + Shared Passions = Opportunities to Make a Difference

Fast Forward…Clearing out the inbox on a Friday afternoon, I came across an email Josh sent out through the Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) list serve. With his permission, I’m sharing his story with you:

Good afternoon DE network.

This week, I was watching a variety of www.Bizkids.com videos for an educational project we are working on. I was watching the episode on Social Entrepreneurship. As I watched, the video clips would highlight young adults who had started community nonprofits. They would share why they started their respective nonprofit organization, their socially minded business, or the cause they chose to champion. Causes that included TayBear, Richards Rwanda and Room to Read .

A reoccurring theme ran through all of these videos.

They told a story.

Not any story. Their story. They explained why they took up this cause, and what moved and impacted them. They didn’t tell me about the tax write off I would receive if I donated, who I make the check payable to, or ask how much I could spare? They simply asked for me to listen…and then passionately shared… Recently, I re-watched the powerful story from Jessica Jackley, the founder of Kiva.

Same thing.

She didn’t ask for donations, for people to join her, or to support her and Kiva…she simply shared her experience working with poverty. She shared the need she saw, the emotion she felt and the compassion that compelled her to found Kiva. And it compelled me, too. Then, I jumped on my favorite social site: Facebook. At the end of each page, Facebook politely asks me if I want to see more “stories”.

And I do.

I scan for stories, not sales pitches. Not ads. Not organizations or individuals interested in useless self-promotion. I scan and read, looking for the stories of people I know, hoping to better understand and know them deeper. We crave authenticity…

So, here’s my question: do we have an authentic story to share? I believe we do. When our members come into our credit unions, do they understand who we are, what wedid and what we do? Do they know our story?

More importantly, do we?

Are we sharing authentic stories or selling? Have we resigned ourselves to simply compete on product, price, promotion and place? I wonder, what if we stopped selling with the four P’s and started first with sharing just one: Purpose.

If you’re successfully sharing your authentic story, I’d love to hear from you!

Josh Allison, CUDE

Well said Josh!

Connecting the Dots! Innovative Email Marketing Rock Star Keynotes Marketing & Business Development Conference

What do the following have in common?

• Finalist in 2010 Maryland Small Business of the Year Awards
• Inc. 5000 List of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies 
• Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award Finalist 
• Email Marketing Integration with Facebook Connect 
• Bridging the Gap Between Email Marketing and Social Media 
• Marketing and New Media Leader Chris Penn 

Greg Cangialosi, President & CEO of Blue Sky Factory! 

You might ask how Greg was identified and booked as a keynote speaker for our event. It was a matter of connecting the dots! We connected through new media (Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, blogs), old media (reading a book, phone, email), and personal referral. 

The relationship journey began when I started following @cspenn on Twitter. Liking what Chris wrote, I began to follow his blogs. He caught my attention with his edgy, professional style. One day Chris posted a general tweet asking if we should be connected on LinkedIn? Appreciating the insights Chris provides, believing the one with the most contacts (relationships) wins at the end of the day, I connected to Chris. From there I checked Chris out on YouTube to see if he might also be a skilled presenter. Bingo! Now I wanted to know if Chris would be interested in keynoting our Marketing & Business Development Conference. 

While all of this was developing, I was reading Chris Brogan’s book Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust. His description of Blue Sky Factory and how they handle business was the icing on the cake. I was sold and wanted to find a way to work with Blue Sky Factory. And yes, the book was a great read! And yes, I also follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisBrogan. 

Chris Penn treasures family relationships. His brother was getting married the same time as our event. He thought it best he join the family for the ceremony, a most excellent choice I might add. Instead of ending the conversation, Chris asked if I might be interested in their CEO, Greg Cangialosi. I cyber stalked Greg to see what information I could find about him, his blogs, and again going to YouTube to check out Greg’s presentation skills. 

The journey continues. I follow a number of the Blue Sky Factory team on Twitter now. Love the passion and energy they bring to their world.

To connect with credit union professionals and hear Greg live, plan to attend the 2010 Marketing & Business Development Conference, October 6-8, at the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio, Texas. 

Greg will cover: 

The relationship between business and consumer has fundamentally changed due to key shifts in communication tools and the interactions that are now taking place between businesses and their customers and prospects. This new landscape presents both challenges and opportunities to marketers and businesses of every size. 

It can be hard to know where to focus and to find meaning when the newest “shiny object” becomes mainstream or is the all of the buzz. Whether it’s social media, email marketing or mobile, marketers are asking themselves, how can these tools be useful to me? What works and what doesn’t? How do I implement and more importantly measure the effectiveness of my marketing? 

In this session, Greg Cangialosi will discuss how to take a broader, holistic view of this new era of marketing communications. Focusing on the core themes of the shifting consumer mindset and what is important to them when it comes to interacting with a business or brand online. 

Gain knowledge and insight by as Greg shares information about: 

• current market statistics on consumer behavior. 
• examples and case studies of companies who do it right and wrong. 
• how you can implement new strategies to grow your business a glimpse into the future of marketing – what’s coming next?

Greg will also present a breakout session on email marketing.

If you’re looking for fresh ideas on ways to grow you business, come hang out with us in San Antonio. Act fast. Early bird conference and special hotel sleeping room rate end September 9.

Hoping to see you there!

I Heard That!

Guest Post by Jack McAdoo, President & CEO, Beacon FCU 

I recently had the privilege to sit in with and listen to the very insightful dialogue during the Southwest CUNA Management School  c2c (Connect to Collaborate) Casual Chat this year after the Student Alumni Dinner and Auction in Fort Worth.  What I heard was a strong reminder of many of my frustrations in the early years of my career.  I wish there had been more of my peers there to listen to the words of our future leaders.  I thought I would write some of this down to share, but understand, my words are not what is important here.  The words, feelings, passions and emotions of this group are what is important.

First of all, the c2c group is a group of 30 year-old and under students, professionals in our industry...the credit union industry.  The group was lead by 30ish credit union and supplier representatives. In this particular session, there were approximately 40 men and women joined in a circle to discuss topics of interest and concern.  It was open forum. I was allowed to sit on the outside of the circle with one strict rule; I was not allowed to speak.  I was allowed to submit a written comment, but with no obligation from the group to discuss it.

This group of extremely bright and creative professionals spoke for over an hour about things that were important in their professional worlds.  The discussion was sincere; it was candid; and it was very informative.  Here are a couple of bullets of what was said:

• My CU is slow to incorporate technology;
• Budget cuts!
• Slow to incorporate change!

What I heard was not as important as what I learned.  I learned that by and large, that group of young professionals, the group that will someday lead our industry, is frustrated!  They are frustrated because you and I as managers, as CEO's, are not listening to them.  Or, I guess more precisely, we may be listening, but we are not hearing them.  At least, the perception is that we are not hearing them.  And you know what is said about perception?  Perception is reality!

Is there anything more frustrating in our world than the feeling that no one is listening?  We must take note and learn to communicate, or we risk losing this wonderful talent base to others and other industries that have learned to communicate with them.  Communication is not just talking.  That's obviously important and based on my experience with other CEO's, we have that part down!  It is also about listening and actually hearing what is being said.  The important part is to make sure everyone understands!  That means goals and objectives both short term and long term.  How many times have we heard great ideas, but for one reason or another they didn't fit into our current strategic vision?  The great ideas were discussed, but nothing was ever done, and the idea gets lost, leaving the one who thought of it feeling as if no one listened thus becoming frustrated.

The other thing that is important, or I viewed it as important, is that we as CEO's need to quit blaming delays and inaction/no action on our Boards.  Don't get me wrong.  Boards are important, but let's quit kidding one another.  They look to us for direction.  We as CEO's can make or break a decision on an idea or proposal.  Let's not blame or hide behind the Board.

I guess what I learned is that it is important to listen to and actually hear our staff.  Communicate with them!  Make sure everyone understands strategic goals and objectives and how ideas, suggestions, proposals, etc. fit with or do not fit with the goals and objectives and why.  We must put ourselves in their position, and we will understand how frustrated they can become.  Communication is key!  Focus on communication and stress it at all levels of the organization.  Then, work on your listening skills!

Does Social Media Work for CUs? Let’s find out

A lot of credit unions are wrestling with the business case for social media. Others are adventuring out into the social media arena, looking to see what makes best sense for their business strategies.

Filene Research Institute has launched "groundbreaking research regarding the quantifiable impact of social media marketing strategies."

Can you make a commitment of about two hours over the next year to complete one survey per quarter regarding your marketing activities?

"The results of the year-long research will produce a statistically tested way to predict changes in membership and products per member (or, member share) based on social media activities."

"In plain English: If you keep wondering whether social media is just hype or an effective marketing tactic, this is your chance to find out. We want you and many other credit unions to participate because more responses make for better analysis. In return for your participation, we will provide you with the results of the research. Even if you are not using social media, we would like you to participate."

Credit unions have been built around people helping people. Working together is the best way for us to position credit unions forward. Hoping you make the commitment to be part of this timely project!

Bright Lights & Shining Stars – Finding Encouragement by Taking Time to Reach Out and Getting to Know Each Other

It all started when I was working on the 2010 Marketing & Business Development Conference. Greg Cangialosi, CEO of Blue Sky Factory is the closing keynote speaker. I came across a series of questions in the “about us – our team section”. Taking lead from Blue Sky, I recently posted a mix of fun and professional questions for Southwest CUNA Management School first year students, in their online class group site, to help “break the ice” before they arrive on campus. You know the kinds of questions:

• What’s your favorite _______?
• What would you do if you could _______?
• Name your top 3 favorite _______?
• Where would you like to __________?

The list goes on. From time to time someone will post a list on Facebook or send an email to see if you’re willing to play along. They may seem silly or even a waste of time. Yet for those who choose to play along, insights are gained and relationships start to form or strengthen. A benefit I did not expect, was finding breaths of fresh air and encouragement.

When asked “what is your favorite thing about working at a credit union?” answers included:

• I love that we are empowered to help people without all of the hindrances everyone faces at a bank.
• “People helping people" is what it's all about!
• I like being able to help people, especially when we can help someone that no one else will even talk to.
• It's a REAL, honest to goodness, not-for-greed credit union.
• Helping my members.
• Building relationships and making dreams come true for members!
• Helping members get out of dept, permanently.
• Giving atmosphere.

The final item was a request to “give one valuable piece of advice to credit union professionals”:

• All of your past experiences and education are worthless if you feel they are your qualifying factor. Use them to make the rubber meet the road and move forward.
• Get in the game and never, never stop learning!
• Set high standards for yourself and work hard to meet them.
• Don't lose sight of our purpose (what makes us better). This, for me, takes a lot of practice and swallowing of pride, but: my most valuable tool has become examining what I think I want and why, my motivations, my actions and the outcomes. This exercise is applied to ALL aspects of my life). A great (important!) question is "how will this affect the people (family, friends, co-workers) around me?" I must admit, it's not always been "pretty".
• Ask for help from the credit union people around you and give it back. COOPERATE and COLLABARATE. It is the single best way to get done all the things you have to accomplish.
• Keep a good balance between "best for the credit union" and "best for the member".
• Work is just a small portion of your life- it is a means to an end (Retirement)". Keep God first, Family second, and Work last in your life.
• Be a servant with a servant’s heart – serve those who report to you, don’t make them serve you.

And yes, I did ask about favorite movies, flavor of ice cream, where’d they like to go other than Fort Worth in July with 100 degree temperatures, and more. I can’t wait to get to know this group of credit union professionals better!

A special thank you shout out goes to the SCMS Class of 2011 for setting the Class of 2012 group site up before they even arrive on campus!

Why do you like to work where you do? What advice would you give?

Be Strategic About Social Media: Find Your People, Join the Conversation

Social media, however you define it, is a changing environment. Regardless of what you call it, think about it, or the tools you use, it’s out there. And yes, the tools change. It’s not about the tools. It is about the people, relationships, value, authenticity, and conversation. It’s about growing your business and serving your community.

Make a strategic decision.

• If customers/members and potential customers/members are having a conversation which relates to your products and services, it’s in your best interest to be part of the conversation. Find out where the conversations are occurring. If they are at the local business club monthly meeting, show up. If they are on Facebook or Twitter, listen, share, and interact.
• If they are not talking about your credit union, products, or services online, no worries. Or not? Have you provided products and services worth bragging about? Has your competitor? Have your service levels slipped? Your products fallen behind the times? Do you want to know what people think? Look, listen, and learn. Be strategic about whether or not social media makes sense for your credit union and market.

If you make the strategic decision to incorporate social media into your marketing and business development plan, be strategic about what you do.

• Don’t set up a credit union Facebook page just because someone else did.
• Twitter is not a 140 character commercial. It’s a place to help people find connections, learn about cool stuff/resources, and know more about your credit union and what you have to offer. Select the tool or tools best suited for your team and your members.

Southwest CUNA Management School has two courses this summer with limited seats available to help you further explore and expand your knowledge about social media.

Social Media I: Getting Acquainted
Dr. George Low - Texas Christian University (TCU)
July 20 (1-4:30 pm) with 1st Year Students

Social-networking websites such as MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn have seen unprecedented growth in recent years. Consumers are creating their own content on blogs, YouTube, and are rating products and services on message boards and other sites, presenting unique challenges and opportunities for marketers to use these social media to communicate with current and potential customers, and to build lasting relationships with them. The objective of this course is to give students valuable knowledge and skills needed to take advantage of these powerful social marketing tools. Teaching/learning methods will include class discussions of current trends and issues, mini case studies, and the sharing of experiences, ideas, and best practices in using social media as part of a broader strategic, integrated, marketing communications effort in the credit union industry.

Social Media: Let’s Get Strategic
Amanda Vega – Amanda Vega Consulting
July 19 (1-4:30 pm) with 2nd Year Students

You’ve heard about social media, have been dabbling on your own, or have incorporated elements of social media at the credit union. How do you advance to the next level? It’s time to get strategic with Amanda Vega, Amanda Vega Consulting. In this open discussion that is part information and part hands-on learning, plan to explore and discuss:

• What are the challenges and successes associated with social media in the credit union industry and who ultimately owns it?
• Advanced uses and tools in social media to help you get to the next level (comment marketing anyone?).
• The executive team isn’t buying into this marketing activity or simply doesn’t “get it.” – now what? How to and ensure buy-in from the decision makers
• New research on tracking, monetization and the like (a Facebook fan is worth more than $138) and the new tools that are out there to help quantify these efforts.
• Social media compliance, regulation, and policy tips
• Taking your social media to the next level, communication as a whole, arming you with real information and engagement suggestions.

If you’re looking to develop your team or enhance your skills, plan to join us on the TCU campus (Lupton-Brown University Union). Limited seating available on a day rate. For more details, visit www.scms.coop or contact Janine McBee, SCMS Synergist & Director.

Passion, Purpose & Performance: How Strategic Leadership Works in Today's Credit Union

When it comes to your career path and leadership development, as well as succession planning for your credit union, the first person you look to is yourself! No one cares more about your future than you and those who depend on you. If you're looking for insight and guidance to help you on your journey, check out this first year SCMS course:

 

Passion, Purpose & Performance: How Strategic Leadership Works in Today's Credit Union.

 

First year Southwest CUNA Management School (SCMS) students hit the ground running on day one with Dr. Robert Smith. During his high energy presentation, he takes students on an experiential journey, sharing insights into fundamental leadership requirements guiding strategic change within their credit unions. In 2010 and beyond, success will be defined by the ability of credit unions to innovate. This course is a unique hands-on experience in the emerging discipline of leadership innovation. Because successful innovation is ultimately measured by execution and accountability, this course is fully anchored in pragmatic applications including numerous case studies to illustrate different leadership skills. The final segment the revolves around a discussion of who needs to be on your support team for advancing your leadership career as a leader of innovation in your credit union.

Dr. Smith covers:

• Assessing your skills for leadership
• Understanding how vision actually shapes strategic change
• Developing an accountability matrix to track leadership and coaching behavior necessary to get results

Limited spaces are available first year enrollment. Students starting this year will graduate during “The International Year of the Cooperative”. How cool would that be!

On a space available basis, most SCMS classes are also available on a audit basis.

Image Provides Insight into Ideal Candidates

Click the image to enlarge.

If you are planning a career in the credit union movement, professional development and networking are key to your success. As a leader, it is also important to have a plan to ensure that your team has a clear plan for developing their skills and network. Southwest CUNA Management School is designed to challenge you, your team, and your credit union forward.

 

If your find yourself or members of your team identified in the word picture to the left, you have a match for the profile of a future leader and SCMS student…enroll today!

 

Visit www.wordle.net to create your own "word cloud". It's a great tool to see if something you're writing has the emphasis where you want it to be.

Heads Up! FTC Guides & Some Risk Factors to Look Out For

Guest post by Nadine Boisnier, Compliance Officer, Amanda Vega Consulting

The recent revisions to the FTC guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials has posed some questions as to what people can expect from the changes and how this affects active participants in social media. As you begin to build deeper relationships with your Credit Union customers online, here are some guidelines on what the new FTC guidelines mean for you.

 

The basic FTC changes came into effect due to the emergence, popularity and increased growth of social media. (The guidelines were last updated in 1980). The regulations were updated due to the notion that the lines have been blurred between what an advertisement is and the motives behind the use of social media. There were instances of non-disclosure from companies using bloggers to post positive reviews while receiving cash or gifts as incentives. Regulators do not agree that these types of postings are unbiased reviews. Their goal is to inform the public to understand the difference and to make sure there is full transparency.

 

Some important points to remember: Any conflicts of interest must be disclosed in postings including Twitter tweets and profiles. Be upfront with any connections or relationships you have with the company or Credit Union branch you are writing on behalf of. Other updates to the regulations include the disclosure of any company-sponsored research, stricter liability for celebrity endorsements, no more ³safe harbor² for testimonials; meaning, the term ³results may vary² is no longer sufficient when making broad claims, and disclosing results that consumers can generally expect. Remember most importantly to be straightforward and transparent.

 

In addition to these guidelines, Credit Unions should be cognizant of additional risks that can affect their outreach to the public. Make sure your employees do not improperly use social media tools. For example, impulse messaging can be dangerous, so stop and think about the repercussions of your post or tweet. From a Credit Union perspective, employees can be a threat if they post information that could impact negatively on their brand.

 

As you are building a sense of community online, make sure to include customer care in the process. You must be careful how you do this since you may deal with disgruntled customers who use Twitter to discuss a negative experience. You should avoid a back and forth match with an unhappy customer and take the conversation offline. Be sure to offer them traditional customer care channels. Other basic rules include, accessing the urls in tweets with care. Do not click on links from people you are unfamiliar with.

Also, look out for people who use stalking techniques to try to social engineering information. Most importantly, make sure proprietary business and customer information is protected. Having a strong policy in place for employees to follow is key. Every organization should have a strong policy in place that clearly states the guidelines of how it should be used by employees.

Credit Union Twitter Risks

Guest post by Amanda Vega, Amanda Vega Consulting

So what are the risks and what can organizations and users do to limit such risk?

• Data leaks of confidential or proprietary information: The information that could be leaked includes identity theft, credit card fraud, business plans, confidential data, information about internal operations of the company and availability of personnel or their schedules.

• Malware and viruses: The use of abbreviated URLs makes it easy for the bad guys to mask links to infected sites and to redirect users to websites that they would think twice about visiting. The setting up of fake services could be used to collect credentials and information from that user.

• Improper use: From a corporate perspective, employees can be a threat if they post information that could impact negatively on the business and hurt its integrity. A wrong post picked up by such a wide audience could become a PR nightmare for that business.

• Impulse messaging can be dangerous especially if the user is irate and doesn’t stop to think about the repercussions of his or her tweet. Sending inappropriate tweets is not recommended.

• It is what the end-user does with Twitter that counts. Tweeters need to pay attention to what they are doing, listen carefully and do not trust every single follower who sends them a message. Humans are the weakest link the security chain.

• Customer care: Businesses need to be careful how they deal with disgruntled customers who may use Twitter to discuss a negative experience they had. With only 140 characters at its disposal, a business should avoid getting into a back and forth match with an unhappy customer on Twitter and encourage the client to use traditional customer care channels. Take the conversation offline.

How to counter risk:

• Every business that uses Twitter or any other social media or networking site should have a strong policy in place (and enforced) that clearly states how it should be used by employees. Warn about possible disciplinary action if the policy is violated.

• Emphasize that online conduct must not violate the anti-discrimination policy or other codes of conduct. Warn that the policy must be read in conjunction with the existing Employee Handbook.

• Include a provision prohibiting any conduct that violates federal, state, or local law.

• Direct employees to bring all questions related to the policy or permissible conduct to management.

• Off Duty Conduct - Employers may have broad discretion in disciplining employees where the employer can show that the off-duty conduct has damaged the business, hurt the employer's interests, or is otherwise inconsistent with the employer's business needs.

Some basic rules:

• Think twice before posting. Employees need to think compliance, integrity, security, then post.

• Access URLs in tweets with care. If there is no real need to check out the site, leave it.

• Show employees what to look out for. How to notice when someone is stalking or attempting to social engineer information.

• Avoid confrontation on Twitter. It is a great tool for customer feedback but may not be appropriate for resolving complex issues.

FTC FINAL GUIDES GOVERNING ENDORSEMENTS, TESTIMONIALS

• Definition of an advertisement has been blurred by the use of social media.

• Advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. No more safe harbor – disclosure “results not typical.”

• Material Connections – sometimes payments or free products between advertisers and endorsers, connections that consumers would not expect, must be disclosed. The post of a blogger who received cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement.

• To limit liability look for authenticity – real experiences from real customers/consumers.

• Any endorsement, like any other advertisement, is deceptive if it makes false or misleading claims.

• Company sponsored research – if company refers to findings of research organization, the advertisement must disclose connection between the advertiser and the research organization.

Amanda recently presented for TCUL Annual Meeting& Expo (Grapevine, Texas). She is teaching a new course this summer for Southwest CUNA Management School (Fort Worth, Texas) – “Social Media II: Let’s Be Strategic”.

Southwest CUNA Management School Bulletin: Wanted Credit Union Professionals Fitting this Profile!

The secret’s out. Southwest CUNA Management School Students have been profiled. The PTP New Media & CU*Swag team caught one of this year’s third year students, Jason Duplant (Neches FCU) on tape. Look and listen closely to get an insiders’ perspective on the value of the school.

Careful analysis of this year’s 1^st year enrollees reveals what a typical students looks like:

Who

Students come from credit unions ranging in size from under $1 million to nearly $1 billion. It’s exciting to see mutually beneficial relationships develop when Davy and Goliath are side by side in the classroom.

Students range in age from 23 to 62. Oh the lessons the generations learn from each other when they spend eight days on a college campus for three years. New for 2010 we have a special scholarship, networking, and mentoring C2C initiative for students under the age of 30 by August 1, 2010.

Experience levels cover a wide range.

• Years on the Job: 1 to 26, averaging just under 6 years.

• Years in Credit Unions: 2 to 31, averaging 11 years

• Years in the Financial Services Industry: 2 to 33, averaging just over 13 years.

As for job titles, you name it and we probably have someone enrolled. The school is designed for everyone from management trainees to mid and senior level management to CEOs.

When       July 11-21, 2010

Where    Classes are held at TCU (Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas)

Students may be coming from as far as Africa. The majority of the students are coming from Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

What

Intensive classroom training, world class faculty, unique networking opportunities, and developing a detailed two year strategic business plan for your credit union. Specialists gain an appreciation for how the various pieces of the credit union come together to complete/affect the entire company. Smaller credit unions get the opportunity to dream and think about how to strategically position their credit union forward. All students build a strong network of friends and experts to help them face challenges down the road.

Developing News

Strategic alumni have been collaborating and brainstorming about providing additional value. As a result of numerous discussions, new opportunities are available for credit union folks to take advantage of what SCMS has to offer.

• Day Students: Any league affiliated credit union may attend ½ to a full day, or even a couple of days on a day rate basis - $275 per day, lunch included, on own for accommodations. No homework. Click here for the full schedule.

• Full Year Option: CUNA Management School alumni are invited back for a full year experience, living on campus, learning and networking with the class of their choice. This is offered as either entire 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd year options. Same price as a full time student, though no scholarship opportunities at this point. No homework.

If you, or one of your credit union’s talented up and coming stars, specialists, or seasoned vets are looking for challenges, fresh perspectives, innovative ideas and aha moments, the time to enroll in the school is now!

Contact Janine McBee for further information if interested: jmcbee@scms.coop or tweet @SCMSJanine

Breaking News: Bankzilla Attacks!

Reports were pouring in yesterday from The Consumerist that Bankzilla was on the loose terrorizing people in Washington, DC. We have a special report with details coming in from another attack of high rates and hidden fees in Pasadena, Texas. Consumers can take action. 

SCMS New Faculty On Board for Summer 2010 Session

Fresh faces are on board to join the Southwest CUNA Management School faculty team and challenge students forward:

· Matt Davis  (AKA "The Credit Union Warrior") partnered with Filene Research Institute, Matt joins Denise Gabel for the 1 1/2 days of Innovation classes with 2nd & 3rd year students.

· Julie Ferguson, JRF Consulting Services brings a wealth of credit union and business development background to Grad School.

· David Goldsmith, MetaMatrix Consulting Group, Inc., is about to have a book published on strategic planning. He’s the final class for 1st year students, charged with sending them out challenged and future focused.

· Mike Petrone, CFE, CFSA joins us from CUNA Mutual Group (CMG) for the 1st year Risk Management course. In 2002, Mike was honored with the 2nd annual Michael G. Hallinan Risk Management Choice Award.

· Shawn Temple (one of last year’s Award of Excellence recipients), Bossier FCU, joins the team to work with students on the project (a two-year strategic business plan) requirements.

· Amanda Vega,  Amanda Vega Consulting brings real world experience to help second year students make strategic decisions related to social media and their  credit unions.

 

For a complete faculty team and course listing, scholarship information (deadline this week), and school application, visit www.scms.coop.

Excitement mounts as registrations come in for this year's first year class. To give you an idea of what students looks like:

• They are coming from Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas and possibly Africa.

• They hold titles ranging from President, Manager, Director, COO, VP, Accounting, Business Services Representative, Branch Manager, to E-Branch Manager and more.

• The credit union asset sizes range from under $20 million to around $1 billion

• The students range in age from early 20's to 50's. They have 2 to 28 years service in credit unions, with 2 to 33 years in the financial services industry.

• Education backgrounds range from Masters Degrees to High School Grads.

Thank you Bossier FCU for enrolling three in the first year class and to numerous credit unions who continue to enroll credit unions year after year!

 

LinkedIn Group - Credit Union Leaders Book Club Begins New Book - Seth Godin's Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

This week we are wrapping up discussions on Patrick Lencioni's book, "Getting Naked: A Business Fable...about shedding the three fears that sabotage client loyalty." Even if you did not read along with us, I'm encouraging the read and joining in the discussion threads. It's a great book for folks involved in sales and customer service. It can provide insights for large organizations with multiple departments/branches (when you substitute departments/branches for companies as you read). It also gives perspectives for organizations involved in mergers, as well as those simply looking to gain perspectives about their competitors.

It's no secret that I'm a Seth Godin fan. Next up, beginning April 26, we'll start discussions on Godin's "Linchpin: Are You Indispensible?".  Join us in our adventure as we explore Godin's thoughts about ourselves - our choices, our future, and our potential to make a huge difference. Whether you work for a credit union, serve a credit union, or just love your credit union, feel free to read along with us. Discussions and comments are encouraged.

Our approach is simple. We'll cover a chapter a week. Feel free at any time to add to the discussions and share your challenges and insights. Let's learn from and challenge each other.

For my credit union friends, I also recommend reading Godin's book "Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us".

Credit Unions - Social Media, Word of Mouth, Viral Marketing

If you missed the RadioFREE Credit Union Show, you can catch it here as we discussed credit unions, social media, word of mouth and viral marketing with Jason Dias and Scott McKenna. Be sure to follow @cuswag as we played a little game giving some CU*SWAG out to those who counted the number of times CU*SWAG was said. Fun times! Happy Friday to all.

Live: 2010 Texas Credit Union League Annual Meeting

Follow along with the credit union blog gang as we are at the 2010 Texas Credit Union League Annual Meeting in Grapevine, TX. Tweeps to follow: @jrwlay @mrjlay @scmsjanine @mrsjlay @cuconference@acm1985

Plus, we would love for you to follow along and join the conversation below or on Twitter using #TCUL10. As always, we will be tweeting from the sessions and getting interviews to post to keep you in the know. 

Live: 2010 CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council Conference

Follow along and join the conversation below with @jrwlay @mrjlay @nidajaz @acm1985 @mrsjlay

Tell your friends and co-workers to join and follow along as well to grow through innovation, communication and collaboration.

Make a Credit Union Video. It's Good for Your Culture.

It's been a good race and congrats to Amy Leahy-McGraw for a job well done and bringing home first place.

I just came across something that hits close to home as we just completed the Young & Free "Lookin' Like a Fool With Your Money in the Bank" video challenge.

Geico just released a new video featuring staff and yes, even Warren Buffet himself dressed up rocking it out like Axel Rose (tats and all).

While it's a simple video titled, "All for You", the Geico culture really bleeds through in a fun and quirky way. Here you have one of the richest men in the world most likely stepping out of his comfort zone to do something different.

So what can we take away from this "service video" that Geico did?

Sharing from our own experiences in making the Young & Free  videos, I feel the video challenge was a great way for us to do something different at the office.

It was a great team building exercise for PTP NEW MEDIA and CU*SWAG that allowed us to come together to create something different while having fun.

Many times we are busy creating for our credit unions, however, we were able to step back and create something for everyone to enjoy and help spread the credit union love.

As always, wanting to go above and beyond, there was a lot of time spent in planning, recording, shooting, production and then campaigning through non-traditional channels with full microsite. 

Traditional thinkers may say "wow... what a waist of time and resources". 

On the contrary, the investment that was dedicated to this campaign was well worth it from an internal perspective simply for the fact that it forced us to come closer together as a team, step outside comfort zones and do something to help promote a movement that we love and are so passionate about.

Watch, enjoy and feel free to share and use our labors of love and passion below:

How SCMS Changed My Credit Union Life

When I was introduced to SCMS, my first thoughts were:

• I have a degree – no more school for me – “CompSci til the day I die”.
• I have friends – I do not need more.
• I am not good at networking – what would I say?
• How will this help me and my credit union?

My first summer day of SCMS:

• I met great people – yes, the first day.
• I now had lots of instant friends who were in the same world as me – credit union.
• We had fun while we were acclimated to more credit union business.

What I learned:

• Time definitely does fly.
• You are never too old to learn.
• You know more than you think you know.
• Your questions can help others.
• Sharing is still a wonderful feeling.
• You are never too old to meet new friends.

How SCMS helped me:

• I was new to the credit union industry and SCMS was the orientation I needed.
• I learned more than I thought was possible.
• We are a small credit union but I have made contacts and never feel isolated or alone.
• I know where to go for help when we need it.
• And I never have to re-invent the wheel. Resources are there waiting for me.

What happened to me after SCMS:

• Those instant friends are now my BFFs.
• I started out as Technical Operations Administrator and am now Manager of the credit union and now confident in this new role.
• When our staff turned over 75%, leaving me as the sole leader, I had no need to panic because I knew at least 10 people who had gone through this before and they became my mentors. I had and still have a great support system of people who supported me through SCMS and continue to support me in anything I need. Without my SCMS support, I would have had a major meltdown, but I did not because I knew where to go.

Guest Post - Iris R. Netters, Class of 2008
One of the "Great 08" Class Members
Manager, New Mount Zion Baptist Church CU

Things Not To Say

I recently had the chance to visit with Jim Welch, keynote presenter for the 2010 TechMecca Conference & Expo in Austin. A "growth leader", Jim has a strong background in sales and marketing, with over 25 years cumulative experience between Hallmark and Proctor & Gamble. I was particularly interested when he mentioned something about pet phrases about things not to say when going for the sale. See what he had to say.

There are words we should all avoid using with customers because they erode their loyalty.  They are the words that will cost us customers and their business.  Here are some great examples of words that lose customers every day:

“But I saw it this way.”

“You have to look at it from our point of view.”

“Here is why we took that position.”

“But I didn’t intend to…”

“Let me explain why we did what we did and why we believe we are right.”

“I’m not sure, that is not my area of responsibility. You need to check with…”

“We had to stay within policy guide lines.”

“That requires Supervisor approval and they are not here right now.”

“I need to put you on hold.”

“We don’t have that service available now.  Please check back next month.”

“No, I’m sorry but we cannot solve your problem.”

“That violates our policy and we cannot do it.”

“I don’t know the answer to your question.  You should contact…”

“We are really busy right now; can you call back later this afternoon?”

“We can’t do anything about that problem.”

“You have a good point, but…”

“That is not available right now.”

“You’ll have to contact that department to find out.”

“I can’t help you with that issue.”

“If you read our customer agreement, you will see that is not covered.”

“You have to…”

“No, that is not correct. It’s right here.”

“We’ll have to call you back later.”

“To be honest with you…”

“If you had…”

“Calm down, please do not be emotional about this.”

“That is our final decision.”

“If we did what you are asking for, we would have to do it for everyone.”

“You will need to…”

“We have a computer problem right now.  You will need to check back later for that information.”

“That is not our problem.”

“We have no control over…”

“You will need to check with them.”

“I will try to solve your problem.”

“I’m not sure, but I think…”

“We are not allowed to make exceptions.”

The one big thing all of these words have in common is that they are about us and not the customer.  These phrases look at this issue from our side of the table only.  Successful growth leaders engage the customer and go through a co-discovery process to find the solution together.  We often find out that we can turn lemons into lemonade and build a stronger customer relationship going forward.  The greatest customer loyalty of all is built by resolving problems together.  In the end, the strength of our customer relationships is the fuel that drives our growth engine every day.

Have you found yourself or your staff using any of these phrases? Been of the receiving end of these statements?

Thanks Jim for giving us a refresher and reminder to think about how we phrase our responses to members, customers, co-workers, family, and friends.

Shout out if you have other phrases that should be added to this list or have phrases that work well in difficult situations.

 

 

Transparency, Authenticity, Honesty and Passion for Topics and Brands

Thanks go out to ConversationAgent by Valeria Maltoni for a little morning inspiration! Time to put your thinking caps on.

Transparency, authenticity, honesty and passion are commonly thought about and addressed as people navigate a wide variety of social media channels. If they are not being thought about, warning, do not pass go. Please slow down and give these areas serious consideration. You owe it to your customers, employees, board of directors, share or stock holders. What are the norms for your business environment? Your team?

Take a moment to hop on over to a blog referenced by a tweet from @ConversationAge:

Diva Marketing Blog - "Where Does 'Transparency' Fit In The New Social Media Marketing Model?" The post highlights insights from 39 people active in social media.

Questions that raced through my mind:

• Should your organization have degrees of transparency?

• Is it important for your audience to know who writes copy for your communication channels?
  To know who is responding to them?

• Do you have content strategy? Communication goals? Are you having conversations and building relationships?

• How personal should your social media, public conversations be? As work and personall communication channels blurr, when are you simply yourself and when are you representing your company? Both 24/7/365? Are we ready for that?

• What lessons have you learned?

CU Water Cooler Liquid Lunch

If you missed it, you can listen to yesterday's Liquid Lunch from the CU Water Cooler below.  I enjoyed a great conversation and discussion with Denise Wymore that continued the conversation from her blog posts, Ask the Experts: “What will marketing look like in 2020?”:

Olivier the Race Car Driver Raoust

James Robert What does the “W” stand for Lay

Jeff Sexy Photo Stephens and

Kent the Cool Dog Lover Dicken

TechMecca Live Stream - Brad Smith

Aaron (aka @acm1985) just wrapped up his session with Brad Smith at TechMecca about 5 Secrets to Successful Online Accounting Opening and Online Lending .

Be sure to follow along and check out the latest live streams from TechMecca here.

TechMecca Live Stream - Jason Marshall

Aaron (aka @acm1985) just wrapped up his session with Jason Marshall at TechMecca about mobile banking.

Be sure to follow along and check out the latest live streams from TechMecca here.

TechMecca - Opening Session Live Stream

Aaron (aka @acm1985) just wrapped up his first live stream and was having some audio issues (comes in half way through) but wanted to post this up to give you a sneak peak at what is happening at TechMecca in Austin, TX this AM.

Be sure to follow along and check out the latest live streams from TechMecca here.

Social Media, Patience & Education - Looking Back & Reflecting Forward

Following up on two recent posts by James Robert Lay about "Credit Unions, Twitter, Service and Brand Management"...

Those who know me, know I did not embrace Twitter and Facebook until this last summer. Had enough on my plate already without adding any additional distractions or diversions from the work at hand. Many conversations, yes, real conversations, diving in, listening, learning and lots of coaching later, I now champion both tools. And, yes, I'm still learning.

As director of a leadership development school for credit union professionals, reaching my target market is crucial. The ability to develop a relationship with future students before they come to campus helps us to maximize their experience. You do become vulnerable when you put yourself out there. At the same time, you also gain strength and support as you spend the time to establish relationships and learn together. All relationships take time to develop.

As senior director of training for the Texas Credit Union League, finding new speakers and topic ideas help me to better serve our membership. When I’m looking for subject matter experts, tweets and blogs help me get a better picture about the speaker, as well as topic ideas to meet the needs of our membership.

As someone who likes to use financial services, I appreciate when I see tweets alerting me to special hours of business, challenges with websites/ATMs, financial management tips, and more. Time is precious. I like it when someone cares enough to save me time.

As a member of a various communities, it's nice to know where and when there are opportunities to serve and give back.

As the mother of a freshman college student, twitter is how I get campus wide alerts.

Some of my aha moments included:

1)     Twitter provided a no cost way to set up crisis communications when we had students on campus. (Grateful the need to use did not arise.)

2)     Twitter provided a way for me to bring subject matter experts into the classroom for brief periods of time who could not have been there otherwise.

3)     After linking Twitter to Facebook, I was finding some people were more likely to respond to tweets through Facebook. Hmm. Unproven conclusion – until social media tools and applications are sanctioned in the workplace, people are more likely to respond on personal time through Facebook (unless they have cool phones).

4)     Innovation and new ideas are important as you work to position your company forward. By strategically selecting who and what topics I follow, I’ve found solid information with minimal time.

5)     Engaging with the right people through social media grows valuable relationships. It’s always been important to reach people in the manner they wish to be communicated with. I have treasured contacts who prefer Twitter or Facebook for 1^st point of contact. From there we migrate to other forms of communication as appropriate.

6)     Sometimes you just need a little laughter to break up your day or to know that there are good news stories out there.

Before writing this, I did a little research on tweet posts over the last 24 hours from folks I follow:

1)     5 Sure-Fire Ways to Operationalize Social Media by Jay Baer

“And in 2010, we’re going to move from experimentation to methodology. It will be the year that the real-time Web and social media become operationalized.”

I agree with Jay that 2010 will see a lot of social media strategic decisions made and processes refined.

2)     As someone who loved the efficiencies of RSS feeds for storing key topics in a summarized fashion, I find myself following into the same scenario that Richard MacManus describes in:

RSS Reader Market in Disarray, Continues to Decline
December 20, 2009 - ReadWriteWeb.com

“One of the interesting trends of 2009 has been the gradual decline of RSS Readers as a way for people to keep up with news and niche topics. Many of us still use them, but less than we used to. I for one still maintain a Google Reader account, however I don't check it on a daily basis. I check Twitter for news and information multiple times a day, I monitor Twitter lists, and I read a number of blogs across a set of topics of most interest to me. “

3)     @MattRhodes directed me to “Social Media as  Crisis Management Tool”
FreshNetworks - “I have a client who once said to me: “We want to use social media to attract more complaints”. This may seem an odd thing to say, all too often attracting complaints is a reason people cite for being anxious about using social media. But this client knew that one part of their service didn’t always perform as well as they might hope. They also knew that nobody ever really complained to them. They must be complaining somewhere, they thought, and we’d like them to be complaining to us.”

He goes on to note some uses for social media in context of crisis management:

·         Keep people up-to-date

·         Represent your brand

·         Engage people talking about you

·         Communicate strategically through hub and spokes format

All this to say that conversations are happening.

1)     We have to be better about telling the good stories and turning around the bad ones. Social media tools provide opportunities to do so. It’s time to hone our skills to take advantage of these dynamic, rapidly evolving forms of communication.

2)     New information is coming at us faster than we can absorb. Social media tools help us gather data and information rapidly. However, don’t let social media be your only research source.

Be deliberate. Have a strategy. Join the community. Looking forward to exciting things in years to come as we work together to innovate forward.

Credit Unions, Twitter, Service and Brand Management - 2 of 2

As I posted a real life example and case study about how credit unions can use Twitter to provide service to members and manage their brand online yesterday (click here to read the great discussion and comments), it highlighted the dark side (cue Imperial March... sorry bad Star Wars reference) of social media. 

Today's post will highlight how one credit union was able to turn a negative situation into a positive experience for a credit union member. The ironic thing is this example was found while researching yesterday's blog post. In brief summary, @navyfcusucks also writes and maintains a blog to document his and other people's dislike and hate for Navy FCU.  Once again, this is killer to the Navy FCU brand as you can see the key words used for how people find his blog site.

However, I also found he highlighted a very positive story as well on his web site. This at the time of writing (12/20/2009) was featured on his blog site's home page with the title "An Example of How Credit Unions are SUPPOSED to Work".

The post goes on as quoted below:

"I was looking through YouTube today at some credit union stuff and I happened upon this video: LINK

Now, it isn’t the video that caught my eye, but rather a comment made by a viewer about his unpleasant experience with Bellco Credit Union. What happens next? He receives a reply IN THE YOUTUBE COMMENTS AREA from Bellco’s VP of Customer Relationship Management, with an apology and a phone number to call her personally. The next posting is by the guy who made the complaint stating that everything has been taken care of.

See for yourself:

This is what customer service looks like. This is an example of how to make members feel like being part of a credit union is something special."

Bellco Listens. Does Your Credit Union?

The interesting thing to note about this response from Bellco CU is that the video where the comment was posted was not a Bellco CU video.  It was simply a Banker Spank parody video that was posted on You Tube which also includes many other comments as well.

Bellco CU was able to use social media listening tools (Google Alerts, search.twitter.com) to hear what was being said about their brand in the social media world.  They should be applauded for not only listening, but responding and turning a negative situation into positive one.  Not only did one member learn that they are being heard, but everyone who reads the follow up from Bellco, this blog post as well as the other knows that Bellco listens to their members. 

Is your credit union listening to what is being said about your brand online? Are the tools and people is place to respond as needed without having to go through 5 layers of corporate approvals to water down a message? 

This is where the magic happens. This is where credit unions can turn members into advocates for them. Shout back and share your thoughts.  I would love to hear from you!

Credit Unions, Twitter, Service and Brand Management - 1 of 2

Editor's note: Click here to read the follow up and continue the conversation on "Credit Unions, Twitter, Service and Brand Management - 2 of 2".

This post is a follow up to my last comment about credit unions and Twitter on the CUES Skybox blog written by Christopher Stevenson.  It has been so exciting to see the way the conversation has transpired.  In brief summary, there has been a great discussion there about how credit unions can use Twitter to connect and build relationships.

I ended my last comment on a note about how credit unions can use Twitter to provide service to members.  This was prompted by some good thoughts from Jeffry Pilcher. Credit unions can and must protect their brand (brand management) through providing service resolution on Twitter and other social networks.  With social media, organizations are no longer in control what is being said about their brand (good or bad). 

To recap, my challenge to credit unions is to let their front line start tweeting/faceboooking. What are credit unions afraid of? Why are they afraid to give up control when it comes to having relevant conversations through social media?

Traditionally, credit unions don't put duck tape over the mouth of their front line staff when interacting with members face to face in the branch. What is the difference when bringing the conversations online?  As I say in my sessions when speaking around the country about social media, "Social media is not about technology. Social media is about sociology. It's about connecting people with people."

On the note of taking care of problems in public, there is one credit union that I would say has such a huge opportunity here.   Take this as free advice/strategy and I hope it helps some of you.  Consider this a living and breathing case study of brand management and service delivery on Twitter.

When you are the "world's largest credit union", you have a lot of eyes on you (member, non-member and industry alike).  Navy FCU has a Twitter account with 801 followers but they are only following 164. Why the big disconnect here?  Why are they not following more people back?

I just checked out their twitter stream and it looks like they are doing a good job of having conversations and not just using twitter as a broadcast marketing channel (spray and pray as Denise Wymore put it above).

However, on the flip side, there is a very disgruntled Navy FCU ex-member who is also on Twitter (Does your credit union have one of these?  Maybe he is not as tech savvy but that time may come). He has 467 followers.  In brief summary, the goal of @NavyFCUSucks is to RT and spread tells of hate/disgust from people who are tweeting about how bad Navy FCU is and why they hate them as a credit union. WARNING: There may be some strong language on the twitter stream that may offend you.

This is the dark side (enter Darth Vader) of social media. Navy FCU can't control what is being said about them in the market place.  However, if I was Navy FCU, I would be following @NavyFCUSucks so that any person that gets re-tweeted on his twitter stream would be followed up with to try to rectify the situation all why managing their brand in the social media world.  I did check out the Navy FCU followers and could not find @NavyFCUSucks on there.

Navy FCU could also go a step further and set up listening tools like a search.twitter.com RSS alert that uses key words like "NFCU", "Navy FCU", "Navy FCU Sucks", "NFCU Sucks", etc.  This way, they would be notified when ever these terms are used together. (Note: when i just did a search on Twitter for "NFCU" on Sunday 12/20/2009, the first three results were negative references towards Navy FCU).

While not all issues or complaints may be valid, at the very least, the public will know that Navy FCU is listening and responding.  This interaction and engagement is a key to turning a negative experience into a positive one, and turning a member into an advocate for your credit union.

I would love to hear your thoughts and take on this.  Please do shout back below and carry on the conversation.  Feel free to also tweet a link to this post on Twitter to get others to share their thoughts and ideas as well. I would also love to hear from @NFCU as well as from @NavyFCUSucks to get their viewpoints and maybe we can get them to work out a truce as well.

Twitter: a faster horse, trends, the classroom, & our future work force

My mind is racing as I think about the tremendous opportunities that lie ahead as we innovate, communicate, learn, and grow together.

Others may question the value of Twitter. It was not that long ago that I didn't even want to consider another communication channel. I was too busy and there was too much trivial communication. Now, I'm thankful for an ever-growing, thought-provoking, community of connections and viewpoints shared on Twitter.

Browsing through Twitter updates this morning, I came across @BertDecker's reference to a quote by Henry Ford:

"If I'd asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said a faster horse."

Fortunately, Mr. Ford chose a different path, pioneering a new form of transportation. Might social media be to communication, like the Model T was to transportation, where Twitter is the higher speed evolution?

Next, I spent some time reviewing @MichaelHyatt's pointer post to the free ebook, "What Matters Now: Things to think about (and do) this year". More than 70 big thinkers collaborated to provide a picture of where we are headed, including Seth Godin, Chris Anderson, Tom Peters, Elizabeth Gilbert, Guy Kawasaki, and more.

The ebook begins with a spotlight on generosity. Logic would indicate that people start focusing on looking out for number one when the economy is tough. It turns out that the connected economy doesn't respect this natural instinct. Instead, we're rewarded for being generous.

Covering such areas as dignity, momentum, consequences, compassion, DIY, accountability, responsibility, collaboration, change, context, authenticity, and more, the ebook is worth taking the time to read. Slow down, contemplate, and give some serious thought to the concepts. Take time to ask yourself, "What does this mean to me?"

Next, @rossdawson pointed me to "A futurist's view of the 'next big thing' in social media" by @VenessaMiemis and featured on www.businessesgrow.com.

When I came across:

Many young people are not being taught how to benefit from the power of the web as a tool for building a network and for learning. I mean, anyone who uses Twitter or belongs to an online community of some sort has seen that sharing information and learning from one another is not only fun and rewarding, it's addictive. Kids need to be shown how to navigate that world too.

It's not just the kids who need to be introduced to or taught about the value of social media. All ages can benefit when they find the right focus and discover the best channels to use for their goals and interests.

I was compelled to pay it forward today, sharing insights I found valuable with others. Now will you share with me? Has someone's tweet inspired, challenged, and helped you position forward? It's your turn to pay it forward, shout out and share with others.

Vendors Invited to Become Rock Stars through YouTube Video Contest

Are banks and credit unions in your target audience? Are you looking for new and creative ways to attract potential clients and help keep existing clients loyal ?  TechMecca has just the contest for you. Create an informative video of value to the financial industry and you are on the road to stardom. Now is the time to create some buzz and become a rock star!

Strategic thoughts about Social Media Trends and Predictions

A number of business professionals I work with are still questioning the value of social media. If you are one of the doubters or naysayers, take a moment to read Jeff Bulla's blog on "45 Social Media Trends and Predictions".

He gives some great food for thought as you consider the strategic implications of social media for your organization.

For those who have already embraced social media as a strategic business tool:

1. What have you learned from your social media journey, both positive and negative experiences. As we move forward, learning from each other helps all of us position foward faster.

2. How are you leveraging your social media efforts?

3. Are you using measurements to evaluate your social media impact? If yes, please share what they are and why you chose them a metrics.

Hi Mom! Live at the Mobilize.org Conference! Watch Below...

Watch a live stream from mobilize.org conference and get involved with the chat on the credit union blog.

Are you still undecided about or dismissing social media?

No matter what form of social media that comes to mind, blogs, twitter, facebook, and so on, they are simply another form of communication. In a recent conversation with Amanda Vega she described social media as being similar to conversations at a cocktail party. Some conversations are more engaging than others. And yes, some conversations may send you desperately running away in search of more interesting people to be around. There are even times when you have no real interest in any conversation at the party and you flee from the event.

As with any communication medium, there are those who prefer one form or another. As you weigh the value of social media, ask yourself  “how do people I want to serve, sell to, or have relationships with, communicate?” If no one in your world tweets or spends time on Facebook, by all means, you don’t need to go there. In today's competitive market place, identifying how people prefer to communicate is a solid strategy to position your business forward.

A big part of who I am is built around developing relationships with credit union professionals, speakers, and service providers.

A younger credit union COO I know probably won’t answer a phone call unless you are already listed as “OK” when your phone number pops up, doesn’t care to read paper based mail, and prefers not to use email. I had to make a decision. Is he important enough for me to want to have a conversation with? Absolutely! Because I do value the relationship, I choose to communicate the way he prefers - via Twitter. Does that mean we don’t email, talk on the phone, or visit in person? No. However, we have established a way to stay connected and strengthen our relationship through Twitter and Facebook. Because of the relationship, many more channels of communication and business opportunities become open.

Another of our CEOS just wants a phone call. He said if I called him he'd send me a student every year. Easy enough. I'm happy to place the call to keep the relationship and build the business. And yes, I learned this through good old fashioned face to face communication and asking for the business.

As we go forward and wrestle with various forms of communication, it's not as easy as what form will I choose. It is all about strategy. No matter the form of communication, or how many channels you feel are appropriate for your business, spend some time assessing the form, style, value, and direction for each. Take a tip from Seth Goodin as he compares social media to a hammer, "The best way to find the right tool for the job is to learn to be good at switching hammers."

Ask yourself where are the conversations occurring that are important to me and my company? Be deliberate. Form the relationships and join in the conversation by both listening and speaking. Bring value to the conversation and be real.

If you have already embraced social media, what are you doing to enlighten others about the business value of the medium?

Lessons Learned Thru Twitter - Twitter, Customer Service and Good Brand Management

- Building the Business Case for 140 Precious Characters

Checking this morning's tweets, I came across @ConversationAge Twitter, Customer Service and Good Brand Management http://ow.ly/yz2H.

She got my attention and I followed her link. For those of you serious about brand management and customer service, I recommend spending some thought time reading Valeria Maltoni's post. She addresses how those 140 character twitter messages have the potential to directly impact your brand and can function as a customer service tool.

She gives great tools about how to track tweets about your company. Maltoni goes further, nothing that "online monitoring is broader than Twitter", as she mentions additional web monitoring sites.

Keep exploring and learning as online communication channels grow and develop. Join the conversation, develop the relationships, and keep positioning forward!

Tweet on my friends.

Do You Have a Fowarding Quotient Strategy?

New term for me today - Forwarding Quotient (FQ). Are you strategically and thoughtfully taking time to forward content of value to your clients, peers, work team, and friends?

I learned about FQ through a weekly update from a LinkedIn group I follow - twitter innovators Innovation & Creativity Network of Tweeters . Scott Jacobs posted a link to Harvard Business Publishing (a source that I also follow through RSS feeds) "Conversation Starter - The Disadvantage of Twitter and Facebook" by Michael Schrage.

As I read along, I was nodding in agreement. Whether we grow our relationships through face to face contact or online connections, special are those who know us well enough to share pertinent information that build us up, help us with projects, or provide inspiration and spur innovation.

I've found useful information through posts to this LinkedIn group. Scott's post, his choosing to participate and not just observe, gave me value. HBP posting timely articles with attention grabbing headlines keep me coming back.

Have you made the commitment to participate in social networking communities? Twitter? Facebook? LinkedIn?

Do you add value by forwarding information or commenting on blogs that grab your attention?

Do you have a lesson learned, aha moments, informative articles that will help someone position forward?

Add value. Be a contributor to the communities and dialogues around you. Share!

Learning Continues Through Social Media Channels & E-mail Communications

Social media is simply another language. One where those who are fluent or even learning themselves are often more than willing to share their knowledge and coach novices. Today, Sean McDonald was gracious enough to take the time to educate me and open my mind to yet another way to share lessons learned.

Once I decided Twitter did have value, I typically begin my business day with a quick overview of tweets. This morning a post by @ConversationAge caught my attention:

RT @ConversationAgeListening is a basic, human element of your business. Why is it so hard? http://ow.ly/pyHG  

For those new to Twitter - RT is a "re-tweet" or repeat of someone else's message.

Since I still consider myself new to a lot of the social media channels, and sage advice I continue to receive is to listen, the tweet reference caught my attention. After reading it, I wanted to share the message with others. I emailed Sean directly, seeking permission to repost as a guest blog on this site. 

He was kind enough to take the time to introduce a new term to me "pointer post" to me, including an example:

Thank you for the kind words, glad the post is helpful to you. Best approach for you sharing my blog post is to do a pointer post.  A pointer post is where you write a short intro on cugrow.com (intro can be how it applies to the CU business, what you liked about the post, or something as short and sweet like, “this is what we have been discussing at cugrow, thought you would benefit from another point of view”) and then link over to the original post.

Thanks Sean for taking the time to reach out and help educate others along the way. For me, this is one of the many values just waiting for folks as they learn to embrace a wide variety of communication tools.

Do you have lessons you've learned about social media to share with others? Shout back and share.

Helping People Understand Twitter and Other Social Media

When reviewing the weekly update from one of my LinkedIn groups, I came across the following post from David Pittman (Sr. Director, Marketing Communications, Initiate Systems, Inc.). I found his approach insightful and have his permission to share…

My company recently jumped headlong into social media, becoming active on Twitter, Facebook, and, LinkedIn, with soon-to-roll plans for other social media outlets. As the marketing communications director, I'm responsible for getting all this action rolling. That means I also field a huge range of questions from co-workers.

The most frequent type of question I get is "How is [X] different from [Y]?", especially "How is Twitter different from Facebook?" To help my colleagues understand the different social networks, I borrowed from my product marketing friends and created personas for each network. Each persona is the name of a fellow well-known employee, so everyone can quickly picture the personality of each social network and the 'feel' we will try to give to each in our communications.

Below are the personas I wrote, with the names changed to protect the guilty.

• Our blog is like Tom C: authoritative but with a humorous edge. Invites other opinions.
• Twitter is like Bill F: clever, witty and fun; easily interacts with other people; not afraid to ask thought-provoking questions.
• The website is like Ginger K: organized, has everything you need. Isn’t as outgoing as other media, but is always ready to interact with you.
• Flickr is like Emily G: has all the images, pictures and graphics you could want. (One person added, “And is easy to use.”)
• YouTube is like Dr. Robert H: has depth and technical knowledge, but also has a funny personal side.
• LinkedIn is like Alexandra T: knows everybody; exudes a professional demeanor; isn’t afraid to reach out and make connections.
• Facebook is like Ted P: cheerful, congratulatory and social. Reaches out to other people, encourages interaction among different people, has lots of friends; is able to integrate personal and professional.

What do you think of the characterizations he applied to each social network? What changes would you make?

Make a Difference. It Will Only Cost You $1... That's It!

It takes a lot to think huge and do something different to make a difference.  Carol Schillios is living on a roof for as long as it takes to raise $1 million to support women and their families in developing countries.

She won’t come down from the roof until she raises $1 million.  You can help. You can make a difference.  It will only cost a $1.  But don’t think of it as a cost.  Think of it as investment into the greater good of mankind with the spirit of credit unions and “people helping people”.  

Carol simply asks that you donate $1 to the Fabric of Life Foundation, and accompany that donation with a small act of kindness.

Click here to read some of the amazing success stories from the work Carol and her foundation have already done.

You can help. Donate a dollar. Spread the word.

1.    Donate a dollar (or lots of dollars if you would like), and perform a small act of kindness in “your world”.

2.    Spread the word and tweet what you did with your one small act, along with this link to Carol’s site http://bit.ly/qQaec and the hashtag #imupontheroof.

For example: Hooked the office up with @starbucks today because I love my team and they do great things http://bit.ly/qQaec #imupontheroof

3.    Simple “free” idea: Change your Twitter location to “Up on the roof with Carol.”

By using the hashtag #imupontheroof, we can all follow along and “be on the roof” with Carol.  She is online “up there” and will be reading your tweets, thoughts, blog post and comments.

Help spread the word and encourage everyone you can to do the same by emailing, tweeting, blogging, texting, Facebooking, MySpacing, YouTubing and any other “ings” you can think of.  
Together, we can make a difference and bring Carol down from the roof.

Shout Out to Carol

• Carol is on Twitter as @schillios.
• She’s also on Facebook.
• Her blog is upontheroofwithcarol.org

Building the Business Case for Social Media - Come on in, the water's fine

My venture into social media began a little over a year ago as a result of a conversation with two young men before they were about to do a presentation at Southwest CUNA Management School (SCMS) for alumni and students. The students had arranged for the presentation about the basics of social media. At the time this was all new to me and I wasn't ready to embrace any of it. However, James Robert Lay and Brad Garland impressed me. They were young, professional, passionate, and communicated well. It wasn't even the presentation that got my attention. It was how they approached business. Since then they have both become treasured friends and mentors.

One of the lessons I was reminded of when visiting with James Robert and Brad was to invest time in getting to know professionals outside of your own generation and beyond existing customer/member and vendor relationships. As relationships grow and new ones are formed, when we are looking for them, there are numerous opportunities to learn from each other. Collaborations can be a driving force to help position forward.

James Robert coached me through basics of blogging, eventually opening the door for me to blog on this site. As with most social media tools, the advice was to observe first. See how the media is used. Find blogs that interest you. Participate by commenting. Submit guest blogs. Learn how to stand up. Walk. Run. You decide each step of the way how quickly you want to progress.

I was introduced to RSS feeds. Cool. They saved me time by organizing blogs with information that was of interest to me directly into files in my Outlook. Now, when I have time, I can quickly review information, looking for new ideas and innovative approaches. To position forward we need to be finding new ways to do business.

LinkedIn is still my favorite, though this one seems to be more difficult to get folks to "buy into". To me it's more professional. One of the challenges is for folks who ventured into LinkedIn when it was primarily a HR recruiting/job hunting communication tool. They tend to think, been there, done that, tool has no value. It has evolved beyond it's HR/Job function, though it still has elements related to that. I like the ease of sharing news and starting/following discussions. I much prefer following a discussion here as opposed to weeding through email or twitter strings.

Facebook. Twitter. Waiste of time? Why bother? To maintain and grow market share, as well as position forward, we need to reach people beyond our traditional market(s) and contacts.

Before SCMS began this summer, I had just started to explore Twitter as a communication tool. During some idea generating sessions we used Twitter for live comments. As the process evolved, we realized that Twitter had power to bring expertise immediately into the conversation or to share "back home". No travel. No expense. Real time.  We had strategic "experts" join our classroom conversation from New York, Washington D.C., and California. The experts gained new ideas. Credit union employees were able to be part of the conversation, gaining insights, without leaving the office. All players won.

Recently Brad posted a twitter offering to help on projects. I took him up on his offer with a simple request for him, but something that would have taken me time to figure out. I wanted to sync twitter with facebook and had not spent the time to figure out how to do it. He made it happen with a few key strokes and I was off and running.

This morning I posted on Twitter that I was looking for ways to help folks see the business case for social media. Darrell Bahr picked up my message on facebook, sending me the following reply:

"Need case studies/examples. CU people are largely numbers people, so they need something tangible and proven/tested before they will try something so "radical". A few places to look:

Link 1

 

Link 2

 

Yes, I could keep going on. This just scratches the surface. But another lesson learned, you have to manage time. My other duties are screaming at me. 

 

Care to share ways to show the business value of various social media tools? I'm all eyes and ears - shout back.

I will take REAL Solutions for $500 please...

While I was at the REAL Solutions partner meeting, James Robert, co-author, asked “Hey, why don’t you do an interview?” So… I was pondering what questions should I ask. Then I thought I will try something different this time. I am going to do this interview “Jeopardy Style”. I will provide the answers and let the questions come to me. I supplied the answers to the following: Brent Dixon , founder of The Haberdashery, Denise Gabel, Chief Innovation Officer at the Filene Research Institute, Lois Kitsch, REAL Solutions National Program Director, and Kathy Darwin (no relation to Charles), CUANM’s REAL Solutions Program Coordinator.

Answer: REAL Solutions

Brent: What program is out there that embodies the philosophy of the credit union movement?

Denise: What is a philosophy and program that supports credit unions and consumers?

Lois: What is a program that recognizes the future needs of members and the ability for credit unions to meet their financial needs with affordable products and services through credit unions and state leagues?

Kathy: What do credit unions do for their communities?

Answer: Opportunity (which by the way I did not say opportunity for credit unions, just the word opportunity)

Brent: What is one of the greatest things credit unions can walk away with given the current economic times?

Denise: What are the current economic times for credit unions?

Lois: What is the reason why credit unions should reach out in serving emerging markets like young adults, low-wage families, “New Americans”, and Senior Citizens?

Kathy: What do low-wealth households look for?

Answer: Credit Unions

Brent: What is one of the best kept secrets for consumers that are out there today?

Denise: What is the consumer’s best-friend with money?

Lois: What is the best vehicle for change to provide economic opportunities for American families?

Kathy: What is a not-for profit financial cooperative?

Answer: The Fonz (in the spirit of Milwaukee…)

Brent: What bronze figurine would I most love to pose in a picture with?

Denise: Who is an icon of a leather jacket?

Lois: Who is the young adult who needed financial education, but was cool when young?

Kathy: Whose bronze statue stands in a park in Milwaukee?

Well there we have it-the questions from some innovative credit union minds… Does anyone out there have some other interesting questions to these answers: REAL Solutions, opportunity, credit unions, or The Fonz? If so blog back and ask us!

Credit Unions: Don't Tick Your Members Off

Have you ever been wronged by a company? Of course you have. What did you do about it?  Complain to them? Write a letter?  Tell the BBB?  Was the issue rectified and did they ever do anything about it.

One guy was wronged by United Airlines for breaking his guitar and wrote a song about it.  It went viral on You Tube and has been seen by over 2,800,000 people.

Watch the video below to see and hear his story...

United Airlines had to put on damage control fast and “a managing director of customer service called Carroll and apologized, going so far as to ask if United could use the video internally to train its people.”

So credit unions, take note, if you tick off your members (even one member) who has the skills, technology and know how, this could be you. The question is, are you prepared how to handle this?  How long would it take for you to try to make things right?  What would you do?  I’m not trying to scare anyone but more of this could happen (maybe just not with this much production).   

This is why it’s so important to listen in social media. For some tips on this check out Google Alerts and Twitter Search where you can setup RSS feeds to stay in the know.

Shout back and share your thoughts and ideas about this.  Look forward to the conversation.

Note: I know this was first published here and here.  This post was written on Friday, July 11th but was scheduled to go out today after some other things like this and this.  This just goes to show how fast things like this can travel.

Welcome SCMS Students - Rock the Credit Union World

Greetings and hello to all the SCMS students.  I wish all of you nothing but the best as you kick things off and know there will be a ton of great ideas that come out of the next two weeks.  From what I hear on Twitter (via @scmsjanine, @shawntemple, @jaduplant, @Kent_CUlifer), things are already off to a awesome start.

Keep me in the loop with what's going on and friend me up on Twitter: @jrwlay

I hope you enjoy the CU Grow credit union blog t-shirts and where them with "purple pride" to represent SCMS.  My challenge to you is to shout back to this blog post on how you will "innovate, communicate and collaborate" in SCMS over the next two weeks.

Spread the word. Tell your friends at school and get them to post their thoughts and ideas as well. Looking forward to hanging out on July 21 and July 22.  CU soon!

Until then, rock the credit union world. \w/

CUMA: Part Deux!

Calling all nominations for the 2009 C.U.M.A.- Credit Union Movie of the Year Award. Last year Larissa Walkiw, spokesperson for Commonwealth CU’s Young & Free campaign, won the very first C.U.M.A. with The Difference Between Banks and Credit Unions – Part One . Who will be the winner this year? Who will take the coveted C.U.M.A. home? Blog back with the link to your nomination- to do this post a comment to this article and include a link to the video you are nominating. You can nominate any credit union film you have seen this year- it doesn't even have to be from your credit union. Feel free to nominate more than one. We will have an online vote next week. The winner will be announced Tuesday July 21 at the SCMS Alumni & Student Scholarship Auction & Networking Dinner. The deadline for nominations is July 17, 2009. The only rules are:

• The video is no longer than 5 minutes.
• It must have premiered between July 2008 and now
• It promotes the credit union industry in a positive way
• It is uploaded to a public viewing site: Such as YouTube or a public credit union website.

The Competitive Edge - Member Experience 2.0

Guest post from Curt Tueffert, Brick Wall Motivation...

Member experience is a sum total of the products, people, and processes they come in contact with when they create a relationship with you and your credit union.  We are faced with a fresh new year, a new president, and a new (and challenging) economy.  How will that impact Member experience?  Here are 4 Great Member Experience Insights for 2009.

 

Insight #1: Without Members We Don’t Have A Business. We Have A Hobby (Peppers and Rogers, Return on Customer). Members are more and more adept at differentiating value and price, service and delivery, and other decision points to align with partners like you. More products are becoming commodities, Members are bombarded with marketing messages, and information is just a few keystrokes and web pages away.  Everyone has to strive for the best Member experience regardless of the economic times.  We all impact the experiences of all our Members.

 

Insight #2: The Main Thing Is To Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing. The Chinese term wei gee portrays the dual nature of a crisis; Danger being one element and Opportunity the other.  Members are being challenged right now, they’re cutting back, and you can either prepare for danger and ride it out or advance and seize the opportunities as they present themselves.  Our collective Member Experience will present more opportunities to delight our Members in these times.  Front line sales people, Member service professionals, investment teams, loan processors, underwriting, and all levels of management can choose to create great Member Experience touch points…daily. The upside is adding Member and keeping the ones we have. The downside of not providing great Member Experiences is the loss of Member trust, and eventually the loss of Members (see point #1)

 

Insight #3: The Time To Get Creative Is Now. As budgets shrink and marketing departments take more control of the price/value proposition, you have to get creative in how you position your credit union (and message) in the member’s minds. By creative I mean nimble.  Can we present an alternative solution to meet the Member’s needs?  Can we listen more and talk less?  Can we practice an increased degree of empathy in all of our departments?  They are under pressure to perform and therefore, so are we.  The more we can strengthen our value proposition, the greater chance we will get to solve our Member’s challenge.

 

Insight #4: The Way To Our Member’s Heart Is Through Our Employees. When our employees are not engaged in the Member experience, our Members know; yes they are that smart.  “While you can make some customers happy through brute force, you can not sustain great customer experience unless your employees are brought-in to what you’re doing and are aligned with the effort. If employees have low morale, then getting them to “wow” customers will be nearly impossible”. (CxP Law #4 – 6 Laws of Customer Experience).  It is everyone’s responsibly and mission to help each other get grounded in why we are here, how we can create awesome Member experience, and then do it again and again. Walt Disney said “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”

 

People are getting more impatient.  Google.com drives the demand for “I want it now.” An article mentioned a Gen-Y teenager who said the problem with Mc Donald’s is it’s just too slow. We are faced with both employees and Members who expect and often demand a great Member Experience.  Let’s give it to them; today, tomorrow, and everyday after that. 

SCMS Hands-On Social Media Class & More

Southwest CUNA Management School
Grad School - Social Media Lab: Credit Unions Get Down & Dirty

 

It’s time to stop talking about social media, roll up your sleeves, and experience some of the tools first hand. James Robert Lay, Brad Garland, and Kent Sugg team up to divide you up. Attendees will divide into work teams to create various social media elements. You’ll discover that with some strategic thinking, nominal investment, and time, you can effectively take advantage of opportunities afforded you through blogging, polling, podcast, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and more.

Unlike other events where you or your staff attend and get excited about the potential of social media, only to return and hit a dead end because you have no idea where to start, you’ll be in real life scenarios to help you better understand and work with social media when you return home.

 

Visit the school site for the full Grad School curriculum, schedule and related details.

 

For the 1st Time - SCMS is Offering a Day Rate

 

Open Invite to Credit Union Professionals to Attend the SCMS Fireside Chat with Robert Gallman and Susan Mitchell - no charge to take advantage of this event and experience the excitement of SCMS!

Swing for a cause - the development of credit union leaders! The 21st Annual SCMS Scholarship Golf Classic is open to all.

 

It's not too late to enroll as a 1st year student! Plan now to connect with tomorrow's leaders. Enroll today!

What Banks Aren't Saying...

Banks are definitely not going to say this, but here are a few things they might be thinking...click here to read SmartMoney.com's "10 Things Your Bank Won't Tell You."  

This list discusses quotes such as: "we change our interest rates all the time" and "your money might be better off elsewhere."

For credit unions, how does this affect relationships with members? Shout back at us and let us know your thoughts about this list.

Credit Unions Can Connect With Gen-Y - Throw a Party

Check out this real story from Good Morning America about how some Gen-Y folk are making money to pay the rent.

From what I saw in the video, they are taking an old concept, putting a spin on it and actually making money to help pay the rent.

How can you or your credit union be able to connect with the Gen-Y market and help out.

I am not saying to pay the rent for them but focus on the relationship.

Maybe sponsor a "rent party", provide food and have someone on hand to answer financial questions to those attending if they have them.  This can not be "salesy" or "pushy" but just a way to chat and visit in a non-threatening environment. 

In any case, the video provides some great, real time insight about some of the struggles the Gen-Y is facing right now.  Shout back below with your thoughts and ideas about how your credit union might be able to help.

Friday Fun Flick - Twitter Parody (Twouble with Twitters)

Enjoy this fun little flick about Twitter.  Sorry for the late post but enjoy Friday, over the weekend or even on Monday morning when you get this in your RSS feed. What better way to get your week started.

All jokes aside, as Twitter continues to grow, your credit union can use Twitter as a communication channel to connect and build relationships with members. Here are three quick thoughts about how your credit union can use Twitter as a communication tool.

1. Listen - if you are just getting into Twitter, listen first.  Set up an account then sit back and observe the conversation and see how Twitter really works.  Like the video above shows, there is a big misconception that Twitter is a waste of time.  Twitter has grown to more than just people spouting off random and pointless tweets about their lives.

3. Discover - as you begin to listen to the conversation on Twitter, you will begin to discover new things. Maybe someone is tweeting about an experience at your credit union.  You can even discover new and innovative ways that other credit unions are using Twitter to communicate with their members.

2. Engage - just don't jump into Twitter because it is cool and everyone else is doing it. Find your purpose and reason for wanting to use Twitter.  I recommend using Twitter as a communication tool and not a marketing tool.

You may feel overwhelmed at first but start slow. I'll be honest that I have laid off Twitter for the past two weeks after Twittering for two straight weeks at credit union conferences.  I needed to disconnect and take a break. 

However, as I get caught up on the day to day, I will slowly get back into Twittering more again.  Feel free to follow along here: www.twitter.com/jrwlay

Shout back and let us know if and how you are using Twitter at your credit union.

Invest in the Future

It’s time to rethink strategies and find innovative solutions to today’s challenges. Seeking ways to maximize the return on how time and money are spent is crucial. Southwest CUNA Management School (SCMS) is an environment where applied knowledge and networking are structured to help students find innovative and sound strategies to help position their credit unions forward.

This is the year to seriously consider enrolling yourself or key staff in SCMS — the place to connect with professionals dedicated to the future, an industry think tank.

- Credit union focused curriculum

- Networking opportunities
- Awesome faculty
- Student participation 

Two innovative credit union communication tools students initiated over the last year:

YouTube Video (Bank vs. CU Novella) - Kudos Alex Rascon, (SCMS Class of 2010 president, GECU)

This blog, CU Grow - Thank you James Robert Lay and Natasha Melugin (SCMS Cl of 2009) for your vision, commitment, heart and passion!

- Opportunity to be part of shaping the future of credit unions!

The school is intense. Less than 80% of a first year class make it to graduation. Successful completion of the school is something to take pride in. A three-year commitment, this summer's session is from July 12-22.

SCMS offers professional and personal development opportunity, providing a strong base for credit union leadership. Take the challenge. Make the commitment. Enroll today!

How to Lead with LUV

When I fly Southwest Airlines I can't help but read Spirit Magazine. Even though it is wriiten for an airline, there have been times I actually bring the magazine home (and yes this is permitted). It was no surprise in the recent edition the message from Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines, would be timely and at the forefront explaining Southwest's stance through the current economic crisis. Kelly's message parallels the credit union industry in many ways. Kelly states,

One of the sweet agonies of childhood was receiving a large gift of money from a relative. (At the time, $25 was a huge amount.) Like a typical kid, I would immediately begin calculating how many model car kits or (when I was older) eight-track cassettes I could buy. Of course, my parents had their own calculations: the compound interest the money would earn in a savings account. With hindsight, I see their wisdom, which was forged by the Great Depression.

While the country is in better shape than those dark days, we still are in the midst of what experts are calling the worst recession in the last 50 to 75 years. Some household names are already history, and by the time you read this, others may be. Still, in the midst of all this gloom, I feel very, very good about the Southwest Airlines brand and where it is headed.

Of course, no one knows the future, and I will be the first to tell you that no one could have predicted the unusual way this financial crisis erupted last fall. But I can tell you emphatically that Southwest Airlines was prepared for it—just like we were prepared to survive the aftermath of 9/11 and the first Gulf War in 1991. My parents knew that family finances would have their ups and downs, and companies are no different. One of the Cultural legacies that our Founder and Chairman Emeritus Herb Kelleher has given us is to manage during the good times so we can survive the bad times. And in our industry, bad times always come along—especially when you least expect them.

Sound familiar? Yes, the economy is in a bad place but lucklily the credit union industry as a whole is prepared to handle it. As a whole we are at 11% capitol and strong, safe, and prepared to serve our members.

To read Gary Kelly's entire message click on this link Managing for Bad Times

What do you think your credit union can learn from Southwest Airlines? Blog back and tell us!