Human Resources

‘Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You’

Comfort leads to obsolescence and eventual ‘evaporation.’

What Makes an Effective CU Manager?

A new report explores what kind of employees make the best middle managers.

Wellness Programs Combat Rising Health-Care Costs

Helping employees with their health improves morale and lowers CU costs.

No CU Is Immune From Employee Dishonesty

Effective risk oversight requires you to focus on all risks a CU faces, including embezzlement.

Health-Care Law Changing CUs’ Coverage

CUs can still be ‘an employer of choice.’

Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die

What makes people successful in life also makes them successful in business.

Use Social Media Wisely

Should you allow employees to access social media outlets using CU resources?

Multitasking Employees

Recession-induced cost-cutting has resulted in leaner staffs and 'universal' employees.

Six Jobs You Won't Recognize in 10 Years

As CUs evolve, so must staff.

The Four C’s of Employee Engagement

Educate employees about the value of their benefits package.

Credit Union Magazine

‘Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You’

‘Reward Excellent Failure, Punish Mediocre Success’

Peters: It’s Good to be the Little Guy

MBL: If Banks Win, CUs Lose

A Bit of Unpleasantness

Lora has some excellent tips for us on articles we should read. Thanks Lora!

Definitely, we agree. It’s not only important to adapt to the market, but also to ensure that the organization as a whole has buy-in of this growth strategy. Without full commitment, you could be doing a disservice to your credit union and your Hispanic community.

Good points all, Joni, and thanks for putting it in plain English. DigitalMailer has been consulting a number of clients and affiliates on social media, and the question always arises: "Well, what if someone says something bad about us?" The answer is, they might be already. Not seeing it doesn't mean it can't hurt you. Make sure that, if you're not offering an engaging social media presence, you're at least able to monitor the possible threats.

Chris Brogan is simply awesome and this interview is spot on. Hearing Brogan speak at America's Credit Union Conference is worth the price of admission. Every credit union can learn from his wisdom. Social media is about building a community and credit unions can do that successfully with their members. But they can't do it with everyone: they should also target their social media efforts to particular niches.

Bill, your comments are on the mark. In order to demonstrate that the CU truly understands the risk inherent in lending, the ability to clearly articulate a meaningful discussion of the lending rationale behind lending decisions is critical. All too often, CUs leave it up to the sales force to determine a "marketing" direction for lending activity and the sellers are only too willing to fill the void create by a lack of a clear defined lending culture and credit environment. In large organizations marketing and lending should work hand in hand in defining what sales and lending goals are. The marketing culture needs to be informed of the dynamics of the lending environment and the credit culture must understand the marketing opportunities and threats. In smaller CUs the senior lender in conjunction with the board must, as you indicate, clearly document the what and why of the credit culture.