2 minutes
Show notes for the CUES Podcast Episode 43
As president/CEO of CUES, John Pembroke works hard to have a good relationship with the CUES Board of Directors.
In Episode 43 of the CUES Podcast, John talks about what makes a successful CEO/board relationship.
He stresses two things as being most important:
- seeking alignment with the board on strategic opportunities and risk appetite; and
- understanding the chair’s meeting preferences and communication preferences. Expectations should be stated up front, he says. “My job is to make sure my boss’s job is easier,” he explains.
One way to enhance the relationship between your credit union’s CEO and its chairman is by attending CUES Symposium.
“This is our Super Bowl conference. We bring all guns blazing when it comes to the high quality of speakers that we deliver. We have professors from some of the best business schools in the world, that being Stanford and Wharton, as well as other best-in-class speakers, to talk to our attendees on opportunities and topics that are very, very relevant for them today.
“We make sure our content is very actionable. After each speaker, we have facilitated breakout groups to help attendees digest the content and make actionable plans so that something changes, something happens when they get back,” he stresses.
“It’s a high-powered event. The attendees are the who’s who of North American credit unions, from the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean,” he adds.
Pembroke is a board member himself, serving as a director for the Goodman Community Center in Madison, Wis. That experience is valuable, personally and professionally.
“I love what I do to help make the Madison area a better place for people to live,” he says, adding: “Serving as a director has been a boost in my professional development. It has helped me understand the role of an effective board member.”
Some key takeaways from my interview with John include:
- suggestions for building a healthy relationship between the CEO and board chair and
- a discussion about some of the biggest issues credit unions are facing today.
Listen to my interview with John Pembroke.
The CUES podcast is an audio program hosted by James Lenz, CUES professional development manager. James talks to credit union and cross-industry experts for their perspectives on trends and topics that matter to you.
