| CU Management

Does Your Loan Program Serve Your Members?

Don't lose sight of members' perceptions.

By Brett Christensen

Not surprisingly, a credit union loan program that effectively serves members is more likely to rate well on other lending metrics, such as loan-to-share ratio, loan growth, and delinquencies. But as you lead your people through the trenches of making loans every day, it's easy to lose sight of how members perceive your lending operation. When you're ready to take a pause and consider this key question, here are some food-for-thought questions you'll want to answer:

10 Predictions for Mobile Devices

The transition from desktop computer to handheld device has helped shape the way we communicate, share information and complete daily tasks--but what else does mobile technology have in store for us? Here are my predictions:

Intelligent apps will offer personalized experiences. In 2013, services helped users collect and track their interests and behaviors, from what foods they eat to the articles they like.

Data Shows Leadership Development Pays Off

Each year since 2005, Chief Executive magazine has sought to identify those companies that excel in leadership development.

Not the Granular Tech, but the Wave Effect That Matters

"Who cares what you ate for breakfast?" was my first thought when I learned about Twitter during its early days. I thought it was just me. But recently I saw a presentation by technology journalist Clive Thompson, author of Smarter Than You Think: How Technology is Changing our Minds for the Better.

Member Business Banking and Shared Branches

There I was, minding my own business, scrolling through Facebook to see what I'd missed that day. Someone's kid said something cute. Someone else ate a delicious-looking lunch. Then I saw it: A post by a local friend and small business owner about her frustration with her large, national bank. She was asking for opinions on where she should take her business (and personal) accounts. She really wanted to join a credit union.

Rate Your Board: How Well Does It Perform?

During a CUES webinar this spring, Michael Daigneault, CCD, defined four points along the spectrum of board development.

Summer Reading for CU Leaders

One of the things I look at when choosing speakers for big CUES events is what books potential presenters have written. Here are three-sentence summaries of books by upcoming presenters that I thought were neat. Hope you'll agree, and add them to your summer reading list--then consider hearing the speakers in person at a CUES event.

Leading Change by John P. Kotter Change is inevitable for survival (think “Darwin”), but change can often be difficult, painful and slow.

CUES Board Walks Its Talk and Gets a Cool Outcome

Imagine you’re on the board of an art museum. A priceless collection of the museum’s art is being loaned to a hotel in Las Vegas. As a director, what do you need to know and do in response? This exercise, undertaken in much more detail by the CUES Board at its May meeting, showed that—for the most part—being a director of an art museum didn’t require knowledge of the art world.

The Lynchpin of Innovation

Cultural alignment makes creativity possible. There are lots of great case studies on innovators and innovative companies. Some tell the story of ongoing innovative developments and brand extensions of companies like Nike--stretching from the legendary waffle sole to its newer digital business. Others focus on the race to a specific objective, often something that seems impossible, like flying, walking on the moon, or powering the globe without fossil fuels.

8 Ideas for Promoting Board Advocacy

Your credit union’s board members are a reflection of your institution, and your brand image.