Resources List

Efficiency vs. Engagement

Discover the hidden factor sabotaging your board's engagement and accountability, and learn how to address it effectively.

Discover how credit union boards can become agile strategic partners and lead their institutions to future success.

Add younger employees and members directly to your C-suite and board to benefit from their skills and knowledge today.

If your credit union has grown have you re-considered the balance of authority between your board and CEO?

Generation Z has the potential to be the greatest credit union generation, so why are so many credit unions struggling to get their attention?

Speaking up can be scary, especially if you’re the only woman in the room, but it’s important to call attention to problematic behavior in the workplace.

Boards still have work to do to support their female directors and wider DEI&B efforts.

Acknowledge your power in the workplace and strive to have open and humble conversations that encourage other voices to be heard.

Honor the principle of democratic member control even when you need to remove a board member.

A divided vote makes you a human board. And it’s what you do afterward that matters most.

Defining roles and responsibilities and continuing education help ensure appropriate coverage.

Holding onto your board position may be best for you, but what’s best for your credit union?

Four areas to focus on.

New study suggests where to look for the answer.

'Five finger consensus' allows all directors to weigh in on key decisions.

Two female board leaders share their experiences and advice for promoting good governance—especially, but not only, as representatives of a minority demographic.

Approaching director searches like executive searches can produce great results.

In the boardroom and everywhere, it's important to hear all voices.

Who are the workplace bullies, and what can we do about them?

As part of its board recruitment renewal project, Hudson Valley CU developed a call for candidates that outlined specific attributes that matched its changing governance needs and values.

Like a nautilus, Hudson Valley Credit Union’s board evolves beautifully into its next stage of governance.

An analysis of Hudson Valley CU’s work to revise key governance processes.

Every director should be ‘chair material’—even if they wouldn’t make a good chair.

Supporting other women as they advance is important.

They are when they act with humility, self-awareness, self-control, moral sensitivity and kindness.

When directors, supervisory committee members and executives collaborate effectively, members benefit.

But putting in the effort can definitely make a difference.

The groundwork for success includes commitment from the start.

It’s important to prioritize and value diversity.

A perfect time to re-evaluate your organization and its direction is when a key leadership shift is on the horizon.

To make your gatherings more effective and engaging, first look at the real reasons boards meet.

The credit union and women’s movements are clearly doing something right. But we still have a long way to go.

Our foremothers paved the way for us; now we pave the way for the women now coming of age.

Five tips for a successful pivot to virtual board meetings

The key threads include equity, diversity and inclusion. All three are needed for the best leadership and governance for your credit union.

The new virtual reality is changing the way we do business.

Governance Committees can help ensure boards are running smoothly.

A strong alignment of the CEO, senior leaders and the board enabled early, effective action.

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Key ideas about response oversight and future strategy

If you’re shifting to an ‘audit’ committee instead, be careful not to sacrifice independent oversight at the altar of efficiency.

Collaboration, more than control, fuels today’s high-performing boards.

Consider multiple perspectives and build consensus— not unanimity—to ensure your CU is making good decisions.

Your strategic planning process is as important as the plan and should be ongoing.

In addition to playing an important role in managing the CEO, the chairman also plays a key role in managing the board itself.

Generally keeping things organized and on track is no small feat—and it’s an important one.

The constructive partnership between directors and the chief executive is a lot like teammates on one side of the court.

A best practice for chairs is to help the board look at the big picture while still having a specific opinion.

Six key responsibilities of every board, gleaned from my conversation with world-renowned expert Ram Charan.

Building a culture of inclusivity helps ensure each voice on your board is heard.

Key Findings for Communication

Directors need to ask good, hard questions—to ‘trust but verify’ in a respectful and professional manner—all toward the good of the credit union.

1. Should chairs vote? 2. What’s the best way to ask a director to move on?

Reclaim the ‘why’ of credit unions by deeply embedding social purpose in all your activities.

There is no ‘wrong’ time to deal with fundamental governance issues.

5 ways to unite staff and volunteers for good governance

Getting to know them can aid your recruiting.

Solid financials aren’t necessarily a sign of a high-performance board.

The State of Credit Union Governance, 2018 report finds credit unions are more certain of their current mix of directors than they are about the future composition of their boards. Here’s what this means for board renewal.

Core Recommendations from a New Report

Use them to increase your board’s focus and effectiveness.

Principled leadership is a vital part of any cooperative’s DNA.

Musings on the Federal Reserve’s proposed guidance on supervisory expectation for boards

The challenge is helping front-line credit union folks see the big picture.

Three overarching Canadian principles that can be applied universally

Here's what a top board leader needs to know to be successful—and what you need to know to help.

10 steps to take to ensure your leadership is doing all it can to identify and manage risk

Tailor your message and medium in recruiting younger board members.

Taking the Opportunity to Make Changes

Get the most out of them by applying these bright ideas.

Incorporate strategic planning and thinking into your routine discourse.

Fostering A Healthy Balance

Good Credit Union Performance Doesn't Equal Good Governance

The roles of leadership in today’s credit unions are changing; specifically, there’s an important new way to think about key board leaders.

Be sure to disagree in an agreeable way.

A healthy amount of board rejuvenation is important—but not too much and not too fast.

9 steps to take to help new directors serve well

Eight steps supporting new board members' success

Deciding whether to compensate credit union and CUSO directors is a hard question.

There's no one-size-fits-all answer to how many directors you need.

8 surefire times you need to evaluate your board’s performance

How does your board use its formal and informal authority for the good of the credit union?

Just like CUs and their boards, supervisory committees must change with the times.

CUs need to pave a new road to ensure a strong, high-performing board over time.

The board of the future will need the strength to overcome these.

We can do better.

The challenge of effective CEO evaluation

Three key building blocks

How to Take Your Meetings to the Next Level

Six questions to help you more fully get your board engaged

Strategies to use in your monthly meetings

What drives yours? Here are 10 elements to shoot for in your board room.

Knowing what you're assuming can boost board strategic thinking.

Finding the right balance between operational oversight and visionary dialogue in your boardroom is worth the struggle.