Resources Double Your Fun: Tracking Strategic Planning For a Brighter Future Read More Finding Balance in Board Meetings Efficiency vs. Engagement Read More What Key Factor May Be Working Against Your Interest in Raising Board Engagement and Accountability Discover the hidden factor sabotaging your board's engagement and accountability, and learn how to address it effectively. Read More In Search Of The Strategic Board Discover how credit union boards can become agile strategic partners and lead their institutions to future success. Read More Who Needs A Shadow Board? Add younger employees and members directly to your C-suite and board to benefit from their skills and knowledge today. Read More The Need for Evolution: One of Today’s Central Governance Challenges If your credit union has grown have you re-considered the balance of authority between your board and CEO? Read More Hope for Gen Z Comes in the Shape of Credit Unions Generation Z has the potential to be the greatest credit union generation, so why are so many credit unions struggling to get their attention? Read More Make Your Voice Heard 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. Read More Gender Equity In The Boardroom: We're Not Done Yet Boards still have work to do to support their female directors and wider DEI&B efforts. Read More Leadership Matters: Choosing Humility Acknowledge your power in the workplace and strive to have open and humble conversations that encourage other voices to be heard. Read More Dealing with Divisive Directors Honor the principle of democratic member control even when you need to remove a board member. Read More Does A Divided Vote Make You A Divided Board? A divided vote makes you a human board. And it’s what you do afterward that matters most. Read More A Cautionary Tale of Risk Management in This Time of Bank Failures Defining roles and responsibilities and continuing education help ensure appropriate coverage. Read More Know When It’s Time To Go Holding onto your board position may be best for you, but what’s best for your credit union? Read More The Sophisticated Art of Ensuring Your Board Grows Alongside Your Credit Union Four areas to focus on. Read More Is Your Organizational Success An Accident? New study suggests where to look for the answer. Read More Defining Consensus 'Five finger consensus' allows all directors to weigh in on key decisions. Read More On Being the Female Chair Leading a Predominately Male Board Two female board leaders share their experiences and advice for promoting good governance—especially, but not only, as representatives of a minority demographic. Read More How Using a Recruiter Can Boost Board Succession Planning Efforts Approaching director searches like executive searches can produce great results. Read More More Listening, Less Mansplaining In the boardroom and everywhere, it's important to hear all voices. Read More The Playground Bully Grows Up Who are the workplace bullies, and what can we do about them? Read More A Continuously Bigger and Better Box Like a nautilus, Hudson Valley Credit Union’s board evolves beautifully into its next stage of governance. Read More Hudson Valley Credit Union’s Call for Board Candidates Refresh 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. Read More Key Outcomes And Lessons Learned From A Board Renewal Effort An analysis of Hudson Valley CU’s work to revise key governance processes. Read More Why Directors Are Chess Pieces, Not Checkers Every director should be ‘chair material’—even if they wouldn’t make a good chair. Read More Mentoring … Because If We Don’t, Who Will? Supporting other women as they advance is important. Read More Are Women Better Leaders? They are when they act with humility, self-awareness, self-control, moral sensitivity and kindness. Read More Serving Members’ Best Interests Benefits From A Constructive Partnership When directors, supervisory committee members and executives collaborate effectively, members benefit. Read More Parity In The Boardroom Takes Patience, Planning And Process But putting in the effort can definitely make a difference. Read More Building Your Associate Board Member Program, From The Philosophy Up The groundwork for success includes commitment from the start. Read More Women In Football, Politics And Credit Union Boardrooms It’s important to prioritize and value diversity. Read More Transitions of Power A perfect time to re-evaluate your organization and its direction is when a key leadership shift is on the horizon. Read More Reimagining Your Board Meetings To make your gatherings more effective and engaging, first look at the real reasons boards meet. Read More RIP RBG: The Thin, Strong String That Ties Women Together Our foremothers paved the way for us; now we pave the way for the women now coming of age. Read More Taking Action On Credit Unions’ No. 1 Director Recruitment Priority: Diversity. The credit union and women’s movements are clearly doing something right. But we still have a long way to go. Read More Some New Remote 'Norms' Are Here To Stay Five tips for a successful pivot to virtual board meetings Read More Weaving a Single Garment of Destiny The key threads include equity, diversity and inclusion. All three are needed for the best leadership and governance for your credit union. Read More Embracing our New (Virtual) Reality The new virtual reality is changing the way we do business. Read More Governance Committee – If You Don’t Have One, Get One! Governance Committees can help ensure boards are running smoothly. Read More Into the COVID-19 Fire to Make Things Better for Members and Staff A strong alignment of the CEO, senior leaders and the board enabled early, effective action. Read More The State Of Credit Union Governance 2020: A Summary Read More Did You Dust Off Your Old Pandemic Plan? Key ideas about response oversight and future strategy Read More The Importance Of A Truly Independent Supervisory Committee If you’re shifting to an ‘audit’ committee instead, be careful not to sacrifice independent oversight at the altar of efficiency. Read More The Concept of ‘Constructive Partnership’ Collaboration, more than control, fuels today’s high-performing boards. Read More Coming Together for the Common Good Consider multiple perspectives and build consensus— not unanimity—to ensure your CU is making good decisions. Read More An Antidote For Shifting Sands Your strategic planning process is as important as the plan and should be ongoing. Read More Being Chair Is More Challenging Than You Think In addition to playing an important role in managing the CEO, the chairman also plays a key role in managing the board itself. Read More Board Liaisons Direct Directors and Staff Toward Good Governance Generally keeping things organized and on track is no small feat—and it’s an important one. Read More The Board And The CEO Should Play Doubles Tennis The constructive partnership between directors and the chief executive is a lot like teammates on one side of the court. Read More Balancing Impartiality With Voting A best practice for chairs is to help the board look at the big picture while still having a specific opinion. Read More Advice from My Hero Six key responsibilities of every board, gleaned from my conversation with world-renowned expert Ram Charan. Read More What to Do When Communication Styles Clash: Embrace It Building a culture of inclusivity helps ensure each voice on your board is heard. Read More Effective Communications in the Board Room Key Findings for Communication Read More Many Board Problems Boil Down to Communications Challenges 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. Read More Two Of The Five Top Questions Board Chairs Have 1. Should chairs vote? 2. What’s the best way to ask a director to move on? Read More A New Credit Union Model with Classic Principles Focuses on Social Purpose Reclaim the ‘why’ of credit unions by deeply embedding social purpose in all your activities. Read More Get Your House in Order—Now, If Need Be There is no ‘wrong’ time to deal with fundamental governance issues. Read More Closing the Board/Management Trust Gap 5 ways to unite staff and volunteers for good governance Read More Millennials Are Many Things, Including Your Future Board Leaders Getting to know them can aid your recruiting. Read More Tell Me Something I Don’t Know: What You Need to Know About Assessments Solid financials aren’t necessarily a sign of a high-performance board. Read More Who's on Your Board Today? Tomorrow? 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. Read More 5 Data-Driven Recommendations for Governance Success Core Recommendations from a New Report Read More The State of Credit Union Governance, 2018: Six Key Findings Use them to increase your board’s focus and effectiveness. Read More Understanding the Importance of Ethics Principled leadership is a vital part of any cooperative’s DNA. Read More A Case for Reaching Higher Musings on the Federal Reserve’s proposed guidance on supervisory expectation for boards Read More Assessing Staff's Strategic Planning Path The challenge is helping front-line credit union folks see the big picture. Read More Great Things from the Great North Three overarching Canadian principles that can be applied universally Read More Help Your New Chair Move Up Here's what a top board leader needs to know to be successful—and what you need to know to help. Read More ERM Is Everyone's Responsibility 10 steps to take to ensure your leadership is doing all it can to identify and manage risk Read More The Ever-Elusive Millennial Director Tailor your message and medium in recruiting younger board members. Read More Resolutions for a New Year Taking the Opportunity to Make Changes Read More The Benefits of Board Committees Get the most out of them by applying these bright ideas. Read More Moving Beyond The Strategic 'Moment' Incorporate strategic planning and thinking into your routine discourse. Read More A Quality CEO-Board Relationship Fostering A Healthy Balance Read More Un-Cage Your Thinking Good Credit Union Performance Doesn't Equal Good Governance Read More Charting a New Direction The roles of leadership in today’s credit unions are changing; specifically, there’s an important new way to think about key board leaders. Read More The Origin Of Civility Be sure to disagree in an agreeable way. Read More Supporting Healthy Board Rejuvenation A healthy amount of board rejuvenation is important—but not too much and not too fast. Read More Director Onboarding Post-Election 9 steps to take to help new directors serve well Read More Start Onboarding Pre-Election Eight steps supporting new board members' success Read More To Pay or Not To Pay Deciding whether to compensate credit union and CUSO directors is a hard question. Read More Board Size There's no one-size-fits-all answer to how many directors you need. Read More Assess for Success 8 surefire times you need to evaluate your board’s performance Read More A Deep Definition of Governance How does your board use its formal and informal authority for the good of the credit union? Read More Supervisory Committees Function Well, But... Just like CUs and their boards, supervisory committees must change with the times. Read More A Matter of Leadership CUs need to pave a new road to ensure a strong, high-performing board over time. Read More Nine Leadership Challenges The board of the future will need the strength to overcome these. Read More When It Comes to Board Meetings... We can do better. Read More No Higher Calling The challenge of effective CEO evaluation Read More The Learning Board Three key building blocks Read More Creating a 'Wow' Credit Union Board Meeting How to Take Your Meetings to the Next Level Read More 'Quantum' Board Engagement Six questions to help you more fully get your board engaged Read More Board Engagement Needs A Boost Strategies to use in your monthly meetings Read More A Matter of Culture What drives yours? Here are 10 elements to shoot for in your board room. Read More Surfacing Assumptions Knowing what you're assuming can boost board strategic thinking. Read More Fiduciary AND Strategic Thought Needed Finding the right balance between operational oversight and visionary dialogue in your boardroom is worth the struggle. Read More

Policy Shop Quantum Governance maintains an extensive Resource Library of contemporary governance policies, job descriptions and committee charters ― and our library continues to grow each year. Today, there are more than 65 different policies and documents available to assist you in achieving the goals within your Governance Action Plan.

Log In Home About Services Policy Shop Resources Contact More We're Focused on Small Credit Unions with Big Missions. Quantum Governance is furthering its mission to serve the financial cooperative movement with a special focus on small credit unions: those with assets <$250M. For more than a decade, Quantum Governance has offered governance and strategy assessments, consulting, facilitation and education services to hundreds of credit unions in the United States and Canada. While we have proudly served more than a third of the credit unions whose assets are $1B+, we recognize that small credit unions have important governance and strategy needs, too, and those needs must be met if small credit unions are to thrive into the future. As a mission-driven, low-profit firm dedicated to the public good, we believe Quantum Governance is uniquely positioned to give small credit unions the support, knowledge and resources they need to continue serving their members and fulfilling their missions with excellence. Quantum Governance provides a structured approach to serving small credit unions with three tiers of services to meet your unique needs. 01 Governance Check-Up The Governance Check-Up includes three main components, the: 1) Governance Survey; 2) Governance Survey Report; and 3) Governance Policy Package. This level provides your credit union with a high-level “check-up” on key governance markers for $3,750. Survey Report Policies The Governance Survey Quantum Governance has spent more than a decade developing, testing and fine-tuning its Governance Survey that provides unparalleled insights into six key areas: 1) Vision, Mission & Strategy; 2) Bylaws & Board Policies; 3) Board Structure & Composition; 4) Fiduciary Oversight; 5) Governance & Leadership; and 6) Supervisory/Audit Committee. The survey is a turnkey, online tool gathering both quantitative and qualitative data through a series of multiple choice and narrative questions. The Governance Survey Report After members of your leadership complete the online assessment, Quantum Governance will prepare and deliver a Governance Survey Report that includes the aggregated data for each survey section and four summary charts, including comparisons to your credit union’s peer group. The Governance Policy Package Quantum Governance has developed an extensive library of policies designed to ensure that credit unions have the most contemporary tools in their pursuit of governance excellence. Credit unions choosing the Governance Check-Up will receive 9 customizable policy templates, each valued at $100. Interviews Report Consulting Workshops Governance Interviews Our consultants will conduct up to three individual interviews (Board Chair, Governance Committee Chair, if applicable, and CEO) to inform the Executive Report. Executive Report Our consultants will develop an Executive Report that graphically presents your survey results with top-line analysis and recommendations for how your credit union can strengthen its governance practices for future success. One-Hour Virtual Consulting Your Quantum Governance Lead Consultant will conduct a virtual meeting with the Board Chair and CEO (with the Governance Committee Chair as an optional participant) to discuss the analysis and findings and recommendations set forth in the Executive Report. Additionally, we will collaborate with you to build agendas for the two, 2-hour virtual governance workshops. Two 2-hour Governance Workshops Your Quantum Governance Lead Consultant will host two engaging and interactive workshops (2-hours each) for your credit union’s leadership. During the first workshop, our consultant will facilitate discussions around the Executive Report’s key findings and relevant governance best practices. The second workshop will be customized to suit your credit union’s needs and may touch on topics such as Board succession planning, developing Board strategic focus, building a constructive partnership between the Board and CEO and more. 02 Governance Skill Building Governance Skill Building includes all of the elements from the Governance Check-Up (details above) in addition to a more detailed Executive Report, two 2-hour governance workshops and preparatory time, including individual interviews with your Board Chair, Governance Committee Chair, if applicable, and CEO and a 1-hour consulting call to prepare. The fee for this level of consulting is $10,000. 03 Governance Evolution Governance Evolution includes all the elements from the Governance Check-Up and the Governance Skill Building, in addition to the facilitated development and delivery of a Governance Action Plan with three hours of implementation support from Quantum Governance. This fee for this level, with all of the deliverables and benefits, is $15,000. Workshop Governance Action Plan Consulting Governance Action Planning Workshop Your Lead Consultant will host a virtual planning session where it all comes together. Informed by the Executive Report and two Governance Workshops, Quantum Governance will take your credit union’s leadership through a tightly facilitated process to select, evaluate and prioritize what is most important to your credit union’s governance evolution - all with an eye toward creating a Governance Action Plan Governance Action Plan Quantum Governance will digest and synthesize discussions from the Governance Action Planning Workshop and submit to the credit union a draft Governance Action Plan which provides a clear roadmap on the steps to take to evolve your credit union’s governance system, practices and culture to the next level of excellence. Action Planning Follow-Up and Additional Consulting Quantum Governance will present the Governance Action Plan to the Board Chair, Governance Committee Chair (optional) and CEO in a one-hour virtual consulting session to begin institutionalizing the Governance Action Plan. Your credit union’s leadership may utilize two additional hours of Quantum Governance's consulting expertise towards executing your credit union’s Governance Action Plan. Myth #1 "We don’t have the time or budget to work on our governance .” We’ve scaled our services to ensure credit unions with smaller budgets can evolve their governance practices and culture to keep up with the financial cooperative’s evolution and be a strong partner to their executive leadership. Our small credit union governance services start at $3,750. About Quantum Governance Our vision is Exceptional Leadership for Mission-Driven Organizations. Quantum Governance is dedicated to the public good. We are a team of experts in the fields of governance and strategy designed to help credit unions realize the full potential of their cooperative missions. Our team provides assessment, consulting, planning, facilitation and implementation services to credit unions of all sizes. Founded over a decade ago, our mission is to partner with mission-driven leaders to enhance governance and strategy effectiveness for exceptional outcomes. For more information on our services for small credit unions with big missions, contact Quantum Governance’s Chief Marketing Officer Gisele Manole at gisele@quantumgovernance.net . Home About Services Grant Opportunities Policy Shop Resources Contact CONTACT US First name Last name Email Write a message Submit Thank you for contacting us! SOCIALS CALL US 603.513.2852 MAILING P.O. Box 204 Henniker, NH 0324 2 ©2023 by Quantum Governance, L3C. All rights reserved.

About Quantum Governance Our Vision Exceptional Leadership for Mission-Driven Organizations. Our Mission Partnering with mission-driven leaders to enhance governance and strategy effectiveness for exceptional outcomes. Meet Our Team Who We Are Over a decade ago, Quantum Governance was founded as an L3C, a low-profit, limited-liability service organization dedicated to the public good. Today, we are part of Callahan & Associates , a D.C.-based, employee-owned company with a mission to empower credit unions to impact their members and communities in meaningful ways. Quantum Governance is a focused team of experts in governance and strategy. Our work is designed to help organizations realize the full potential of their missions. We provide assessment, consulting, planning, facilitation and implementation services to mission-driven organizations of all sizes. Our Values Authenticity. We are committed to being truth tellers, knowing that candor empowers our clients to better fulfill their vision and mission. Compassion. We connect with empathy, kindness and respect. Innovation. We strive for creative and nimble ways of thinking, doing and growing. Diversity. We advocate for the enrichment that diverse backgrounds,experiences and perspectives provide in shaping better outcomes for everyone. Inclusivity. We value the unique insights and contributions of each individual. Dependability. We honor our commitments and build trust through consistently responsible actions. Excellence. We set – and then work to exceed – the standard of what is being asked or expected to produce work of the highest quality.

Services We are a team of experts in the fields of governance and strategy designed to help nonprofits, credit unions, associations and foundations realize the full potential of their missions. Our team provides assessment, consulting, planning, facilitation and implementation services to cooperative and nonprofit organizations of all sizes. Quantum Governance is dedicated to the public good and our mission is to partner with mission-driven leaders to enhance governance and strategy effectiveness for exceptional outcomes. What We Offer Governance Governance Assessment Leadership Culture Assessment CEO Evaluation Peer-to-Peer Evaluations Director Skills Inventory Board Succession Planning and more! Learn More Small Credit Unions The Governance Check-Up Governance Skill Building Governance Evolution Learn More Strategic Planning Strategic Planning Facilitation Defining Your Vision & Mission Identifying Strategic Goals and more! Learn More Additional Services Bylaw & Policy Development Keynote Presentations and more! Learn More Why Choose Quantum Governance? We have an exceptional reputation among credit unions, nonprofits, associations, foundations and leagues. We've developed proprietary, best-in-class assessment tools , robust and insightful data and unparalleled deliverables from our contemporary Policy Library to our research and reports. We have experience working with hundreds of credit unions, nonprofits, associations, foundations and leagues from the very small to those with more than $33 billion in assets domestically and internationally. We are constructive partners and collaborators enthusiastically learning about your organization to efficiently deliver both short-term results and long-term evolution. We are lifelong learners and curious researchers dedicated to sharing our knowledge and expertise to strengthen the credit union industry as a whole through The State of Credit Union Governance report series. Let's talk about your organization's needs. Contact Us

Jennie Boden Managing Principal & Lead Consultant Jennie brings more than 30 years of experience in governance, strategy, leadership, and development to the field. Jennie leads a team of consultants, topical specialists and other experts to meet the governance and strategic needs of the firm’s clients. For nearly a decade, Jennie has been the catalyst for developing countless tools, products and services, as well as alliances with the firm’s strategic partners. Jennie has led complex governance and strategic planning engagements with boards and executives at organizations as varied as CUES, CUNA, Hudson Valley Credit Union, Redwood Credit Union, Rivermark Community Credit Union, Washington State Employees Credit Union, Camphill Village, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Con Edison, the Friends of the National Arboretum, the Gerontological Society of America, Morgan Stanley, Queens County Farm, the Tipping Point Community and so many more. She is widely published in CU Management, and she authors regular columns for Governance Matters and Advancing Women. Jennie served as Executive Director of the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) and as Vice President of First Candle’s National Campaign for Cribs funded with a $3 million grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The organization generated more than $23 million in revenue during her tenure. Jennie has held a director-level position at the National Mental Health Association, overseeing $3.5 million in corporate contributions and started her career as the Director of External Relations for the Ethics Resource Center in Washington D.C. Jennie earned a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and lives in New Hampshire with her family. Back

Governance Services We offer a variety of ways to assess your governance employing a combination of the following methodologies: proprietary online survey, document review, interviews with members of your board, supervisory/audit committee, and executive leadership. Additionally, focus groups, meeting observations, member surveys and environmental scans may be added. Governance assessments are scaled to meet your organization’s needs. We can deliver the results of your assessment via an expertly facilitated retreat or a series of in-person or virtual workshops. Deliverables may include a report, best practices tailored to your organization, and a governance action plan. Additional governance services include: credit union industry benchmarking, year-to-year analysis for returning clients, developing a roadmap for growth and pre-merger assessment. Additional Governance Assessment Tools Leadership Culture Assessment & Policy Development CEO Evaluation Peer-to-Peer Evaluations Director Skills Inventory & Director Development Planning CEO Succession Plan Assessment & Development Supervisory/Audit Committee & Other Committee Assessments Board Succession: Assessment, Board Member of the Future Profile Development, Recruitment, Nominations & Succession Plan Development Communications & Information Architecture Study: Reimagining Your Board Packs & Meeting Agendas Contact us to learn more about how we can strengthen the leadership and governance of your organization. Jennie Boden, Managing Principal & Lead Consultant "One of the most vital governance issues that organizations are faced with today is the evolution of their governance policies, practices and systems as they grow. We've found that -- as one CEO put it -- many have been 'working with their Boards, but not on their Boards.' While the organizations (including the Management) are growing and evolving, so, too, must an organization's governance."

Strategic Planning Services Quantum Governance believes in a collaborative and iterative cyclical process between the CEO/Executive Management and the Board in developing a strategic plan for the fulfillment of your organization’s vision and mission. In addition to facilitating the strategic planning process, we can assist you in the following ways: Assessing and Reimagining the Planning Cycle Defining (or redefining) Your Vision, Mission & Values Identifying Strategic Goals & Objectives Contact us to learn more about how we can help you plan for the future of your organization. "An effective strategy drives your organization's mission by identifying what is possible, what is feasible and what is bold." Paul Dionne, VP of Strategy & Lead Consultant

< Back Charting a New Direction Michael Daigneault Apr 1, 2016 The roles of leadership in today’s credit unions are changing; specifically, there’s an important new way to think about key board leaders. The ideal role of board treasurer was a recent topic of conversation on CUES Net™ , the CUES-members-only listserve. Without identifying which CUES members were having the conversation, the CUES Net moderator asked for my input, and posted my thoughts back to the list. My thoughts stirred a bit of controversy, and I thought to myself, “Well, good. Let’s have this discussion. Let’s talk about the changing roles of leadership in today’s credit union.” In this article—as I did in my comments to CUES Net—I’m going to challenge assumptions about the role of board treasurer—and the other officers. Get ready. I’ve never been one to shy away from a good old-fashioned give and take, and I think it’s time that we all push ourselves to go beyond the status quo when we think of the board officer positions that are leading our movement into the future. I’ve written and spoken in recent years about the nine key challenges facing the credit union of the future. ( Read about them in my article ). To be certain, you and your colleagues are facing a lot more challenges today than you were a decade or more ago when many of you signed up as board members. So, if the world around you has changed, and continues to do so at a rapid pace, shouldn’t some of our assumptions and approaches to leadership be open to change, too? I think so, and I’m encouraging you to revisit some long-standing assumptions you have about board leadership. Assumption #1 : Boards should never “manage” anything. I love asking board retreat participants if boards should manage. The vast majority of board members (and nearly all CEOs) gasp and respond with a resounding and unequivocal, “no.” So, I continue prodding, asking: “Are there no circumstances under which a board should manage?” I get silence—and blank stares. “None?” I ask. Ultimately, I’ll have one brave individual who will posit that: “Boards should manage their one employee—the CEO.” Another brave soul may offer, “Boards should manage themselves.” And this becomes my opportunity—they are correct! If a credit union board should be responsible for managing its own operations, then it would be logical to consider your chair as your board manager-in-chief. He or she is responsible for the overall, effective functioning of your credit union’s board. Beyond crafting and facilitating your meetings in partnership with the CEO, your chair should ensure that your board is building a healthy governance structure and practices. (Of course, we recommend an active governance committee as an important partner in this endeavor, too.) But, these are just the nuts and the bolts part of the job. The real key to what the board chair does is in fostering and then managing the right culture for your credit union board. Be sure that you and your colleagues appoint a chair who can inspire and engage your board members—one who sets and models high ethical standards, from both personal and professional points of view. It’s also important that he or she work well with the credit union’s CEO—fostering a constructive partnership between the board and senior management. Assumption #2 : The vice chair’s job is boring. Much like the vice president of the United States, the position of vice chair used to be pretty boring. But it doesn’t need to be. What if you reframed the vice chair role as your board learner-in-chief? Yes, of course, this means your vice chair should be learning everything he or she can about the role of the chair should the vice chair be needed in that role some day. It is, after all, the vice chair’s role to be “at the ready” at all times. This means your vice chair should be ready to fill in for short-term absences and the potential long-term replacement of your chair. But being the board learner-in-chief can mean so much more. And it should. To meet the challenges before you, you and your colleagues need to be constantly learning and growing. There is no one better suited to lead this charge toward adopting the culture of a “learning board” than your vice chair. He or she should already be in full learning mode and can be a catalyst to encourage you and your colleagues to actively pursue learning on an ongoing basis. Lastly, you can consider charging your vice chair with special projects or initiatives like being a public spokesperson at key events, coordinating board retreats, designing better board meetings, strengthening the strategic planning process, or even a successor CEO search. The vice chair position lends a level of credibility to these initiatives, which is important, while allowing your chair to keep his or her eye on the overall management of your board. Assumption #3 : The board secretary’s job is to take minutes. (That is, the secretary’s role is even more boring and inconsequential than the vice chair’s!) This is perhaps my favorite board officer position to discuss. I always ask this very simple question: “What is the role of the board secretary?” And there are usually one of two answers given. The first is this: “To take the minutes.” And the second: “To edit and approve the minutes taken by the staff.” Really? That’s it? Boring… But no–that’s not it! For a little inspiration, we needn’t look far. In the corporate sector, the board secretary has a very, very important role. He or she is, as enumerated by the Canadian Society of Corporate Secretaries , responsible for ensuring the integrity of the governance framework, the efficient administration of the company, compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, and implementing decisions made by the board of directors. There. How does that sound? Boring? I don’t think so. Now, that’s a job I’d like to have as a volunteer board member. It goes pretty far beyond taking minutes, doesn’t it? Make no mistake. You are helping to lead an organization every bit as complicated or sophisticated as a corporation. While a credit union’s structure may be different from its for-profit competitors, the stakes are just as high. And some could argue that the complexities you face as a credit union—with members’ interests and a mission to balance—place even greater demands on your governance structure, policies and practices. Consider your board secretary your board builder-in-chief (or, better yet—your chief governance officer), working hand in hand with your chair to build a stronger board. Your board secretary should be tasked with seeing that your board adheres to organizational policies, as well as national regulations. He or she should also oversee board nominations and a robust onboarding process by chairing the credit union’s governance and nominations committee. And this committee, too, can be charged with working with the chair to build engaging board and committee meetings to effectively carry out the board’s work. Assumption #4 : You have to be a numbers person to be the treasurer. At last we come to the source of the controversy that sparked this article. In my response to CUES Net, I suggested that it is the role of the contemporary credit union treasurer to help fellow board members effectively translate complex financial reports and data into comprehensible and insightful information that can effectively support strategic decision-making at the board level. There was some concern raised that perhaps what I was suggesting was that board members (i.e., the treasurer) might have more experience in the financial realm than the credit union’s CFO. I wasn’t. I was actually trying to make the opposite point. If your credit union board is like most, it’s not made up of financial whizzes and MBAs. It’s made up of everyday people like you and me, representing the membership and, for whom their financial literacy and acumen may have been developed through their service on the credit union board. And if they’re like me, perhaps their eyes glaze over when they see 26 Excel spreadsheets coming their way. I see an effective treasurer working with the CFO and his or her staff—poring over those Excel spreadsheets—to ensure the board receives clearly discernible reports, dashboards, bar charts and graphs, all in an attempt to clarify and deliver the complex financial reports in a manner that everyone on your board can genuinely understand. My colleague shared a story recently that made perfect sense to me. She said that the best treasurer she ever saw was a marketing guy. Yes, you read that correctly. A marketing guy. He didn’t want the job, but no one else would take it. He was the last guy standing. And what made him good at the job (indeed, great at the job) was that he didn’t fully understand the numbers at first, and he kept asking for clarification until he did. And, he was good at communications and visuals, so that was a plus. The joke around the boardroom was that if Jeff could understand the financial reports, anyone could. And they were right. He had them “translated” into a form he could genuinely understand. This helped Jeff—and everyone else on his board! How crystal clear are your financial reports? Can your new board members truly understand them? Or are you still presenting 26 Excel spreadsheets (in the form in which the staff tends to understand them) to your board members and expecting them to read them like a CPA? Assumption #5 : Everyone deserves a chance to be chair. Don’t simply adopt an automatic ascension plan for the board member who “hasn’t had a chance to be the chair yet.” Many credit unions have a practically automatic process whereby directors begin as a regular board member, then become the secretary, then move to treasurer through to vice chair and right on up to chair. Not everyone is cut out to be chair. Automatic ascension provides little to no wiggle room concerning needing a particular person to be chair because he or she has a particular skill set or capability; due to big changes being on the horizon for the CU; or because the board needs to focus in a new direction. Choose the right candidate for the right time, not simply because it’s his or her “turn.” Assumption #6 : You’ll know what to do when the time comes. One of the most important leadership assumptions I can help you challenge is that you will know what to do when the time comes. This relates directly to the notion that you should always have in place a leadership succession plan—and I’m not talking about a CEO succession plan (although I think you should always have one of those in place, too!). Your board and its officers are some of your most important strategic assets. Treat them accordingly. Plan ahead for changes in board leadership—both the kind that can be anticipated and those that cannot. I’m not talking about drawing up a 10-page, detailed plan. I’m talking about outlining the basics, including: who will serve as board officers on an interim basis; what roles certain committee(s) will play; and how the credit union’s CEO may be impacted. Be sure any succession plans are in line with your credit union’s bylaws, which may provide some direction on these issues. Above all, be open to even the idea of change. Here’s an example to explain what I mean: I spent the better part of a recent training arguing the merits of having a board secretary play an increased role within the organization. Really? I could hardly believe it—here was someone before me, arguing against a more engaged, more robust role for a board officer. Arguing against a board volunteer filling a key need within the credit union. Why? Because the secretary was so busy reading and approving all of those meeting minutes? I hardly think so. What’s the downside? I wondered. Imagine the upside… Previous Next

< Back Did You Dust Off Your Old Pandemic Plan? Michael Daigneault and Jennie Boden Mar 24, 2020 Key ideas about response oversight and future strategy If you’re like most in this world today, you likely feel like you’ve lived a lifetime in just the last week. I know that we have. As we write to you safely from our home offices, we send well wishes to you and everyone in your circles that you are safe, well and doing what you can to “flatten the curve.” But we also know that you all have immense responsibilities. Personal responsibilities to your families and your loved ones. And professional responsibilities to your employees who are looking to your credit union for stability and, yes, a paycheck. Responsibilities, too, to your members who are counting on you to keep your doors open—or at least your drive throughs and your ATMs—so that when they need access to their funds, you are there. And eventually, they may need even more from you. In 2005, the White House, through the Homeland Security Council, issued the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza —which addresses the threat and potential impact of a pandemic. At the time the experts issued that document, they were focused on a pandemic resulting either from a flu strain that existed then in birds or another influenza virus. The National Strategy is still very relevant, and it outlines how the government prepares, detects and responds to pandemics of all kinds. It is still in use today. “It also outlines the important roles to be played not only by the federal government, but also by state and local governments, private industry, our international partners and most importantly individual citizens…” It states that the “private sector should play an integral role in preparedness before a pandemic begins and should be part of the national response.” A few short months after the federal plan was released, the National Credit Union Administration issued a guidance letter in March 2016 stating that “credit unions and their service providers supply essential financial services and, as such, should consider their preparedness and response strategy for a potential pandemic.” It went on to say, “The National Strategy addresses the full spectrum of events. The main components of the National Strategy address: Preparedness and Communication; Surveillance and Detection; Response and Containment.” In 2007, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council issued its own guidance through the Interagency Statement on Pandemic Planning , which was just updated earlier this month due to the current COVID-19 Pandemic. If you’re like most credit unions, in response to all of this guidance and these recommendations, someone at your credit union prepared a pandemic response plan back then, and put it on the shelf, thinking that you’d never in a million years need it. Well, a million years has come to pass. We spoke just a few days ago with the CEO of a $500 million credit union who remembered that her staff had developed a pandemic response policy some time ago, and they “dusted it off” (her exact words) and put the policy into motion. To her relief, so far it has been working well for her credit union. Some of the specific elements of that credit union’s implementation plan include: Any employee who has remote work capabilities is required to work from home until further notice. (This includes at least one employee from every department, as well as multiple call center employees). All branch lobbies are closed until further notice, with only drive-thru options open. Additional deep cleaning services have been contracted for all facilities. Additional technology has been purchased to support increased remote capability. New member products and services have been created including a new short-term loan product, a low interest rate, no down payments, no documents required, reduced restrictions on skip-a-pay loan program, etc. A communications program has been implemented to reach members via email, social media, website and on-hold messages. The credit union has contracted with CUES Supplier member CO-OP Financial Services , Rancho Cucamonga, California, to provide overflow call center support, if needed. An emergency sick leave policy has been created and enacted. If you don’t have a pandemic response policy, you are likely developing the components of your policy as you respond each and every day to the mounting issues that confront you. Ensure that someone is memorializing the good actions that you take as you move through this crisis so that you can thoughtfully, when we all come out of the pandemic on the other side, translate your actions into a comprehensive, cohesive policy. And very, very importantly, ensure that the overarching framework and strategy of your plan is developed in constructive conversation with your board of directors. Does this mean that the very detailed elements of your plan, i.e., what does deep cleaning mean or which individual employees should be designated to work from home, should be approved by your board? No. But it does mean that the overall, strategic approach of your plan should be developed in discussion with your board and that your board should ultimately approve the key principles underlying your pandemic response plan. If it’s been a while since you “dusted off” your pandemic response plan, consider this template that we’ve crafted and take a look at the National Strategy, both of which we hope will provide some support and direction to you and your credit union’s leadership (board and management alike). Stay well and stay safe. P.S. Be sure that you and your Board are staying up to speed on all of the regulatory updates regarding COVID-19, including those impacting annual meetings and board elections! Previous Next

< Back 'Quantum' Board Engagement Michael Daigneault Jul 22, 2014 Six questions to help you more fully get your board engaged The board meeting is a good place to start working on board engagement, as I discussed in my last Good Governance column . However, you’ll need to go well beyond the board meeting experience to really make headway on director engagement. At Quantum Governance, L3C , we recommend answering these six key questions to help you more fully engage your directors in their work toward fulfilling the mission and vision of your credit union: Are your directors emotionally connected to your mission? The roots of the credit union movement are deep. For more than 100 years, credit unions have been providing quality financial services to their members. Are your directors aware of and committed to the cooperative principles that drive the movement? Are they committed to democratic member control? Voluntary and open membership? Cooperation among cooperatives? Do your directors understand what they can do to help? Does each board member have a sense of the value that are contributing? But for their active contribution, how would the work of the board and credit union be less? This question also reflects on the very purpose of board meetings and how their agendas are crafted. Don’t just focus on telling or reporting – this tends to foster a type of passive oversight from your directors. Are they working at the appropriate skill and ability level? Nothing dampers someone’s interest more quickly than feeling like they’re either over- or under-whelmed with the task at hand. Be sure your directors are adequately briefed and appropriately assigned to the right committee or taskforce, one that matches – and engages, their interests, skills and abilities. Are you sustaining their involvement throughout the year? This question extends beyond your monthly meetings. Are directors actively engaged between board meetings? Are you exposing your directors to other aspects of your credit union’s business? Are they attending outreach and community events? Are they serving as enthusiastic ambassadors and representing the credit union with real pride? Do you and your colleagues challenge yourselves to improve everyone’s performance? Not surprisingly, the notion of continual learning and improvement is often a key to sustained engagement. Stagnation begets stagnation. This is particularly a key issue in the credit union community where board turnover takes place slowly. As such, it is even more important for you and your fellow directors to participate in a regular process of self-evaluation and improvement. Is your leadership constantly building the web of relationships you need to succeed – both internally and externally? Focus on the resources available to you and your directors – from members of your senior management team to community resources and national educational resources like those offered by CUES. There are about 7,000 credit unions in the United States and more internationally. It’s safe to say you are not alone in your experiences and questions. Reach out. Actively engage, share what you have learned and keep learning from others. The rewards will be plentiful – for you – for them – and for your members! Previous Next

< Back Board Liaisons Direct Directors and Staff Toward Good Governance Caitlin Hatch Apr 26, 2019 Generally keeping things organized and on track is no small feat—and it’s an important one. Credit union leaders have become increasingly aware of the importance of good governance and have made an effort to ensure that their credit unions are adopting cutting-edge governance and leadership practices. From assessing the effectiveness of their boards and governance systems to updating their governance frameworks, policies and procedures to improving their board structures, committees and charters, good governance is taking center stage. These efforts—along with the steady workload of supporting a credit union board—require strong leadership from the board chair, CEO and a governance committee, but also from an often-overlooked and under-appreciated staff person—the board liaison. At a minimum, today’s board liaisons help to organize and disseminate meeting materials, plan and support the execution of board meetings and retreats, take minutes, and generally help keep things organized and on track so that the board can do its work. But more and more, the board liaison’s role is being expanded and now is considered by many a management position that has been tasked to actively support—and improve—the board’s work. In its expanded role, board liaisons also ask a fundamental question regarding good governance: How can the credit union’s board and governance become even more effective? Those board liaisons with sufficient experience are being tasked to help design and manage the information architecture for the board, ensure the value of board meetings and retreats; coordinate regular governance and strategic assessments, as well as support and guide the board in fulfilling its governance, strategic and leadership responsibilities. They are key players in fostering the governance cultures of their credit union board and, thus, the credit unions themselves. Historically, the individual tasked with this role has been the CEO’s executive assistant. Why? Generally, because that’s someone the CEO works closely with and trusts, someone who knows the credit union and has easy access to the key players, someone who has the nuanced administrative and people skills required to regularly communicate with board and committee members at the most senior level. They are, most often, consummate, professional women. I say “women” because, while a man could certainly perform this critical function, we have met very few men who actually do. At CUES’ first event for board liaisons, 19 individuals attended—all women—from across the country and from credit unions of varying sizes and complexities. They all agreed that they regularly perform many of a board secretary’s core duties—helping to safeguard the integrity of the governance framework; ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements; implementing the board’s decisions; and facilitating communication with and among the credit union’s leadership. However, we did learn that there are remarkably different approaches to the role. For example, the title of the person fulfilling the “board liaison” role currently varies a great deal from credit union to credit union (i.e., everything from “chief of staff,” “governance officer” and “board affairs director” to “board & executive relations,” “board administrator” and “board assistant”). And, just as the titles vary, the framing and scope of the position varies, too. While it’s a critical role, there appears to be no commonly accepted definition of the “board liaison” position within the credit union community at all! Working closely with CUES, other colleagues in the credit union community and board liaisons throughout the U.S. and Canada, we hope to help change this, and encourage a much greater appreciation for and deeper understanding of the importance of today’s board liaisons. The fact that the board liaison, at least at this early stage of conception, looks to be one that is largely filled by women, is to be celebrated—especially given the expanding and growing role that board liaisons are experiencing in credit union leadership. While there are now twice as many female CEOs in the credit union community as there were 10 years ago, still, less than one in five CEOs is a woman (for credit unions with assets over $1 billion). This is progress, but there still aren’t enough women’s voices among those in credit union leadership positions. Still, there remains much more to learn about the board liaison position and the vital role women are currently—and should be—playing as they shape the governance of their credit unions. Caitlin Hatch previously served as a senior consultant with Quantum Governance and has worked with credit unions for the past eight years, focusing on governance and strategic planning. Prior to that, she served for 25 years as general counsel and corporate secretary for the largest anthracite coal company in the United States. Previous Next