Want to Be the New CEO of a Credit Union?

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a qualified chief executive officer (CEO)? The simple answer is that it takes a lot. At the top of the list are schooling, confidence, determination, and work experience to accomplish the ultimate goal. Do you want to be the new CEO of a credit union?

Let’s first lay out what a CEO does.

A CEO’s role is regarded as one of the highest-ranking positions in a corporation. This entails making top managerial decisions. They manage the company’s success and avoid failures. They are able to take on the complex challenges a credit union faces while being on high alert about what is going on in the industry. Also having an open eye for any opportunities that will tend to change helps.

How does that sound to you?

The transition from a regular job to a higher position can be a shock factor due to the many responsibilities the role entails. It is always smart to learn and absorb as much information as possible before taking the next big step. Looking at it from another perspective, being in a high position also comes with the cost of making sure that you are taking the right steps to ensure that the credit union you are leading will be successful. The role comes with a lot of responsibilities that include travel, representation of the company (looking presentable), and being confident in speaking to many people within the company and at events.

How can I feel more confident in an upper managerial position?

Advice that we can give to anyone in the stage of wanting to change their position, is to learn as much as they can from the CEO. Ask to attend events, meetings, and interviews to see what kind of language is used and how to interact with different people.

You got this! Don’t let anyone stop you from achieving this goal! Work hard and know that hard work pays off.

A note from Richard Gallagher, CEO of Oak Tree Business Systems.

“From the beginning of my career, I have worked my way up to the CEO position by working hard and learning as much as I could about the credit union industry. I have made my way up and have always had set goals of where I wanted to end up and wanted to accomplish. Coming in as the new CEO of Oak Tree Business Systems, I had a fresh mind and a new set of ideas to get the ball rolling. With my extensive background, I am thankful for all of the past work experiences I had to help me achieve a successful career. From where I am today, I look back at myself and would give myself a hand on the back for never giving up and always striving for greatness. There was a time in my position where I had an itch to travel all over the U.S. to talk to our clients and potential prospects for a way to introduce myself but to also get my name out there. I strive to always think of solutions and talk to fellow credit union families about what forms and disclosures they are lacking in their establishment.

Advice that I can give to future CEOs is to always want to learn. Be the first one at the meeting and the last one to leave. Get your name out there. Learn about every nook and cranny of the credit union industry. LEARN EVERYONE’S NAME! Be friendly and be present.”

Time to ask yourself if you want to be the new CEO of a credit union and if you are ready to do what needs to be done in this pursuit.

On another note, Oak Tree continually refines its loan forms system to provide the best combination of compliance, practicality, and contemporary design. Oak Tree is committed to each individual credit union to work on your behalf in designing, producing, and supporting an effective lending system. We are fast, efficient, knowledgeable, mindful of costs, and dedicated to the credit union industry. Of specific interest is the continuing training and support we provide. You will have unlimited, free telephonic support in addition to our on-site activities. When you call Oak Tree, you always get real, live, knowledgeable people who will help solve your problems. Just like a CEO advocating for their institution, we got you covered!

Member Social Media Engagement Best Practices

Credit Union Member Social Media Engagement

In an expert opinion article posted on Credit Union Times, our CEO, Richard Gallagher discusses some great advice for credit unions seeking to use social media to engage with their members. It is time to look at credit union member social media engagement best practices.

Any form of credit union marketing now requires social media to be part of the equation. Consider these recent demographic statistics from the Pew Research Center as they relate to social media trends in 2018:

● 73% of male internet users and 83% of female internet users are on Facebook.

● 38% of female internet users are more likely to use Instagram than men (26%).

● 81% of millennials check their Twitter feed every day.

● 91% of all social media users check their platforms from a mobile device.

So, are you convinced that social media must be a part of your marketing plan? With that in mind, let’s highlight a few ways credit unions use social media to engage with their members, as well as some tips and tricks you can incorporate into your own marketing plan.

Richard Gallagher

To read more about how your credit union can better engage with its members online go check out the CU Times article and then check out our membership documents for your credit union so you can find even more members to engage with and apply these member social media engagement best practices.

_{(note: this is an older blog entry and has been edited since originally posted.)}

Quality of Life

The Credit Union Contribution

Make no mistake – “Quality of Life” drives us all. Our actions each day, sleeping, waking up, eating, working, exercising, socializing, and so very much more, are all motivated by individual day-to-day factors such as being tired, hungry, lonely, wanting better fitness, wanting to “feel” better, and so on. But at the end of the day, what we all want is a better “Quality of Life”; for us and for our loved ones.  As a part of the Credit Union Community, it is important to think of the quality of life and the credit union’s contribution to it as it pertains to the members and the staff.

This is exactly what your members are after. Each and every member walking through your Credit Union’s door, calling your Call Center, Emailing you, Chatting with you online, Responding to your Direct Mail – they’re all looking for something they believe will improve their Quality of Life – true needs, true wants, and true desires.

Your Credit Union’s internal policies dictate just how far you can go to respond to your member’s needs, wants, and desires, but within those policies, YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

The Difference

This difference – improving their Quality of Life – can be profound. A safe place to invest their money, a debit/ATM card for safe access to their funds, a credit card for important purchases, an auto loan for a better/safer set of wheels, a home equity loan to access their well earned but unassessed property equity – all ways that YOU can help.

There is a saying that being a professional means doing what you need to do even if at times you don’t really feel like it. Passing through this barrier can indeed help you help others, and improve their Quality of Life along the way. By being there where you are, when you are, fully prepared, and knowing your job better than anyone else, you stand to help improve each and every member’s Quality of Life that you come in contact with.

So make your way through your day, of course working on improving your own Quality of Life, but realize that your members are expecting the same – and doing just that is in your hands.

At Oak Tree, like you, we’re constantly taking stock in our purpose in your day by giving you the very best in easy to use forms that are safe, compliant, and purposeful, making it easier for you to do your part to never miss any opportunity to improve your members “Quality of Life.”

For more information please visit www.oaktreebiz.com, and learn about our products & services for your credit union.