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James Marshall, Manager of the Cooperative Trust at the Filene Research Institute, facilitated the YPN Workshop at The Westin Hotel in Portland on Thursday, May 19, the kickoff to the 2016 Maine CU League Annual Meeting and Convention. A master of social media, branding, and marketing strategies, his interactive presentation engaged and captivated attendees while facilitating a unique networking opportunity for the 20 young professionals who attended.
Marshall highlighted that credit union professionals are part of a passionate movement around the world with 57,000 credit unions worldwide in 103 countries with 208 million members, but most heavily concentrated in the U.S. Discussion groups throughout the afternoon focused on debating the most important values in play within our credit unions, the impact that can be made by sharing our credit unions' stories, and ways that the seven cooperative principles of credit unions are incorporated into the day-to-day operations of credit unions.
Being yourself, embracing the unknown, asking for help, and taking risks were among the points of advice presented by Marshall, both for credit unions and for staff growing in their careers that included. He shared a personal story of attending a heavy metal music festival in Europe that inspired a lesson that he related to his professional life.
"There's nowhere like a heavy metal festival to see people being themselves. Let your credit union be your credit union. Live true to the community you have," stated Marshall. A self-described planner, he also encouraged embracing change and the unknown. "Credit unions are so risk averse as an industry," said Marshall. With Silicon Valley having $1.7 billion invested as an industry, they are the unknown. "Be the first credit union to adopt new technology," he urged.
As leaders and future leaders, Marshall inquired, "So how did we end up here?" Emphasizing the importance of training staff and the honor that it is to be invested in through training opportunities, he asked attendees to consider this when it investing in their staff. "Be the kind of boss you'd want your kids to work for," he advised. "The best trophy cabinet you will ever fill is somebody else's. It is not your own."
Jessica Rice, current Chair of the YPN Advisory Group and Member Engagement Manager at Town & Country Federal Credit Union, stated that, "James's workshop was great for the Maine Young Professionals Network because it really opened our eyes to how important our generations are to the future of our credit unions. He inspired us to be ourselves and jump in! Each person left the workshop energized and ready to make a difference."