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More than 40 Credit Union Professionals gathered at the Regency Hotel in Portland on Tuesday, November 29, for the Maine CU League's inaugural Women's Leadership Conference. Conference attendees, spanning all specialties and years of experience within the CU industry, from front line staff to CEOs, shared one common goal – to develop the leadership capacities of women. Attendees clearly found the day to be time well spent as the Conference received an impressive 4.9 rating.
Attendees were greeted by the conference's keynote speaker, Colonel Jill Morgenthaler, retired Army Colonel, author, and leadership expert, with an enthusiastic "hooah!" In 1975, in the midst of the Vietnam War, Colonel Morgenthaler was one of 83 women to enroll in a special program with the United States Military to test whether women could successfully lead men. Colonel Morgenthaler's session From the Battlefield to the Boardroom: Secrets to High Performance Leadership pulled from her experience of overcoming obstacles throughout her career, from boot camp to staring down Saddam Hussein. "Frozen is not an option," she reiterated throughout her presentation, sometimes you just have to "fake it until you make it."
Colonel Morgenthaler set the stage for the rest of the day's speakers, with the idea that "there's more than one way to be a leader," by pulling from the strengths of your teammates, "there is no weakest link, there are only strengths," and building confidence through acknowledging your own credentials and value on a regular basis. "Ask for what you want," Colonel Morgenthaler encouraged attendees, "You are the right person, for the right job, at the right place."
Holly Herman, business owner, former CU CEO and NCUA senior advisor's presentation built off of the Colonel Morgethaler's themes of authentic leadership, and the importance of understanding and incorporating the differences between men and women in the workplace, rather than trying to change those differences. Herman identified some of the most common stereotypes and "sticky wickets" for women and how to avoid them, as well as tips for having a strong presence in the workplace through replacing meaningless words, like "hope" and "try" with "will", "do", and "are", owning your own decisions without feeling guilty, and being cognizant of how often you use the word "sorry."
The second half of Herman's session focused on increasing productivity and building confidence. According to Herman, the average employee is only productive for a total of 1.5 hours within an 8 hour work day. By creating attainable goals of no more than 2 tasks a day, and only planning up to 50% of your day to allow for flexibility should other tasks arise, you will feel more accomplished and confident in your abilities, as well as increase your productivity. Herman also challenged attendees to leave their cell phones at home, "try it in your CUs and see how much productivity increases."
The day-long program concluded with Sensei leader Jim Bouchard, who discussed the three characteristics leaders must possess - courage, compassion and wisdom. "The genuine leader is one who has the ability to attract willing followers and the will to serve them," stated Bouchard. Bouchard's presentation included his 8 Strategies for the Sensei Leader which attendees discussed in small groups. They include; never limit yourself to one leadership style; be tough- yet compassionate; commit yourself to person and professional Mastery; be confident, yet humble – lead by example; be flexible, adaptable and comfortable with uncertainty; be a skilled communicator; be a dedicated teacher, coach and mentor; and finally lead by sharing, not accumulating.
Bouchard's session pulled from his training in martial arts and as his role as a Sensei, which literally means, "one who steps before." To him, everyone needs a mentor, or two or three, and it's especially important to build up the next generation of leaders in the CU industry in order to avoid a leadership gap. Bouchard left attendees with a final thought for effective leadership, "learn more, listen more, and fear less."