A few years back I wrote an article called “We have met the enemy and it is us.” The article is on the CUSOLaw.com website. www.cusolaw.com The premise is that credit unions have the knowledge and tools to adapt to the competition and challenges in the marketplace. Credit unions can use the power of collaboration and collectively find solutions to keep operational costs in check and deliver high value financial services. There are credit unions that are proving this point every day but they are in the minority. If credit unions disappear from the fact of the earth, it is our fault and our shame that we did not use the tools available to us to preserve credit unions in the 21st Century. People who run credit unions tend to be risk adverse and slow to change their ways. Working collaboratively requires a change in the way we think about and execute our roles at the credit union. It is change and change can be hard but we have no choice. We are losing a credit union a day. People do not choose to collaborate because they are too busy trying to run the credit union’s day-to-day business, afraid of the unknown or too lazy or stubborn to want to learn a new way of doing things.

I intentionally use provocative words to get a reaction from someone. After my article was published, I received complements for being bold enough to state that the emperor has no clothes. All the people that commented agreed with me. Did my comments evoke any change? I doubt it. The people that are reticent to change are not easily moved and certainly not by a lawyer. Some reaction is better than silence. For those who are do not collaborate because they do not know about the benefits of collaboration, have been too busy running their credit union or afraid of the unknown, NACUSO can teach you how to reap the benefits of collaboration and how time spent setting up or joining a collaboration is time well spent.  There are people of great imagination and energy doing great things to take credit unions to a new level of performance. For those who are too set in your ways or stubborn to even consider using the tools of collaboration, please retire soon and make way for people with energy and vision to preserve your credit union.

I think I will stop there before I really get in real trouble. Can I get an “Amen” or a nasty comment about know-it-all lawyers? Something please….