Recent Favorites

_DSC0063.jpg
Originally uploaded by camminges

Recent favorites. Enjoy!

Pictures

Shutterbug Again

_DSC0188.jpg
Originally uploaded by camminges
It's been a while since I've been out taking some pictures. There are a lot of cool places to take pictures in St. Louis.

My recent trips have included the St. Louis City Museum and the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Pictures

Agitators, Catalysts, Dreamers, Evangelists, Consumers and Doers

How many titles does your organization have? Here are some common traditional titles.

• Assistant Vice President
  
• Vice President
  
• President
  
• CEO
  
• Chairman
  
• Chief Financial Officer
  
• Chief Information Officer
  
• Branch Manager
  
• Marketing Director
  
• Personnel Manager
  
• Accounting Manager
  
• Facilities Manager
  
• Network Manager
  
• Data Processing Administrator
  
• Electronic Services Manager
  
• Teller
  
• Personal Finance Representative
  
• Administrative Assistant
  

If you're like me, you're title is probably somewhere above. I believe titles should describe who you are not what you do. Titles put people into corporate boxes which I believe stifles creativity, ingenuity, and flexibility. All three of these attributes are critical to our success. Kill titles! We need agitators, catalysts, dreamers, evangelists, consumers, and doers. Put those folks in a room and see what happens. No need to post on Monster.com or careerbuilder.com. They're already working for you.

My good friend Doug True's Me-Too, Me-Too, Me-Too, Me-Too post struck a chord with number of folks. That particular post got 17 responses from credit union bloggers. That number of responses is rare considering how many blogs we all probably subscribe to and try to participate in.

"Folks, we can't offer "free'er" checking. In my opinion, there is too much cookie cutter product offerings that are copied and launched with very little thought on what your members want or how they will see the new offering as relevant" - Doug True

That resonated with me because we've all fallen to the notion to compete with the same set of cookie cutters that everyone else has. Programs like rewards checking are cool but they're just newer versions of the free toaster campaigns from back in the day.

To keep the lights on, we've reverted to things like ATM surcharge fees. Uh oh! We've done it now; we've pissed off the GonzoBankers. Their recent article on ATM fees is right on in many ways. As a credit union executive, I understand our side. As a consumer, it SUCKS! We're addicted to fee income. Yet, there's not a damn thing we can do about it – right? Wrong!!!! Right now, somewhere, someone is working on an NSF killer. I'll bet these folks do not work in the banking or credit union industry. They're pissed off consumers that want to stick it to us. I say let it be us be the ones that attack this problem head on. First, recognize we have a problem. Second, do something about it. There is something to collaborate on. Sign me up.