Bring people in at the salad instead of at dessert

Our second meeting for the Women’s Association of Credit Union Leaders (WACUL) took place last week here in Kansas City and it was another great meeting! Since our first meeting, we’ve received several positive articles in the media, and are working hard to stick with our initial charter to grow slowly, since demand continues to grow! We now have 34 members from across the state of Missouri and I’m so excited about the organization’s continued growth. As a member of the steering committee, we’re continuing our collaboration to evaluate and prepare for the next meeting, which will take place in October.

As leaders, we try hard to “know it all” when it comes to leading a team or managing a group of people. We read books, listen to podcasts and participate in Webinars. Still, oftentimes I think we overlook some of the best practices for being successful – trust, teamwork, perseverance and passion – and those were highlighted by last week’s speaker who had a great saying that resonated with me: “Bring people in at the salad instead of at dessert.”

I thought about this saying – which essentially tells you to gather input from those involved from the beginning – and feel strongly that I can apply this to WACUL and my Financial MOMentum blog. With WACUL, we’re constantly networking and talking with members to collect their feedback on the organization, the speakers, etc. It’s important to listen to their suggestions so they remain engaged with the organization, and have a stake in its long-term success. From this constant exchange of information, we continue to expand and grow the number of women in leadership roles, furthering the WACUL vision.

With my Financial MOMentum blog just taking off, I’m eager to hear from other moms to see what is and what isn’t working for them. For example, one of my latest posts talks about getting back in a routine now that school is back in session. Hearing from my readers will help me grow as a blogger and a mom, therefore resulting in a successful blog — and hopefully creating an ever-growing community of financially savvy moms!

It’s hard to believe we’re halfway through the Next Top Credit Union challenge, and it’s been such a great experience so far working on both of my projects. Let’s just say I’m trying to get “prepared” for a busy next few months; you’ll hear more about that in my next post…

Amy
Regional Finalist – Midwest