Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Review And Reflection - Part 11: SECU Board - Missing In Inaction #2

 https://pg.b5z.net/get/jb5z/m1200-*/i/u/2040243/i/under_bus.png  

SECU employees go under the bus, the SECU Board remains silent.

😎 How does one go from "gruntled" to "disgruntled"

With me, the Fireside Chat responses [see "LGFCU proposal" example] raised concerns over the judgment and lack of transparency of the SECU Board. The response clearly wasn't the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Why would the SECU Board approve such a response? Why did they do that?

A second example? A Triangle Business Journal article (3/6/2023) quoted the SECU CEO as stating that SECU hadn't updated its technology since 1983! Here again is the quote from TBJ: 

"But the Raleigh-based credit union has not been known as a forward-looking IT organization, Hayes said. Changing that perception requires investment, and to do it safely, it also requires three to four years. SECU hasn’t updated its systems since 1983, and change won’t happen overnight.”

Former SECU CEO Mike Lord and former SECU CIO Chris Ayer took great offense - as one might suspect - and called for a meeting with TBJ Editor-in-Chief Sougata Mukherjee to demand a retraction.

Evidently it was a fairly contentious meeting lasting 2 hours! Lord and Ayer presented a lengthy and extensive list of major technology changes which have occurred at SECU over recent years.  Mr. Mukherjee listened closely and agreed it would be pretty hard to end up with internet service, mobile apps, ATMS, call centers, voice recognition, remote deposit capture, etc. - technologies which didn't even exist in 1983! - without having made "at least a few" technology changes.

✅ The SECU Board refused to retract or clarify that inaccurate quote; instead choosing to permit hundreds of SECU IT staff to be publicly ridiculed and slandered ... and casually pitched "under the bus".

How do you know the statement supported by the SECU Board was not the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? - (not even close!): 

Exhibit 1: [Click here] to see a list of proudly proclaimed SECU tech achievements from the SECU website. "SECU hasn’t updated its systems since 1983..." - really?

Exhibit 2:  [Click here] to listen (@4:45) to 2021 SECU Chairman Bob Brinson praise the soaring success of the SECU mobile app, including the recent addition of remote deposit and other features. Mr. Brinson is a current SECU Board member and  IT professional.  "SECU hasn’t updated its systems since 1983..." - really?

Exhibit 3: [ Click here] to watch the SECU mobile app video announcement and [click here} for the SECU announcement of remote deposite, alerts, etc features. "SECU hasn’t updated its systems since 1983..." - really?

Exhibit 4: Here again is the SECU CEO at the Fireside Chats (replete with several giggling SECU Board members in tow) [link at 16:00] truthfully stating that part of the SECU core technology has been in place since 1983, but that "it is a tank, it's solid. it's reliable, I get it...". Need to be replaced, yes; still used by many large banks, yes - because "... it's solid. it's reliable..."- and other tech projects have been given priority.

✅ Reheck exhibit 1 again  [Click here]... reread the TBJ quote. Is that quote the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

😎 Disgruntled? You betcha!  Hundreds of SECU employees - real, honest, dedicated people - and the reputation of SECU were unnecessarily trashed by the endorsement through  their silence (all giggling aside) by the SECU Board.

If you are an SECU member or employee, why doesn't this matter to you? If the truth doesn't really matter any more, then I apologize to you for being an old fogey.  I was taught it was important.

Why would the SECU Board approve such a response? Why did they do that?

13 comments:

  1. I worked in IT since 1997 and can unequivocally call this statement a flat out lie... once I'm lied to so blatantly, I don't believe much of anything else you have to say. You have lost my trust.
    The truth always reveals itself in the end...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. once you’ve seen the truth, you can’t unsee it...

      Delete
  2. That was the perception put out there by Jim Hayes and Leigh, then it got even worse when they put Bomba the used car salesman in the CITO position.

    Our people put their heart and soul in to that place and were suddenly treated as villans.

    Bomba literally brought his people in to parallel positions (approved by HR and Leigh) and moved them in to our offices without any discussion. We came in and had to find new work spaces on our own.

    Our people had just completed the biggest IT project in SECU history with the data center migrations, many of us working 100+ hours a week, all during COVID and unprecidented DDOS attacks. This while under a hiring freeze.

    I will never forgive the Board, Jim Hayes, Leigh Brady, Jennifer Storey and Josh Bomba for of the way we were (and are still) treated. I dont wish poorly on SECU, but some of those individuals should not work there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh but the comp study is coming!

      Delete
  3. Mr.Blaine don’t you think you should give up on this blog so the Board can get on with their lies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thought everyone would get a giggle out of this one...

      Delete
  4. People outside of IT will never ever understand what Dallaire and Varron have done to us. I have never seen employees treated this way and I don’t even know who to tell. I feel like a child who is being abused but can’t say anything because no one would believe me.

    ReplyDelete
  5. To chime in here I just wanted to say that I have been more than “disgruntled” since 2021.

    As my favorite phrase, comes up again: "SECU hasn’t updated its systems since 1983." I continue to strive to understand the real agenda - the real reason for this statement.

    If that statement- insult were true, we would have seen CEOs, CIOs, and the entire Board removed from SECU many many years ago.

    I guess the Triangle Business Journal was afraid to retract its article in which it quoted the SECU CEO as stating that SECU hadn't updated its technology since 1983! I used to believe that presenting two sides was the only way to tell a story. I guess I was wrong.

    There has been a lot of documentation from many sources on all of the IT advancements we have made over the years. I will always give credit to the folks I worked with, which includes IT and many people from other departments. Dedication – hard work and understanding the why for the member.

    Let me tell you a secret that I have not shared with anyone. Maybe one or two but forget that for now. Over the years the largest IT project took place during 2019 – 2020- 2021. We moved both our large Data Centers to new facilities while upgrading many systems along the way. The effort was massive – successful. Yes, we had help from some large outside resources, but our folks did most of the work.

    With many IT jobs behind me, I can say the SECU IT staff is the best I have ever worked with!

    OK, I have said that before so what is my secret?

    I was going to recommend that we name our two new Data Centers after Mr. Brinson and Mr. Lord.

    Mr. Lord supported us throughout the years, and he should receive a lot of credit here. A big thanks from all of us!

    We were kind of proud that we had a Board member who was a CIO at one time, and I wanted to recognize him for what we thought of as his support. I guess I was wrong again.

    Mr. Brinson, the Board Chair at the time, is the reason I left the Credit Union. I never got around to following up on that recommendation. Now you know my secret. I still wonder what if ……,

    How does one go from “gruntled” to “disgruntled” and now “DISILLUSIONED” !

    ***SECU’s IT …. You are the best … Don’t forget it!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just to make it crystal clear: " Hundreds of SECU employees - real, honest, dedicated people - and the reputation of SECU were unnecessarily trashed..."

      Unnecessary, untrue, unconscionable... unforgivable.

      "Disgruntled? You betcha! "

      Delete
    2. In defense of TBJ, the newspaper did recontact SECU to review and reconfirm the statement and quote - which SECU did.

      It was not the duty of TBJ to retract. The quote was not made by TBJ. It was not the journalists who were reckless.

      Delete
    3. Thank you for your years of leadership, Chris. I learned a lot from you and Tracy, specifically. Fortunately those things I learned set me up for success with another company, as the new IT leadership all but forced me out with many others.

      Delete
  6. They didn’t retract because it was a direct quote. He wasn’t misquoted or taken out of context. That’s not how it works and it was a fools errand to try and change it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Why was it necessary to disparage employees who had created and run a very successful financial business? If the Board who hired Hayes wished to move to industry standard, it could be done without destroying the organization and slandering the previous employees. The Board knew better. They sat there and allowed all those lies to be told to the press.

    ReplyDelete