... deadly silence.
Picking the story back up: 1) The SECU Board in 2021 decided a change in direction and culture was needed, 2) an improbable CEO was hired to lead the change, 3) consternation among members and staff swelled in 2022, 4) the membership approved a resolution requesting a Board explanation: "Where are you leading us, why are you taking us there, how will it benefit the members?", 5) the SECU Board answered the concerns with Fireside Chat response meetings...
So what's the problem? The problem for me was that I knew - definitively - that much of what had been put forth by the SECU Board was simply not true. Part 9 [link] provided the well-documented example of the SECU Board Fireside response on the merger proposal with LGFCU. The #1 question became: "Why would the SECU Board approve such a response? Why did they do that?"
The Lutheran Minister Martin Niemoller confronted this same type question when dealing with a new-style German government in the 1930's. As you see from the quote, he chose not to act nor ask. He didn't bother, because he believed the "Why did they do that?" didn't affect him. Too late, he found out it did.
To me, every SECU member and employee should ask - and deserves an answer to - that #1 question: "Why would the SECU Board approve such a response? Why did they do that?
As member-owners of the credit union, each of us does have the right to ask and be heard, that's a core principle of a cooperative - or any democracy, isn't it? But perhaps, you don't need to bother, you don't need to ask or act because it doesn't affect you as an SECU member or employee... (or perhaps it already has and you just haven't realized it yet?).
Should we give the SECU Board a break? Maybe this was just an oversight, an unintentional slip up. That doesn't appear to be the case.
A much broader pattern of misinformation seems to be underway... another clear example tomorrow.
If the SECU Board did not level with the SECU membership: "Why did they do that?"
