The "old/old" look?
😎 Generally folks in finance don't believe in unicorns. Y'know there is little "data" on unicorns and rarely a credit score. And so, if you don't believe, how can you make a decision?
There was a time in the not too distant past, when SECU prided itself on being something more; yes, something different. One of the often overlooked differences was the development and training of leaders for North Carolina... and beyond.
The formula was pretty simple: Hire locally, hire at the entry level, remove internal barriers for advancement, promote from within based on performance whenever possible. Empower the employee to make "at the point of contact " decisions; monitor, but forgive "good faith" mistakes. And there were two required business principles: 1) Respect yourself ("Do the Right Thing") and 2) Respect others ("Send Us Your Mama").
With branches in every North Carolina crossroads, SECU became a local economic engine for job creation. Local hiring created accountability for the branch leaders to encourage, train, and judge performance. Without barriers to advancement, the employee recognized the opportunity for success. A principles-driven business assured stability and a clean conscience.
Critics called the system in-bred, without "new/new" ideas; but fumbled to explain why SECU thrived. The "no such thing as a unicorn crowd" failed to recognize that every year hundreds of new employees entered the SECU system - most were very young with fresh ideas, from diverse backgrounds, with a wide variety of life experiences. 35 SECU "in-breds" were recruited as CEO's at other credit unions nationwide. Many other "graduates" went on to success in other fields.
Let me introduce you to one, Ben Shaw [link - do take a look!]
✅ "Purpose in the Water": “My favorite class to teach is personal finance because I lived it for ten years working at SECU. I’ve seen people succeed and people fall into massive debt. Every chapter, I’ve got a story. That’s what sticks with people.”
Sure looks like a unicorn to me!
Ben Shaw is one of the many thousands that have made SECU a great credit union for 85 years. The focus was on listening to and helping the members. Decisions made by people, not by algorithms created by an outside firm with unknown information --frequently inaccurate information!
ReplyDeleteWe need to rip the veil off of SECU. They no longer perform as a credit union for all their member/owners, they pretend so they can reap the tax free benefits ...
ReplyDelete12:24. You can say the words but it doesn’t make it true. We are a CU for our owners. Maybe 1,000 disgruntled ignorant members may not like it, but the rest do. You’re welcome to leave.
DeleteThe fact that this commenter @1:06 clearly works for SECU is astounding to me. This attitude about even the most obnoxious member would never have been tolerated under the old/old. We might be disgruntled about the clear lack of sensical direction and general decline in service, but I can assure you that we are far from ignorant.
DeleteAnyone that disagrees ignorant? The last annual meeting where members could talk people were frustrated with the direction the credit union had taken without notifying them prior to the blain talking about it in the annual meeting if they thought it was a good thing why was that the first time our members heard about it or our member advisory boards heard about it. I think it’s fair to ask questions or disagree. Just because someone disagrees does not make them ignorant.
Delete'your' words say one thing, but your actions speak differently ...
Delete6:19. Agree. disagreement doesn't make on ignorant, being ignorant does. I am not mocking anyone. I am overtly and explicitly saying we have some very ignorant members that don't add value, and in fact divide the SECU community.
DeleteSince there seems to be a question about why some are ignorant, I'll define it. You are an ignorant SECU member if:
1) you take what Mr. Blaine says at face value
2) you have worked only at SECU your entire career and have no perspective on the outside world.
3) You believe the false narrative that SECU was some kind of unicorn and performed better than other CU's (larger, yes, but size is not a measure of success)
4) You can't see the need for change
5) You resist change
6) You post little theories or opinions on this blog that are unsupported by facts or data.
Now that I write that out, probably far more than 1,000 ignorant members, but 2.8+ million members aren't ignorant.
Proud employee here hired in the Hayes era who has seen the reality outside of SECU. Truth is, I am empathetic for the ignorant souls who haven't. it'd be far easier if you could understand all this.
"hired in the Hayes era": all credibility lost with that revelation. Apples and Oranges. Retail stores and banks are not Credit Unions.
DeleteWe were once proud of what we had. Now we tolerate a$$holes that think they know better.
11:06 so you think you are better than all the employees that were hired before you? You think all the older hires have less knowledge because they have worked at the credit union for a long time? That is very odd, they used to want employees to learn and get educated and the credit union would pay for that education. Now they don't want to educate the employees.
Delete10:57. You sound like 1,3 and 4 above.
Delete@11:06 You just did more to prove all the anti-new/new comments than any other poster. You're revealed as arrogant, condescending while supposedly being smarter than all the poor clueless souls. You could never understand how unique and successful SECU was before you and your cohorts started dismantling it. You are a lesion on the credit union that has grown into a cancer.
DeleteChange in itself is not the issue, it's change to the detriment of the members and staff that is revealed by your attitude and outlook.
Having worked at SECU for many years was a privilege and knowing how members were helped was an honor.
It's becoming an embarrassment because of people like you.
@11:06 Hate to tell you, but I spent half my career with SECU and half outside. There is absolutely a place for the way SECU used to be. I was proud of the work I did there. I do different work now. Change is inevitable, I agree; but there are ways to change without burning it all down. Without losing your identity in the process. SECU's model might need a little updating, but I can assure you that the model(s) you came from need work too. A lot of it. And those models by nature do not fit the identity that made SECU special. Sales and performance metrics are important, but they aren't the be-all-end-all of an organization that is supposed to be focused on helping members of limited means.
DeleteWhy do you call us ignorant? Why do you mock us? All while posting anonymously. But people who don’t agree with you are the ignorant ones?!
ReplyDeleteI don’t know you but you appear to have absolutely no shame. If you are part of the leadership team at MY credit union, then I shudder to think about where we are headed…
Probably liberal: they are all knowing you know.
Delete"All I know is that to see, and not to speak,
ReplyDeletewould be the great betrayal."
- Enoch Powell
11:06 is one who has no clue. Empathetic toward anyone is doubtful. We see the corporate greed. The rich wanting to get richer without regard for his/her fellow man. The credit union was founded as an alternative and not to be like the big banks who treated people like a number. The leaders pre-Hayes era were focused on being good stewards so they could help as many members in need as possible. And along the way, SECU helped smaller credit unions and created the SECU Foundation. That is a true measure of success. -c
ReplyDeleteThat’s just the false narrative. Good stewards by penalizing members with good credit with higher than market rates? Not providing a mobile app and rewards card until a decade too late? Laying members away in high risk mortgages? Maybe you were a little more proud than you should have been.
Deleteinsulting people isn't a very good business plan ...
DeleteI don't know how these comments got so off track.
ReplyDeleteHow on earth did these comments get so off track? This is about Ben Shaw who got his start at SECU and has continued practicing what SECU was for 85 years. People helping people. Ben Shaw was hired at SECU because management looked for those smart capable folks all across NC who also had big and good hearts. Folks who were invested in helping people of modest means be successful financially . Folks who helped NC prosper by helping local communities prosper. Celebrate Ben Shaw! Celebrate that old/old culture of caring about all of us.
ReplyDeleteThat “old/old” culture likely pushed him out due their extreme resistance to any type of change or new idea and that he was likely paid what he was worth elsewhere rather than staying and having a “servants heart”. A servants heart is great but it doesn’t put food on the table.
DeleteSo you do what you do just for the money??? Sounds like a job, not a career. Take that mentality over to a commercial bank, it will better suit you.
Delete@5:06PM “people helping people” goes both ways bud. If you want effective and talented workers, you need to pay them. What do you use to buy groceries, good intentions? Wake up.
Delete@10:32PM Sounds like you will never be paid enough by SECU. Do you go through the process of adding new skill sets to add more value therefore deserving of more pay? Have you looked into what your job duties would be paid at another institution? As a 20 year employee, I know where salaries were when I started and where they are now. I also know that it is not always about money - quotas, commission dependent salaries, insurance packages, etc. have value as well.
ReplyDelete