Join Tansley Stearns as she honors her Grandma Edith's legacy and explores actionable steps to close the dream, opportunity, and wealth gaps for women, advocating for systemic change and equality in the workforce.

Tackling the Dream, Opportunity, and Wealth Gaps for Women

April 16 was my Grandma Edith’s birthday. This spring month fills me with memories of her epic presence each year. My grandma smiled boundlessly. She never missed one of my tennis matches. She loved chocolate. She loved me unconditionally and vigorously. She taught me a bright song by Candance Corrigan entitled “The Ballad of Madelon Stockwell Turner” about 

” allowing a woman to enroll at the University of Michigan in 1870.

In her lifetime, she helped pave the way for a smoother road in my life. She was the Valedictorian of her high school class and the Salutatorian of her Hillsdale College graduating class. She raised three children, including my epic mom, all while teaching high school French, English, and humanities. I feel gratitude for her love and for her incredible journey. It lights the fire in my belly to become someone who helps move our society forward.

While my Grandma Edith would be impressed with the many victories and progress she fought for related to women and their roles and rights, I am emboldened to manifest more positive change to reduce persistent equity gaps. One immediate next step will take place on April 26, 2024. This celebratory event, “Fireside Chat: Closing the Equity Gap,” will be an evening of ideas exchange, inspiration, and actionable ways to help address the 

 girls face, which follows them into the 

We will be joined by our special guest, Teresa Freeborn, leader and author of "

Suits and Skirts: Game On! The Battle for Corporate Power

." Teresa will share a bit about her own experience of leadership and the possibilities that exist as we create an even brighter future for women.

My inner restlessness and urgency to play a role in closing the gap burns brighter having read a new wave of editorials and opinion articles, including the Wall Street Journal’s “

The ‘Gender Pay Gap’ Is a Myth That Won’t Go Away,

” which points to free choices individual men and women make as a natural consequence of the wealth gap.

This bold statement fails to address the inequalities that exist in family planning and the “Motherhood Penalty.” 

 remarkably points out that it would take no less than 50 years to reach gender pay parity. The problem is systemic and solving it will take many committed humans. It will take men and women.

 results highlight these challenges. The U.S. ranks 25 out of the 33 countries observed. The gap in full-time employment rate is 78.0% for women and 88.4% for men. The labor force participation rate is 69.0% for women and 79.1% for men. At 17.0%, the U.S.’s gender pay gap is larger than the 33 observed countries’ average of 13.5%, and the U.S. has consistently lagged on this measure for the majority of the last decade.

Even when accounting for degree qualifications, a woman with the same credentials earns 10.5% less than a man with the same degree. Women make 12.2% less than men in the upper-income band. And even marital status impacts genders differently. While a married woman earns more than a single woman, a married man earns 11.6% more than a single man.

Implications for our GDP and the economy are significant and undeniable. With low unemployment, the country will greatly benefit from a higher female labor participation rate. Yet, that is not the reason why we should act. Our daughters need to dream of what they can become without any limitations. When girls see women in leadership roles and dream jobs, their dreams expand, and lids begins to lift.

And shaping your role to ignite change doesn’t have to be formulaic. My Grandma Edith played many roles that all helped shape my life. Her nurturing care and committed support helped me grow confidence. Her passion for seeing the best in others and pushing through adversity with a smile – even as her father disappeared and she lived through the death of her beloved brother and the death of both of her husbands – invited me to build resilience and a relentlessly positive demeanor. Her stories of success and achievement painted a picture of what was possible. Her inspiring stories and exposure to people who paved new paths ensured I believed in the impossible.

Her optimistic view would celebrate all the progress we see. Her determined passion would demand we do even more. Her joyful approach would ensure we wanted to do it collaboratively. How might you emulate my Grandma Edith with me?

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Tackling the Dream Blog Content

Dexter Sullivan, founder, board president and CEO of the Black Legacy Advancement Coalition, standing in front of the Ali Legacy House in Detroit, Michigan.

Building Opportunity in Detroit with the Black Legacy Advancement Coalition

Ultimately, the goal is to effect a complete life transformation for women through community support, fellowship and mentorship.

"This home will be a place for women to find nurturing care and empowerment on their terms," said Dexter Sullivan, Founder, Board President and CEO of the Black Legacy Coalition.

Black Legacy Advancement Coalition

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You are Enuff™

Tansley Stearns explores how orsa credit union is cushioning the impact of inflation through innovations like CloseEnuff™, supporting Michiganders facing financial insecurity, and challenging industry norms around fees that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.

For the large majority of Americans, life post-pandemic hasn’t been easy. Inflation has hit families hard. The cost of groceries, everyday purchases, gas, clothing, entertainment, etc., is felt across the board. Terms such as “

” (the practice of downsizing products without downsizing prices) and “

” (when companies raise prices and blame it on inflation) have become part of our vernacular.

The populations impacted more deeply will not surprise you. 

 live paycheck to paycheck, so an unplanned expense or fee can result in significant financial setbacks. This barrier is compounded for women who face financial inequities.

 being directly involved in their households’ financial decision-making, the financial services industry has a larger role to play in walking with women toward a brighter future. A 

2023 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report

 found that overdraft and NSF fees disproportionately affect women, particularly single women, women with children, Black and Hispanic women, and women who earn less than $60,000 per year. CloseEnuff™ addresses the pervasive issues of financial barriers disproportionately impacting these populations.

As credit unions, we are responsible for cushioning our members from economic disparities. But it shouldn’t stop there. We hold an incredible ability to partner with our members as they navigate life’s challenges and opportunities.

We’re being called to challenge our industry’s reliance on non-sufficient funds (NSF), overdraft (OD), and courtesy pay fees. As an industry, we’ve long discussed how important innovation is to our sustainability. Isn’t it time we deployed that perspective to find new ways to solve important problems for humans.

I’ve challenged our executive team to leapfrog our industry’s best practices because the human beings we serve deserve more. Understanding the household liquidity challenges of this moment, married with our epic team’s subject matter expertise, led us to build CloseEnuff

, we’re helping close the gap for the two-thirds of Michiganders who identify as financially insecure while raising awareness around the importance of cash flow as consumers adapt to changing economic conditions. Innovations like this are a testament to our commitment to manifesting positive change, providing tangible relief and support to everyday Michiganders in their journeys.

Cushioning Inflation Concerns with Grace Blog Content

Cushioning inflation concerns (with grace)

Reflecting on our annual meeting, this post celebrates the power of connection, community, and ownership, highlighting how coming together fuels purpose, collaboration, and a shared vision for a brighter future.

Connection & Community: The Heart of Financial Cooperatives | orsa credit union

On the heels of Community Financial Credit Union's annual membership meeting, I am humbled and grateful to our board, members, and team, whom I am honored to serve. Last night, I shared a few reflections on 2023 at our new Center for Impossible Dreams in Plymouth’s Old Village to a sea of purple as our team showed their pride and enthusiasm for our brand, strategy, and culture. The electrifying energy felt last night can only be achieved through the power of connection and community.

We came together to share values, exude passion, gain understanding, celebrate accomplishments, cast a future vision, hear opportunities for improvement, and express differing opinions. This is what ownership in a financial cooperative looks like.

The desire to congregate is primal and core to our humanity. I remember, during COVID, longing to be in any setting surrounded by other humans. I yearned for connection during those isolating months. People have crafted and celebrated holidays, birthdays, milestones, and even cosmic occurrences (hello, vernal equinox, see you on March 21!) as they create opportunities for us to come together.

Credit unions have this opportunity annually through our annual member meetings. At Community Financial Credit Union’s annual meeting of members, we discussed the state of the credit union. This was not a one-sided affair where members sat and listened. They stood, they engaged, and they shared because they give a damn. Candor is an essential element of ownership. And interpersonal connection creates a two-way dialogue that we often miss behind our many screens.

By coming together annually, we have an opportunity to elevate the purpose of our cooperative and inspire those we serve to enthusiastically engage in our purpose of igniting Michiganders’ impossible dreams. Beyond the meeting's technical importance and business necessity, this annual gathering sparks a time for reconnection and pride in our rich history. It builds a bridge to an even brighter future.

We hear a lot about divisiveness, polarization, and our differences. In moments of gathering, how much we have in common becomes vivid. We may have differing views. Some of us may long for the past. Others of us may have our visions set boldly on the future. When we first started, we were founded on our differences, and those differences connected and unified us. Someone who had resources shared those resources with someone who needed resources, and those cooperative savers and borrowers bridged their distinct and unique experiences to bring credit unions to life.

At another recent credit union gathering, the Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) hosted by America's Credit Unions, credit unions from across the country came together to advocate on behalf of our members with our legislators. For those of us who have served our industry for years, this gathering brings to life essential work ensuring our organizations can continue to make an impact, and it also represents a moment of community. It’s a reminder of our purpose to improve the financial lives of Americans, and it creates connection and time with leaders who share vision, passion, and a drive to change the world.

The traditions of gathering mean so much. These annual opportunities to spark joy, remember our purpose, celebrate our past, learn how we can improve, and, most importantly, connect on how even our differences unite us are among the many things that make credit unions unique and genuinely exceptional. Until next year, Huzzah!

Connection and Community: Blog Content

Connection & Community: The Heart of Financial Cooperatives

Discover the key differences between long-term and short-term investment strategies. Learn which approach aligns with your financial goals, risk tolerance, and timeline to build wealth effectively.

Long-Term vs Short-Term Investment Analysis | orsa credit union

Investing can be tricky, and there are plenty of different philosophies for approaching it best.

Most investors and financial professionals swear by the long game, touting the benefits of a slow and steady approach. Some folks like prefer short-term opportunities, taking advantage of market fluctuations to maximize gains. Most financial professionals prefer an approach with a diversified balance of long-term growth and short-term gains. Let’s explore the pros and cons of short- and long-term strategies.

Long-term investments are appealing for their lean toward more sustainability, reliability, decreased volatility, consistency, a track record of excellence, transparency, and simplicity.

Basically, long-term positions aren’t those that are here today and gone tomorrow but are established mainstays that can carry a portfolio for decades. They should be easy to understand, provide solid returns, and be less volatile. A long-term investor thinks about holding their positions for a while, despite what they hear in the financial news. And many short-term investors try to time the market, trying to call when the best time to get in and out of the market or positions may be. And a strategy that attempts to time the market is nearly impossible.

The main advantage of choosing a long-term strategy over a short game is the lack of excitement. For some, this may seem dull, but for most investors, that mundaneness is highly welcome and often indicative of financial stability.

Short-term trades often provide us with an allure of upside that rarely comes to fruition in reality. Yes, refraining from short-term investing will cause you to miss out on some big runners that benefit from investor speculation, but this is rare for most of us. Nevertheless, sticking purely to the long game may create a fear of missing out on some investors.

One of the requirements of long-term investing is that you invest for a long time. The tenure of your portfolio is what gives this mundane strategy its valiant returns, and years of compound interest are required for it to all be worth it.

Short-term investing—a risky undertaking

Short-term investments tend to be unsustainable and unreliable, bringing higher volatility and erratic, unpredictable returns.

Short-term investments can be here today and gone tomorrow, and it’s precisely that volatility that can lead to a lucrative upside for those who dare take the risk to pursue.

The allure of short-term trading is purely in its potential for a more significant profit compared to a more long-term asset. But remember: with high reward comes high risk.

Another interesting aspect of short-term investing is learning the tricks of the trade—literally. Active trading forces you to learn about how markets and investor psychology work.

The drawbacks of short-term investments can outweigh their upside

Simply put, short-term investments are risky, and it's tough for an individual investor to get these "right." A stock that has the potential to run up 50% in a day has a 

While there’s no singular correct route to investing, most financial professionals will lean heavily on strategic and intentional long-term investing. Even the best short-term traders acknowledge the importance of a long-term portfolio. The long-term road is safer, and if you’re diligent in your practice, it can provide enough returns to secure a fulfilling retirement.

What to consider when building your investment strategy

Before jumping into trading within the capital markets, ensure you've built a cash reserve, have a plan for your debt, that you are consistently saving for retirement, and planning and saving for the future.

Once you’ve checked off the basics, move on to what other things you’d like to accomplish with your investing. If one of those goals is to become proficient and profitable at trading and you’re financially secure elsewhere, it might make sense to give it a shot, but do so with intentionality... slow and steady.

 dictate how you can invest. If you’ve only got enough extra income to max out your retirement account this year, it’s probably best to stick to the long-term game. In contrast, if you’ve got disposable income, you can diversify into other areas with a more active strategy.

Your risk appetite will also help determine what works best for you and if short-term investing fits your preferences. Investing actively and holding single stocks makes your portfolio more prone to volatile movements and mayhem than those broader holdings often associated with more passive methods.

There’s no right way to invest, and everyone’s exact approach is unique to their situation and needs. However, we're here to share the guidelines that will shape your finances for the better over the long run.

Keep your discipline going. Digital banking is a great place to start. Don’t forget to 

, update your goals, and keep your to-do list checked off as you continue your journey to financial freedom.

Short-Term vs Long-Term Investments Blog Content

Short-Term vs. Long-Term Investments

Celebrate the power of connection through purposeful gatherings, whether at industry events or team activities, and learn how shared experiences inspire collaboration, engagement, and future growth.

Seize the Day: The Power of Bringing People Together

“Celebrate we will, for life is short but sweet for certain.”

Nothing matches the bubbling anticipation of an occasion that brings your tribe together. This weekend, I am capturing a double dose of this joy. I enjoyed an 18-hour stop in Las Vegas to see the Dave Matthews Band with dear friends and now fly to Washington, D.C., to one of the most anticipated annual events in our industry where some of my favorite humans will congregate. Credit unions will vibrantly advocate for cooperative finance during 2024’s Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC), hosted for the first time by America's Credit Unions Credit Unions. Huzzah!

This sense of anticipation is not unique to this week; we all long for the precious dates on our calendars marked for gatherings with loved ones. Whether we plan to break bread, experience a concert, cheer at a sporting event, or celebrate a holiday, the time leading up to those events goes slowly, and the time spent together flies by, making your heart race.

Gatherings ignite joy. They also nurture our most important relationships and promote a sense of belonging and community. A simple and quiet afternoon shared with friends or family can leave you feeling incredibly inspired, rejuvenated, and connected.

I learned from great mentors about the power of connection. As leaders, we must provide those around us with that same sense of rejuvenation we experience when we spend time with those we love. Creating opportunities for purposeful gatherings and moments of connection matters and builds cushions. At Community Financial Credit Union, we do this in a host of ways, including:

Annual small-group dinners with every single department,

Monthly “six impossible things” roundtables with six team members who sign up to enjoy 90 minutes of dreaming,

Our president’s council, where a small cohort of leaders spend time strategizing and growing,

Monthly State of the Credit Union “townhall meetings” with our entire team,

Annual picnics, including family members,

Our annual all-staff c3 (Community, Collaboration, Connection) event,

Community impact days for our team as we volunteer across the great state of Michigan,

Springboard meetings for all leaders in the organization (monthly and in-person quarterly),

Yaydays where we get to surprise team members with food and experiences, and

LIFT (learning, igniting, fellowship, and training) days that bring our strategy to life for the team and allow people to learn experientially.

Connection matters as this is a human business. According to the 

, “Social isolation and loneliness are widespread, with an estimated 1 in 4 older people experiencing social isolation and between 5 and 15 percent of adolescents experiencing loneliness.” As we craft the future of work and include strategies to amplify the well-being of our teams, it’s striking to consider the impact of isolation. The WHO shares, “The effect of social isolation and loneliness on mortality is comparable to that of other well-established risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.” We can play a role in shifting this for our teams.

As you consider the best approach for your organization and shape the connection experiences that will best amplify your strategies, consider that every good gathering shares these eight things in common, regardless of setting, budget, or length:

Whether it is a family bond, your alma mater (Go Blue!), your team (Go Lions!), your favorite band (Go DMB!), or your passion (Go Credit Unions!), a powerful gathering starts with a common bond.

The best gatherings have meaning and purpose. This week, credit unions will advocate to ensure legislators have context for the most critical issues facing credit unions as they serve Americans. When I serve grilled cheese to our team, it demonstrates a commitment to service. It also allows for the sharing of personal passions and creativity. The reason to bring people together matters deeply.

Organization matters, and ironically, it allows for spontaneity. As people commit their time, they want to know what to expect, and the more details are managed, the more the human connection can occur.

Sometimes, the planning of a vacation brings nearly as much joy as the vacation itself. Creating opportunities to build curiosity about content sparks pre-event conversations. It also builds connection as those attending can experience that anticipation together.

In a world of distractions, supporting people in enjoying the experience matters. An event bursting with sensory stimulation encourages deeper engagement and connectedness.

A good gathering leaves you wanting more and dreaming about next time. Reflecting on the experience, building on what went well, and learning-forward with opportunities to enhance the next gathering can powerfully build experiences that dynamically improve over time.

Good gatherings leave us enthusiastic to share. It might be the mic drop moment when a new idea was synthesized and shared boldly. It might be the joy that came from learning about a shared interest. It might be the dad joke that everyone can’t wait to own when they get home. Just as anticipation builds before the event, reflection carries the momentum of time spent well into the future.

As the time together comes to an end, it’s time to dream about next time. We started sowing the seeds for our next show at the end of last night’s concert. Imagining our plans starts the anticipation building again. I can’t wait to dance until my feet are sore!

My anticipation grows as I near our Nation’s capital. The opportunity to come together in advocacy ensures that the future of credit unions shines brightly. The spark and experience people will have as colleagues and friends this week will sustain and grow careers, dreams, and impact. Let’s use our time in fellowship this week to spark even more opportunities for connection and gathering when we return to our organizations. Let’s capture the moment today. The Dave Matthews Band says it well in “Cry Freedom”: “The future is no place to place your better days.”

Seize the Day: The Power of Bringing People Together Blog Content

This blog post emphasizes the importance of fostering body confidence in young female athletes to reduce sports dropouts, highlighting how this mindset can shape future leaders and enhance the talent pool for industries, including credit unions. #KeepHerConfident

Your Future Workforce Deserves Confidence - #KeepHerConfident

As credit unions, we are in a war for talent. I often speak about the challenges we face in telling our brand story to consumers. We have a parallel deficit as it relates to our employer brand. It remains unusual that someone graduates from university dreaming about working for a credit union. We can change that as we create the future of work by shaping cultures and strategies that put human beings first as we design the workplace experience for the next generation.

Throughout my career as a hiring leader, I’ve observed that participation in athletics is often a strong indicator of success in the workplace. Inc.’s “

7 Reasons Athletes Make the Best Employees

” outlines several positive outcomes: perseverance, strong time management, learning from failure, accountability, putting the team first, commitment to improvement, and handling criticism. 

 also demonstrates how sports leads to stronger team and individual outcomes in the workplace.

This leading indicator of success in recruiting exceptional talent is exciting. It also demands attention to the devastating statistic that 45% of girls quit sports by age 14 due to low body confidence.

Tansley, you’re lousy at tennis, but you look great in your tennis skirt, so we’d love to have you on the team

This brash remark from my tennis coach landed swiftly and left me fighting to maintain my composure. Being a congenial colleague of my mom’s made him, more or less, a friend of the family, and I’m certain this comment, which rolled off his tongue, was never meant to stoke feelings of shame or inadequacy. His words were two-fold, both an acceptance and a joke, though this was a joke told at my expense.

While I remember the conversational exchange as if it were yesterday, the mid-1990s was a different era altogether before the groundswell of sweeping social movements such as Cancel Culture and Me Too, which would turn contemporary life on its head in more recent years, for better or for worse.”

This is an excerpt from my upcoming memoir. (

Keep your eye out for the book later this year.

) I was reminded of this passage as I watched the “biggest game” recently. I awaited the new commercials with anticipation and was struck by Dove’s 30-second spot, “

.” It highlights a vibrant reality I experienced when becoming a teenager. Double faulting during a tight third set of a tennis match fueled me to practice hitting my serve for hours the next day. It stung, and yet, I could control consistent improvement. My confidence grew as my actions, commitment, grit, and tenacity resulted in consistent improvement. The Dove spot illuminates the striking opposition to my insecurities about my body, which drained hours from vastly more important endeavors with hours spent obsessing about how thin I could become.

As the dramatic statistic points out, low body confidence is the number one reason girls quit sports. Approximately two in three girls consider quitting the sport they love. This strikes me closely. With a 13-year-old daughter dedicated to lacrosse, basketball, cross country, and track, my goal is to support her in experiencing all the growth I did as I improved my tennis game and not waste one minute on the expectations for how she looks as she plays.

Because 61% of girls would be interested in hearing about body confidence education from their coach, Dove’s campaign includes 

 to create an environment where young female athletes can thrive and belong by using tools such as “body talk” free zones. Across our schools and organizations, these kinds of resources can help us ensure that the next generation’s experience grows to be something completely different, allowing girls to keep their focus on their athletic passions and avoid the negative connotations of low body confidence.

One of the best coaches in my life, Mike Neill, demonstrates the strong impact a mentor and leader can make. He truly changed my life. Over the years, we developed a warm and meaningful connection grounded in our shared values, love for credit unions, and shared sense of humor. He always cheered me on. He modeled exceptional performance. He saw opportunities that I might not have. He also candidly told me when I could improve. He was not shy to remind me when I’d wallowed in my delicious misery for too long and needed to move on. Walking with Mike helped me find new roles and, most importantly, helped me sharpen my skills and improve in places where I had blind spots. Coaches make an impact on the field and in our organizations.

Focus and energy that support girls differently ensures a better future for half of our population, and it helps our organizations have even more talented athletes who should be a part of our future workforce. The coaches we nurture and share with our teams can enhance talent and provide cushions during challenging times. We must empower the girls in our lives and the employees in our organizations. It truly can change the world and your credit union as we welcome and grow strong, exceptional team members. #KeepHerConfident

Your Future Workplace Deserves Confidence Blog Content

Explore how Return on Assets (ROA) serves as a crucial financial indicator for credit unions, and how balancing this metric with strategic planning, member needs, and long-term goals can drive sustainable success.

Return on Assets is Music to Your Earnings

During a recent meeting I attended, a colleague from another credit union made a statement that many of us in our credit union movement believe deeply, “There can be no mission without margin.” I am fond of this simple description that connects the heart of our work with our industry’s business fundamentals. In a world full of data, it can sometimes be complicated to pare down what matters most to any organization. It can be even more challenging to connect the dots between functions and how they come together to demonstrate member impact.

For those of you who have a favorite band that tours regularly, the day that band announces their tour dates truly lights up with joy. Recently, I experienced that joyful day as the Dave Matthews Band released their summer plans. The joy quickly expands as the consideration for picking shows comes to life. I feel privileged to have friends who have a similar passion for live shows and planning. Together, we toss around ideas as we consider the location, the reputation of the venue, our calendar commitments for work and family, and the historical connectedness the band has to the setting. While heading to an epic venue like The Gorge might be higher in the consideration set, the matrix of variables all come into play, and sometimes, the sheer logistics of merging busy calendars marks the decision.

The same can be said for the financial measures of a credit union. There are many to consider, and some weigh more heavily than others. Perhaps no financial ratio is as frequently cited as a measure of success as return on assets (ROA). Yet, overall, it is only one of many ways to paint the picture of a healthy organization. ROA is a key measure of relative operating performance, and the beauty of the credit union model is how a not-for-profit financial cooperative can return value in ways other financial institutions cannot.

Most credit unions maintain a close eye on various financial indicators, including ROA, return on equity (ROE), core deposit growth, and, in this season, productivity indicators such as total shares per full-time employee, that demonstrate the delicate balance of providing technologically-forward personalized service that creates a modern experience and drives efficiencies. Many balanced scorecards also include member and team member input. As a financial cooperative, our members’ and team members’ voices matter deeply. Looking across measures allows for a complete picture of the impact of the cooperative, as no one measure on its own tells the whole story of either progress or success.

One of the key differentiators of the model for credit unions is the ability to think in long-term horizons to maximize the impact on those who need us most. Unlike other stockholder-driven organizations, we are not driven to react to keep up with quarterly forecasts and results. When used in a balanced way, financial indicators, like ROA, fuel the organization’s long-term success in mid-term (3 years) and long-term (7 to 10 years) horizons. This can liberate credit union leaders to:

Bring to life an enduring, evolving, and unique culture,

Develop and implement an audacious strategy,

Make appropriate investments and use innovation to build member value,

Identify change as it is occurring and, iterate strategy through that change, and

Direct improvements in performance within the organization to achieve and sustain competitive advantage.

The anchoring effect bias is one peril of relying on ROA as a dominant metric in isolation. For years, we have been conditioned to think of an ROA of 1.00 to be heuristically solid. This characterization creates a tendency to rely heavily on the first piece of information encountered when making decisions (our ROA heuristic). It influences subsequent judgments and choices, leading to a selective perception of information that aligns with the initial anchor. So, what does it mean? Is achieving an ROA of 1.00 no longer the gold standard? Is a low ROA a bad thing? It all depends. At times, credit unions may need to map out lower ROAs, perhaps near zero or even negative, as a point in time over a long-term journey with a plan to return to higher earnings as the forecast’s horizon elongates.

Just like a group of incredible friends crafting their concert-going summer experiences, effective executive teams are well-positioned to discuss the short and long-term forecasts for earnings and how those will bring to life the best strategies to return value to members. The following are just a few questions related to levers available to credit union leadership teams that could drive essential considerations depending on the unique needs of the organization in any given season:

Should we decrease the interest rates we pay on deposits?

What are your organization’s alternatives to member deposits to fuel lending?

How long might your current rates serve your short-term needs before you adjust them? What does that shift look like? What are the consequences?

Does your brand and product line support such a decrease? Or is your value proposition hinging on offering one of the highest rates in your market?

Might we increase the interest rates we charge on loans?

If you face liquidity challenges, how quickly is your asset liability committee willing to adjust loan rates? As fast as banks do? As a result of a competitor analysis? How fast does it need to be?

How long might your current rates serve your short-term needs before you adjust them? What does the shift look like? What are the consequences of your position in the market?

How is our cost of funds impacting our bottom line? How do we balance the good of individual members and the interest rate environment with the broader membership’s needs and the credit union’s health?

Should we launch and promote new revenue-generating products?

Might your organization be able to shift investments and loan portfolios to higher-interest investments and loans?

Are there untapped opportunities to increase fees on existing products?

How might innovation help based on what you are hearing from members? What needs to exist that your organization is uniquely positioned to solve?

How might cost control efforts impact our efforts and impact?

What will be the cultural implications of cost-cutting measures? What costs are worth reducing, and what should you not touch to maintain long-term investments in the future?

Will members’ experience be negatively impacted? In what ways? Will this cost reduction allow us to further invest in our differentiator?

How might you optimize your heavy machinery to attain big wins in the market?

Planning for the joy of seeing Dave Matthews play live jumpstarts the experience of the actual show. The mapping of plans starts the anticipation of seeing an epic band play joyfully. The same can be true for the questions a leadership team weighs as it considers how to map a successful forecast. While the credit union’s evolving results might not be quite as much fun as attending a concert, the considerations can create a vibrant opportunity for a leadership team to collaborate and leverage data and trends to build an iterative strategy. Credit unions have an incredible opportunity to leverage our unique model to invest in member needs, think in longer horizons, and build toward scale. ROA can be one of many vital tools guiding our path. There is genuinely no mission without margin.

Return on Assets is Music to Your Earnings Blog Content

Tansley Stearns delves into the three core drivers of trust—authenticity, logic, and empathy—and how leaders can consciously build trust to foster stronger, more effective teams at work.

Trust: Building Cushion for Your Team

Implicitly, trust is the foundation of almost everything we do. Having watched one too many scary movies, I often think about how much trust we put in others as I walk through a parking garage at night and feel such relief when I’m in my car safely. It’s present in our daily commutes when we trust a driver will stop at a red light, knowing that a meeting will start on time, the confidence that we have in our colleagues at work, it’s the reason why we share something personal with a friend, it’s core to our laws and contracts, and it’s why we cast a ballot for someone who will represent our interests. It’s also foundational for leaders as they create the conditions for employees to realize their wildest potential fully.

And as essential as it is, we don’t always talk about trust openly with our loved ones, our teams at work, the people we lead, and our leaders. Explicitly investing time exploring and improving trust might be the boost you need to get a team dynamic unstuck.

Author and Harvard professor Frances X. Frei eloquently explains in 

. Frei’s research describes three core drivers of trust: authenticity, logic, and empathy. Whether at work or in your personal life, trust is dependent on people knowing they are interacting with the real you (authenticity), that they believe in your judgment and competence (logic), and that they feel you care about them and their success (empathy). If you observe trust decay, reflect on one of these three drivers.

As I consider trust and how we build that for our team at Community Financial, I reflect on the following:

As a leader who dreams boldly, I have dealt with a fair amount of skepticism throughout my career. When people first got to know me, saw me on a stage, in my time as an advisor at Filene, or even as a new leader at the organizations I have worked at, I faced people questioning if my loud laugh, joy, and charisma were authentic. That skepticism dissolves over time as people consistently see that I show up over and over again in the same way. They realize that my storytelling and persona are honest and while different, are genuine. This is what the authenticity driver represents, and until people realize they are experiencing the real you, trust cannot be attained.

I have been fortunate and work hard to surround myself with brilliant teachers and professionals who, through dialogue, learning (academic and behavioral), coaching, and practice, have shaped my leadership philosophy. In our financial industry, the rigor of our analysis and ability to execute must be airtight. My early beginnings as a marketing leader have sometimes caused me to over-index on logic to ensure those who only know my creativity also see my strategic and analytical strengths.

Lastly, people must be sure that, as leaders, we are not putting our personal gain ahead of the interest of the whole. At Community Financial, we vividly manifest it as Relentless Care. We are firmly aligned as a team that we put others before ourselves. We genuinely care for one another and our members. Listening is our superpower to grow empathy, and that supports our drive for relevant and meaningful transformational change.

Think for a moment of the people you trust most. For me, it’s my parents. I notice that my shoulders drop when I am with the two of them, and a comfort rises. I can speak openly, share fully, and relax. This is why trust magnifies results in an organization. That ease allows human beings to be their best. No strategy, no plan, and no relationship will ever thrive if trust is not nurtured consciously. Which trust dimension might you enhance to give your team even more cushion?

Trust: Building Cushion for Your Team Blog Content

Discover the vital role of credit union Board Chairs in driving strategy, fostering collaboration, and ensuring sustainable growth by balancing oversight with future-focused governance, as shared insights from a recent conference.

The Mantle of Credit Union Leadership: Board Members

Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a conference uniting credit union Board Chairs and CEOs. Having observed a host of chair/ceo relationships throughout my career especially during my time at Filene when leading strategy work and most recently from having experienced firsthand forming one with our Community Financial Credit Union Board Chair, Teri Kuehn. As keynote presentations, roundtables, dinners, and hallway conversations fade into memory, I revel in inspiration and encouragement. I also recognize several paradoxes.

I am a firm believer in the cooperative finance model. When a group of people with shared communities come together and form a system to accomplish the goals of the whole, it creates the best possible outcome for human beings. In credit unions, members elect a peer group of volunteers to represent their interests in the dedicated Board of Directors who serve in this role. These volunteers hire a competent CEO capable of not only managing the everyday operations but with the vision to manifest the members’ dreams to life using important tools like loans, deposit products, payment tools, technology solutions, and guidance and advice to support financial well-being.

The complexity of twenty-first-century banking at times distracts us. I often revisit the cooperative principles for credit unions, which are eloquently illustrated on the 

National Credit Union Foundation’s website

The fact that credit unions are not-for-profit financial cooperatives, offering services to people willing to accept the responsibilities and benefits of membership.

Credit unions serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative principles by working with other cooperatives.

While focusing on member needs, credit unions work for the sustainable development of communities, including people of modest means, through policies developed and accepted by the members

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