I saw a meme recently that said “If you were born in the 80’s, raised in the 90’s, and make it 2020, you have lived in 4 decades, 2 centuries and 2 millenniums and you’re not even 40.” In less than 12 hours, that will be me! What a time to be alive!
As we come up on a new decade, I have spent some thinking about the past 10 years. At the end of 2009, I was 15 months into being a new CEO, I was in the middle of the largest capital expansion projected ever undertaken by the credit union, and…oh yeah, we were on the heels of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression!
My team and I were making bold decisions about the future of the credit union during very uncertain times. We knew to succeed in the long-term we needed to take some risk. We needed a main office that was appealing and would help us grow. We needed a modern, functional and secure environment for our team and we needed to invest in the latest technology to serve our members.
I was also days away from turning 27. I like to say, I was a young leader before it was cool. I didn’t have peers my age and the move toward Young Professional development and empowerment wasn’t yet mainstream. The past 10 years has seen and explosion of millennial’s and now Gen-Z in the workforce and leadership positions. These Young Professionals have helped drive change in society and the workplace.
I have been fortunate to Chair the Mountain West Young Credit Union Professionals Committee to help advance and empower Young Professionals in my region. I began working with the World Young Credit Union Professionals and the Global Women’s Leadership Network in 2017, both of which have opened my eyes to diversity, equity and inclusion issues around the world.
Access to credit for women and minority populations around the world remains one of the top barriers to upward mobility and breaking the cycle of poverty. In fact, 56% of all unbanked adults, globally, are women. In the U.S., women make up nearly half the workforce but account for 60% of the nation’s lowest paid workers and nearly 7 in 10 elderly women live in poverty*.
These are our grandmothers, mothers, aunts, cousins, sisters and friends. We must find the moral courage to right these wrongs for future generations. It is up to all of us, but especially the younger generations to influence policy and practice to ensure all people are treated fairly in the workplace and in society. We are the future of the world, we need to be the change we want to see in that world!
As I look toward the next decade, I am hopeful for a more open and inclusive society, where every person can bring their authentic selves into everything they do. Where diverse views and opinions will be respected and embraced. Where those diverse viewpoints help shape workplaces that are more productive and profitable. In fact, research has shown that diverse teams generate 15% more profitability than homogeneous teams.**
The 1920’s were time of economic expansion and great societal changes including the large-scale adaptation of cars, telephones, with accelerated consumer demand and aspirations, women’s suffrage, the age of jazz and flappers. Let’s embrace this new decade with the same optimism and ingenuity that people had in 1920 and couple that with love and respect for all, as we move into the 2020’s.
*Source: Legalmomentum; Institute for Women’s Policy Research; US Census Data**Source: https://hbr.org/2016/11/why-diverse-teams-are-smarter
Leadership thoughts and life lessons 