President's Message

Second grade. Show & Tell.

Just before we were to begin, the teacher had us put away our objects and use only our words. My heart sank. “Show & Tell” had just become “...Tell.” And because my last name is Adams, I had to go first. I had brought in one of my grandfather’s old pipes that day (it was the Seventies after all) to help me talk about why I loved him so much. The smell of his pipe brought back summer afternoons on the screen porch and bedtime stories by the fireside. In that paralyzing moment, I realized that communication is bigger than words alone: it is a marriage of words and actions.

Credit union leagues create potential value through their actions. Service corporations negotiate successful partnerships and build cost-effective economies of scale. Government relations staff advocate nonstop – mostly out of sight – to protect consumer access to credit unions and preserve the credit union difference. Value, however, is in the eye of the beholder, and we have both precious little time and limited resources to communicate our messages. So, those messages must achieve their desired effect as broadly and deeply—and as quickly—as possible.

A credit union league’s ability to create and deliver value derives from the members themselves. After all, without members, there is only “Tell” and no “Show.” Supporting and showcasing the story of the work you do on the front lines is the “Show” for our “Tell.” And it is our honor to “show” your stories.

As always, thank you for the opportunity to serve you another week,
Bruce