President's Message

This week’s President’s Message is from Dave Hinchey, Director of Community Impact, on rising up during challenging times. How are you displaying resiliency, flexibility, and empowering your team?

As always,
Bruce

Stuck between New York Yankees’ Pinstripe Alley and Rex Sox Nation, this Braves fan has witnessed many baseball celebrations from those two storied franchises but hardly any from his own team.

That all changed earlier this month when the Braves closed out the Houston Astros in Game 6 ending a 26-year world series drought and possibly breaking the Atlanta sports curse in the process.

In watching this Cinderella Braves team, I can’t help but draw parallels and comparisons of this Braves team and their magical run and our credit unions.

Here you have the Braves who were counted out at every turn and made the postseason with the worst record of any playoff teams. They overcame injuries and losses of key players. They handled everything the world threw at them and came out on top, much like credit unions have and will continue to do.

In sports, everybody loves the underdog and Cinderella story. I see these traits in our credit unions who are smaller than their for-profit counter parts, sometimes undermanned and also deal adversity and challenges on a daily basis.

Like the Braves, Connecticut’s credit unions are the David in the David vs. Goliath story. CT’s credit unions do more with less. They’re gritty and willing to put the work in to improve their members’ lives day in and day out. We keep going because we cannot rest until we’ve reached our goal of helping our members achieve financial independence. We also embrace the role of the underdog because everybody loves the underdog. With that, here’s some lessons and takeaways from this year’s World Series Champions that you can apply to your credit union:

Be Resilient

No matter what life throws at you, getting back on the horse or picking yourself up off the mat is the trademark of a leader. Good leaders have that “it” factor and can motivate and inspire their teams to greatness. During the great resignation where staffing can be short, it can feel overwhelming at times. You could equate it to the penalty kill in hockey where you still have to play the game even though you’re down a couple players. Lean into your resilient traits. Get the right people on board and accelerate into the post-pandemic curve. Change your mental focus and use this time as an opportunity to springboard you to greatness.

Be Flexible

Being flexible is one of our core values at the League. If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything is that things can change in a moment’s notice. Best laid plans can go right in the trash if information or outside forces change suddenly. We must be flexible and willing to pivot at a moment’s notice. In July, the Braves’ best player went down with injury and the team wasn’t playing well. They brought in reinforcements at the trade deadline who played a key role down the stretch. Life was good, the team was playing better and made the playoffs. Then the Braves’ ace (CT’s own Charlie Morton) went down with injury in Game 1 of the World Series which forced the Braves coaching staff to pivot again. Without flexibility, they would never have recovered from those losses to win the crown. They didn’t sulk or bemoan the fact that they were dealt an unfair hand. They rolled with the punches. Here’s the message: Be flexible at your credit union. Understand that we’re all a team and embrace the “next-person up” philosophy. If plans aren’t working, scrap them immediately and move into a different direction.

Forgive and Empower

In these high-stress times, it can be easy to forget that we’re all human and trying to navigate this pandemic world together. Patience can run a little thin. Braves pitcher Max Fried was ready to take the ball in Game 6 even though he had pitched poorly in Game 2. The Braves manager didn’t look elsewhere for solutions even though the pitcher had two bad starts in a row. He gave his guy a chance at redemption and was rewarded with one of the best pitching performances in the playoffs. As leaders, give your staff the opportunity to make you whole again. Tell them you believe in them, and they will rise to greatness. Build a strong culture and inspire those around you. We can’t do it all ourselves so rely on our team to get the necessary work done.

There are many takeaways and lessons from team and individual sports. I am often amazed at the teams the come together at the right time, especially those who were never given a chance to begin with. The best teams on paper don’t always win. That’s why you play the game. What some teams don’t have on paper they make up in resiliency, grit, determination, flexibility, and motivation. That’s the beauty in sports, in life and in credit unions.

Cheers to you for rising up in these challenging times.

Thanks,
Dave
dhinchey@culct.coop