by Lucas Pequeno, Controller, Caprock Federal Credit Union
Lucas was invited to attend Catalyst Corporate’s 2019 Economic & Payments Forum as a “young professional” representative. As an active industry participant, Lucas shares his forward-looking perspective on speakers at this year’s 3-1/2 day event:
I would like to start by thanking Catalyst Corporate for giving me the opportunity to attend their 2019 Economic & Payments Forum. It was an invaluable experience that I will be able to use to help springboard both my personal and professional lives.
This Forum shed some light on what we, as credit unions, can do to push us to the forefront of our industry. The recipe for success isn’t as complex as one might expect.
Kevin Brown gave a talk entitled “The Hero Effect.” He asked three important questions: Do you hear me? Do you see me? Do I even matter? These three questions are the baseline for what can make a credit union successful.
Kevin shared a Disney World experience that I am sure anyone who has been there can compare to one of their own. He talked about a chef who made their child apple pancakes that were not on the menu. This chef made them feel heard, seen and like they mattered. My two-sentence summary of his hour-long talk on this experience in no way does it justice. But, I took away the idea that if we value our members on every single encounter – no matter how we interact with them – we can create our own recipe for apple pancakes that isn’t on our daily menu.
I also heard from economist Mary Kelly in her “FutureNomics for CU Leaders” presentation about the current affairs of the global economy. I got to see Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt and listen to a Q&A from the last man alive to step foot on the moon. He shared about his experience on the moon and what he thinks the future of space travel holds. Also, Angie Moline talked about a visual thinking process that can lead to innovative results. I was among several Millennials who were able to share what we think and how we feel about credit unions. These, along with many other valuable speakers, shared knowledge in their recipes for success.
So, what exactly did I take away from this experience?
There wasn’t just one thing I can label as the defining moment of the Forum. I mean, when you are listening to industry-leading professionals in their fields, I am not sure I have enough time nor space to tell you about the key points from each speaker. Here is what I can say.
There is no blueprint. If there was, we would all follow it, and we would all be successful. But, by engaging with members in each and every experience as if that’s the only thing that matters in the world, and by making them feel heard, seen and like they matter, we can create an “apple pancake experience” for members as meaningful as a Disney World experience.
I am very thankful I was able to attend this year’s Forum, and I look forward to attending many more in the future.