STOCKHOLM, Sweden—With 60% of credit union leaders (in the U.S.) 50 years old or older, credit unions here were offered some strategies for “Cultivating Long Term Sustainability in Credit Unions With Young Leadership.”

The strategies were offered by Melissa Robinson, COO with the Credit Union League of Connecticut, who started herself in credit unions at the age of 16 with a grandmother who also worked in CUs. Her remarks were made to the World Credit Union Conference.

Investing in young leaders, Robinson said, is an “opportunity to grow future of credit unions. A lot of CUs are merging due to lack of succession. It’s their baby and now they need someone who is passionate to pass the torch to. If you want young members you have to have young leaders.”

Fresh Perspectives

Those young leaders, Robinson said, bring fresh energy, savvy solutions and fresh perspectives.

“Organizations with age-diverse teams see higher innovation,” she added. 

One of the primary traits the younger generation brings to the job is empathy, which she called a “superpower.”

Robinson said the newest generation of workers leads with heart and data, which builds strong member relationships.”

What sets the emerging generation of leaders apart, according to Robinson, is that they have grown up in world of diverse thought an emotional awareness and with some core values that they also expect to show up in the workplace.

All of that, Robinson said, allows younger leaders and want-to-be-leaders to connect with members “on a human level.”

The same holds true with fellow workers, which helps to foster collaboration and inclusion, she said.

What that all adds up to, she said, is the ability to help create products and solutions that reflect the “real needs of real people. It’s exactly what we need to stay relevant and resilient.”

Creating Ownership & Longevity

Creating ownership and longevity, according to Robinson, requires:

Involving Young Leaders in Decisions Early

“This is not about having someone sit in on board meeting. They have to be able to help set the agenda,” Robinson said, noting that for younger generations it’s not as much about titles as it is about knowing they can make a difference, and added that the fastest way to build loyalty is to give young leaders real decision-making authority.

Offering Mentorship, Not Micromanagement

Mentorship, said Robinson, is not about checking a box. 

“It’s about equipping young leaders with tools, feedback and encouragement to lead…” Robinson said. “When you have a young professional that has a diverse way of thinking, you have to challenge your own perspective. They come from their own place. Both perspectives are valued. That’s why we need to create space for the next generation of leaders. They see things differently.”

Showing Them A Future They Can Build

“When young professionals bring their own ideas, it’s not about right or wrong, it’s about seeing the big picture,” she said. “The best leaders don’t resist change, they embrace it.”

Practical Ways to Engage

When it comes to the best ways to engage young leaders, Robinson recommended:

Start a Youth Advisory Board

“The key to that is encouraging their participation. Many times they sit there and they think things and they feel things but they’re not empowered to share,” Robinson said. “So, if you’re going to bring them into an existing structure you want to make sure that you’re providing avenues for them to be able to actively participate.”

Robinson said if a credit union is able to create an Advisory Board it can be an “amazing starter” that can be more than just symbolic, but a platform where young professionals can share their ideas.

Let Young Pros Lead a Project and Then Brag About It

“Here’s the key: when they succeed you don’t just say good job behind closed doors…You celebrate their work publicly, whether it’s at a team meeting, in your newsletter or in social media,” Robinson advised. “Visible recognition and validation builds confidence and demonstrates that youth leadership is valued. You will not only celebrate and build up the success of the person who took the lead on that project and executed well, you don’t know the audience that you will be reaching and the lives you will be influencing and the message you will be sending about the organization.”

Make Leadership Pathways Clear & Exciting

“You want to make the pathway to leadership very clear,” Robinson advised. “We can get caught in our (org charts) that were created three or four decades ago. ‘These are the positions we have and this is what the boxes look like’ and we try to find these people to fit in the boxes. Move the boxes to the right people. You don’t want them to feel like, ‘Well, I have to wait 20 years until this person actually retires for me to be able to have an opportunity here.’”

Instead, said Robinson, the credit union needs to create clear pathways for moving up in the organization, including some “meaningful stretch assignments that prepare them for what’s next.”

The League of Connecticut, for instance, said Robinson, sends people to networking opportunities and conferences and then requires that person to come back and share what they learned.

“That feedback loop is very important and it creates ownership,” Robinson stated.

The Leadership Mindset

Robinson said leadership is not a title, it’s a “mindset.”

“A lot of young professionals are sitting and waiting,” Robinson said. “Help shape their minds and create space for them. They will thrive.

“Every seasoned leader was once a new hire with big ideas,” Robinson reminded.

Robinson cautioned that those who are the most technically skilled may not be the best leaders, and vice versa.

“Great accountants or great tellers do not always translate into being the best managers,” Robinson stated.  Technical skills fan be taught but leadership skills can only be refined”

Additional Advice

Robinson also advised credit unions to:

• Share the why.  “This helps people make decisions with purpose.”
• Make sure they know where to ask for help. Access to tools and resources: could be professional development program or exposure to strategic conversations
• Create content that can be shared.
• Create room to fail without fear. “Even Bill Gates and Steve Jobs made mistakes. If you think back to when you were in their seats I’m sure you can remember two or three mistakes you made. That’s human. Make sure your response is useful because anger isn’t going to help them, frustration is not going to help them, and it’s not going to help you, either. You want to make sure that in any conversations you have with them you not only identified why it happened, but where do we go from here…When you create that environment, instead of feeling shame, they think they’re learning…Instead of disengaging they’ll build resilience.”

“Mentorship,” said Robinson, “is not just for the mentee. It’s about growth for the mentor, as well.”