There’s Something I Wish I Could Share With You, But I’m Prohibited From Doing So

By Frank J. Diekmann

There is something I would like to share with you–but I can’t. No, seriously, I am prohibited from doing so. And it’s a shame.

I’ve used this space before to lament the increasingly sad trend toward closing sessions at credit union meetings to the press. Not because I’m anyone special–I can provide you with a long list of people who will be happy to testify in support of that point– but because when something is closed to the press it is closed to YOU–and it’s your dues dollars that are paying the increasingly six-figure speaking fees many presenters now charge.

Moreover, 90% of credit union leaders either can’t afford the cost, the time off or both to attend these meetings, and providing press coverage allows these leaders to at least learn a little bit about what was said and, ideally, to gain knowledge that will inform their leadership and improve the credit union’s relevance and service to members. It seems like a “movement” that is always talking “collaboration and cooperation” would want to move toward collaborating and cooperating, but maybe that’s just me.

Preaching, Not Practicing

I was especially struck by this preach-but-don’t practice dichotomy when Julia Gillard, the  first and only woman to serve as prime minister of Australia (2010 to 2013), addressed the World Credit Union Conference in Sydney recently.

Gillard’s comments were off-the-record to the press, and the audience was also told to put their phones away, as well. And that’s too bad, because while I won’t violate the agreement she had with WOCCU, her remarks were some of the most insightful I have heard, and especially powerful as she drew parallels around how the fundamental human equation in history has not changed, and how the solution to many of the world’s challenges is found in organized cooperation, including the role credit unions have historically played. 

In broad terms, she said it is the role of capital to serve humanity, and not the other way around. 

Resonated With Many

It wasn’t just me who was struck by what Gillard had to say. Four other people told me independently of each other that it was the ex-PM’s comments that resonated most strongly with them, and I trust many, many others felt the same way. 

Let me be clear: This wasn’t WOCCU’s prohibition on the press, it was Gillard’s, although the trade group entered into the deal. 

The Irony

The World CU Conference is hardly an outlier. At America’s Credit Unions’ upcoming Congressional Caucus, for example, it’s already been announced that several sessions are closed to the press, including one being led by representatives from a media outlet! Ah, the irony if not outright hypocrisy—especially when you’re meeting is in the shadow of the U.S. capitol building.

These aren’t sessions where some CIA-level secrets are being debated and the doors are locked, the windows are covered in black-out curtains and the room is swept for listening devices– these are canned remarks the speakers gave to another group the prior week and will be giving to yet another bunch of faces and their lanyard-wearing plastic name tags the week after that, and…

Living the Values

Again, just spitballin’ by my lonesome here, but it feels like this might be a good time for credit union groups to live the values they espouse from the very same podiums and tell any and all prospective speakers, “We are a democratically organized, cooperative movement and you will share your insights with all credit unions, or you won’t share them at all.” If the speaker(s) find such a principled position to be objectionable, the CU association putting on the meeting should object themselves, and tell the speaker to  find another audience, because their values, as people like to say, “don’t align.” 

And If the speaker doesn’t like what credit unions (say they) stand for, there are speakers’ bureaus’ chock-full of others who are just as good who would be happy to cash the check.

BTW, Gillard, incidentally, also offered separate remarks to a luncheon hosted by the Global Women’s Leadership Network. Those comments were open to the media and can be found here.

But what I really wish is that I could also provide you with a link to her keynote, as you and the broader community deserve to hear her keen insights.

Sadly, you won’t.

Frank J. Diekmann is cooperator in chief at the CU Daily. He can be reached at [email protected].