Starting an odyssey to change cooperatives. Before you read this CEO’s statement from LinkedIn, consider a brief thought from Emily Dickinson, By a Departing Light:
By a departing light
We see acuter, quite,
Than by a wick that stays.
There’s something in the flight
That clarifies the sight
And decks the rays.
A Course Change By a Credit Union CEO
I have always been a bit of a square peg struggling to go into a round hole. I have always pushed against the grain regardless of my role. Sometimes that has been appreciated. Other times, it has been criticized.
I have debated for years how I can best serve this wonderful industry. In a space that is riddled with hypocrisy and attrition, I have concluded that I am of more value outside the bubble than inside.
I’m not only stepping down as a CEO. I’m stepping away from working inside credit unions altogether.
There is never a good time. There are always what ifs. Unfinished work.
December 18th is my 25th anniversary in the credit union industry.
In my 25 years, we have lost more than 50% of our neighborhood or community credit unions across the country.
So what are my motives? Family. Opportunity. Change. Fit.
Change. Something has to change.
I could sit in a credit union trying desperately to conform to my round hole. To complacency. To status quo. To fit.
Or…
I can dedicate myself to change. Change to challenge complacency. Change to disrupt the status quo.
I’m betting on myself. For my family. For opportunities. But also for a chance to make an indelible change to our industry.
If we want future generations to know credit unions, we must be about the work of saving them.
If I am fortunate, I have 25 years left in my career. During that time, my priorities will be God, Family, Career. In that order.
The second half of my career will be focused on finding as many ways as possible to help our credit unions win. Creative Strategy. Next Level Results.
I won’t stand by idly watching credit unions get regulated out of existence or go quietly into the night.
So this is not a goodbye. This is a hello.
I am not leaving the fight. I’m just getting started.
November 14th. I close one door so that I can run through another.
See you then.
(James McBride, CEO, Connects Federal Credit Union)
James McBride has always been a bold voice in the movement. Thank you for your service sir. You definitely have your priorities in place. May God continue to bless you and your family.
Sad day. The industry lost a good one.