Category: Observations

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Springtime

We returned from a week away to see the yard bursting with daffadils and hyacinths and the hints of green buds on trees.   Every flower appears at its anointed time.

The Star Magnolia reveals its blossoms one by one  until the tree is covered in a full white gown. (next week).

Earth’s annual renewal is colorful and inspiring.  Wordsworth’s poem reminds however, we still have much to do in our human endeavors versus nature’s spontaneous transformation.

Lines Written in Early Spring

By William Wordsworth

I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And ’tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure:—
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature’s holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?

The Joy of New Life
Spring renews hope as flowers presnt  their beauty unasked and full of pure joy.
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A Moderate’s Message on America’s Future

David Brooks (born August 11, 1961)[1] is a Canadian-born American book author and political and cultural commentator. Though he describes himself as an ideologic moderate, others have characterised him as centrist, moderate conservative, or conservative, based on his record as contributor to the PBS NewsHour, and as opinion columnist for The New York Times.

Here is a throughtful, entertaining and insightful presentation given last month in Great Britain on America’s direction.

His purpose is to put the current American angst about current issues into a longer perspective.  He sees our history as a cycle of cultural and political “rupture and repair.”

Of special note for credit unions and cooperatives, is his belief that the current trend is moving away from hyper-individualism to a more communal society.

Our moral formation is at the center of who we are as a people and as a country.

While the talk is a social analysis with several political references, his description captures some of the central dilemmas credit unions as value based organizations are also experiencing.

Credit unions are creatures of the society in which they operate.   You might want to ask if his critique of “elites” in America’s cultural life has parallels in your credit union and the larger movement.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=QSa52TR9tCA)

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Bringing “Irish” to America’s Credit Union Movement

Just as St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, Ed Callahan brought his Irish heritage to his many leadership roles with America’s Credit Unions.

His contributions were consequential for decades forward for every organization with which he engaged.

Many credit union leaders today never met Ed who died on March 18, 2009, shortly after the last call on St. Patrick’s day. He lived his Irish heritage with a family of eight children and a first career as a math teacher, coach and principal in the Catholic school system.

Relationships Build Collaboration

His three years and eight months as Chair of NCUA (1981-1985) positioned both credit unions and NCUA for resilience for generations to come.

Ed believed in relationships.  He nurtured these in hundreds of personal contacts.  When NCUA chair, he would sit outside the Hilton Hotel’s conference level cafe during the annual GAC and hold court with everyone walking in and out of the main hall.  For hours at each session.

He demonstrated time and again that the greatest credit union competitive advantage was collaboration. He used this capability to initiate the largest conference of examiners, regulators and credit unions ever held  in December 1984 in Las Vegas.  Organized and led by NCUA, more than 4,000 examiners, regulators and credit unions met to share ideas and experiences about the future of the cooperative system.

A Credit Union CEO

After co-founding and leading Callahan & Associates from 1985-1987, Ed became a credit union CEO. When he arrived at Patelco in October 1987, it was the 34th largest credit union in America.  Fifteen years later at his retirement, it was number 10.

The Irish and  Freedom

Another element  of Irish lore is the constant struggle for freedom in the country’s long relationship with Great Britain. Freedom requires individual responsibility and organizational unity.

Ed explained the policy of deregulation as placing responsibility for fundamental business decisions in the hands of the board and management, not government.  Self-help and community, woven into every aspect of  Irish history, are fundamental to credit union success.

In  a speech called The Three Freedoms to the Massachusetts CUNA annual meeting in November 1984 he outlined how the credit unon system contributed to the country’s ongoing efforts for freedom.

One person who portrayed Ed’s Irish roots and forceful personality is Jim Blaine, former CEO of State Empyees CU (NC).  This is his Look Back from March 2016.

by Jim Blaine

Always suspected that the problem with Ed Callahan was that as a youth he was beaten too often by Nuns in parochial school or, perhaps, not beaten enough. Well, whatever, either way the Nuns left their mark – an indomitable spirit!

Ed Callahan was Irish – brash, pugnacious, loud, hard drinking, fun loving – alive! But why be redundant? I said he was Irish!

For over a quarter of a century, we all watched and observed as Ed Callahan created shock waves in the credit union world. No one was neutral about Ed Callahan. His friends were fiercely loyal, his enemies equally committed. Ed inspired many and angered quite a few. Ed had style; he had presence. With Ed, you weren’t allowed to make contact without becoming involved, excited, immersed, engaged.

At Marquette, Ed must have played football in the same way he played life – without a helmet. You had no doubt that Ed Callahan always played for keeps. He had no intentions of losing, that was not one of the options. Ed was very straight-forward; your choices were always clear. The mission was defined; and, there was only one direct path to the goal. That path was either with you, around you, over you, under you, or through you; you could step aside or get on board. It was your choice; but your choice never changed the mission, nor the path, nor the goal.

Some said that Ed was a visionary…

… they were wrong. Ed Callahan was a revolutionary. Visionaries talk about change, revolutionaries take you there. Ed led from the front – a leader of conviction, rather than convenience; principles above posture – courageous. Revolutionaries, by definition, create problems; overturn applecarts; rebuke the status quo. That happened at NCUA. Appointed by President Reagan, Ed arrived at NCUA in the midst of turmoil. Ed defined the mission; he reformed and remolded the Agency. He taught a regulatory agency how to stop working to prevent the last crisis. He explained that a coach never executes a play and that on Monday morning it’s never hard to see what went wrong – but it is rarely relevant. Teacher, coach, lessons in life; hopefully well learned, hopefully still remembered.

But let me celebrate the essence of the man – that indomitable spirit – one last time, for those who never had the opportunity; for those who still have doubts; for those who never fully understood. One of Ed’s harshest critics, noted with much wryness, that even in death Ed “couldn’t get it right”. Why, I asked? “Because Callahan died on March 18th instead of on the 17th, his beloved St. Patrick’s Day.” You know this type of critic – cynical, smug, self-assured without much basis, not really worth the effort, but…

Just for the record, I would simply like to point out one final time that – first and foremost – Ed Callahan was a fully-fledged, fully-flagrant Irishman – body and soul! And, no self-respecting Irishman would ever celebrate the end of St. Patrick’s Day until the last bell at the pub had rung. That would have meant that Ed Callahan’s “last call” would have come sometime after 4:00 am – on the morning of the 18th. Style, presence, courage – true to the last! A shamrock of joyful vigor and purpose!  

And one last thought… in the final analysis you can say many things about a great man’s life… some men are admired, some are respected, some are envied, some are feared… and countless other adjectives and accolades. But, in the final analysis, the most important thing you can say about a great man is… he will be missed.  

And, Ed Callahan will be missed…  

 

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Your Job Evaluation

A Classic by Jim Blaine

published August 30, 2016

The Robust Job Evaluation Ritual…

Job evaluations must be objective or else they wouldn’t be fair.  And, life is not fair, so where does that leave us?  Ever thought about that?

Some consultant, some robusterian behavioral wizard, some unfathomable, “deep space” PhD, some “afraid-they’re-gonna-sue” compliance officer has stuck the rest of us with this required annual ritual.

Much like Halloween, we all dress up as something we’re not and parade about playing the adult version of “trick or treat.”   We all are aware that the game is rigged, but we do our best to play along and objectively evaluate ourselves and others.  “Facebook evaluations” make more sense – y’know,  “thumbs up/thumbs down”?
Mirror, mirror on the wall… Oh, what fun – right!

“You’re really are…
well… just incredible!

What a lie!  But, here’s the most honest – and perhaps the only honest –  evaluation I’ve ever read:

The Honest Job Evaluation

* Job Knowledge
Employee Response:  I understand my job completely.
* Quantity of Work

Employee Response:  I feel I get as much work done as anyone else in the department – more in some cases.

* Quality of Work

Employee Response:  I expect things to be right or not at all.

* Planning & Organization

Employee Response:  I like to plan my work and work my plan.

* Attendance & Punctuality

Employee Response:  I’m always on time unless something happens.

* Cooperation

Employee Response:  I get along with everyone. I rarely start it.

* Analytical Ability

Employee Response:  I have plenty of common sense. I don’t try to fix the wrong problem.

* Stability Under Pressure

Employee Response:  I have been known to have a fit but usually I can handle the pressure.

* Impact of Personality

Employee Response:  I keep my personality in order. I have earned a reputation I deserve.

* Self Expression

Employee Response:  I can tell things the way they are.

* Judgment

Employee Response:  My judgment is as good as the next one. I’m always pretty sure of everything.

* Dependability

Employee Response:  I am a very dependable person. I was raised this way.

* Leadership

Employee Response:  I try to set a good example. I’m willing to eat my own cooking.

* Initiative 

Employee Response:  I’m not one to be lazy. I know what to do when I see a wrecker with the hood up.

… really like that “wrecker with the hood up” line – don’t you!

* “robust” – adj., Eng., frequently used by economists and other robusterians meaning: “written by an idiot”.
Jim’s latest posts can be found here.
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A Summary of a Call on Congress

A GAC credit union walks the hill:

I was only at GAC for 48 hours and spent most of time with current vendors and team. Record numbers of people  so the economy seems fine even with a lot of uncertainty in the air.

Senator Angus King talked a lot about the constitution and how Trump is concentrating that power in him like a  King or Dictator.  Our fore- fathers didn’t want one person to hold all the cards so to speak. Lol

Gonna be a wild ride esp with the upcoming potential for a govt shutdown. That will move the stock market. Our legislators did not paint a rosy picture at all for what the rest of the year looks like and that includes Susan Collins (Senator).

P:lease send impressions of your GAC hill visits for a perspective on Congress. I will share with readers.

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Big Topics-Brief Thoughts

Five observations on  credit union subjects.

From Steve Jobs on credit unions:

“While many economic and social factors weigh into the success of a credit union, I’ve seen first hand the difference a passionate team can make on the bottom line. The most successful credit unions we’ve worked with have not had the best marketing, they haven’t had the most college degrees in one room, nor have they had the best circumstances.

The credit unions, which have the most success, are winning because they personally believe in their credit union. They have a mission statement and a vision they are passionate about. Their members are friends and family. 

“If you don’t love something, you’re not going to go the extra mile, work the extra weekend, challenge the status quo as much. What separates the good credit unions from the great credit unions? Culture. Vision. Passion.” (Source: SECU Just Asking)

From Mark Arnold on leaders:  Jim Collins found that great companies build leadership from within. He goes on to say, “Visionary companies develop, promote and carefully select managerial talent grown from inside the company to a greater degree.”

From a CSIS panel discussion on current government reform efforts:

I led two major reviews in 1999 and 2011 of top down reform experience around the world. Of the many lessons I learned, two stood out: the process of reform is as determinant of the outcome as the goals of reform. Even the best-designed civil service reforms falter when national leaders fail to lay out an affirmative vision for the role of government.

Governments, after all, are mission-driven. They are dependent both on a service ethos on the part of public employees, as well as the public’s trust in those who serve. 

From Mike Higgins, consultant on scale:

The “there used to be 14,000 banks  and now there only 4,000″ is an old and tired statement used to justify scale. . .there are some strong arguments that scale is not the answer. 

Complexity of scale is a real thing – and complexity occurs in a lot of areas simultaneously – it’s like watching a fight between two octopuses – lots of tentacles in motion.

Two notes from Who Pays for all Those Generous Credit-Card Rewards?

It’s also worth remembering that lots of Americans don’t have incomes or credit scores that provide access to the most desirable credit cards. This means that debit-card and cash users, who tend to be lower income, are essentially paying for the credit rewards enjoyed by wealthier Americans. . .

“Nobody ever got rich through credit-card rewards, yet lives have been ruined due to credit-card debt,” Wang says. Sticking with a debit card, which comes with many fewer risks, “I think it’s totally reasonable for lots of consumers.”

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“The Greatest of These is Love”

Robert Gamble is a presbyterian minister who has led a mission in Ukraine since 2006.  His charity, This Child Here, is a 501 C 3 non-profit.  Here is   What We Do from the website:

We work with families displaced by the war. Thousands of people have fled cities in the east and arrived in Izmail, Ukraine in the west. As many fathers are in the military or still residing in places now dangerous, these families often consist of mothers and children. We provide products from grocery stores, and centres for youth and children’s activities, including sports, music,and art.  Through these activities, summer camps, and the supportive community we have built, we offer therapy for the trauma and shock suffered by these families. 

Early in the war in 2022 he wrote a long letter reflecting on the seeming contradiction of peacemaking and love in a time of war. An edited version follows.

 From a letter by Robert Gamble

Love in a Time of War

                                               A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:8 

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I Corinthians 13:13

It’s hard to say something not already said, but I’ve learned something knew. A hard truth.

In December I rode in a van with a Mennonite minister; we were crossing a field on a dirt and snow covered road lined with bushes and trees on both sides. In the war zone in the east. I saw a few military vehicles. I saw a Ukrainian soldier with a rifle sitting on the snow, covered in white. A tree had been cut to fall across the road ahead of us.

At first I thought we might get out and move it. But then I thought: maybe it is rigged to explode. In the field on both sides were red and white signs: Danger Mines. There was no way around the tree. We backed up about 200 yards and started on another road across the field.

That’s when I realized, this could be the plan. They knew we would go around. . . I remember sitting in the passenger seat to look out the windshield at the dirt and snow ahead in search of signs of digging to place a mine.

For the first time, I was afraid. Confronted with the TRUTH: YOU MIGHT DIE, all thoughts of peacemaking, or reconciliation between Russians and Ukrainians dissolved.

Here are some truths, spoken by people in Ukraine:

“Ordinary people, as always, suffer while politicians play games.”

“This genocide will be in history, but we do not need such a history, we need peace.”

“Today, on the eighth day of the war, I felt as if I were living in another life. The first shock has passed, there remains a persistent belief that we must be patient, and all this will pass. That everything will end well. …. Moreover, almost everyone has become close – having united in one family, they are trying together to help for the sake of victory. Children, little home front warriors, draw touching pictures calling for peace, women cut fabric into strips and weave camouflage nets, men ensure the life of the city and prepare Molotov cocktails. And all together help the weak and lonely. There has never been such a unifying, inspiring feeling…”

Lies in War

I don’t know what is true in this war.  .  .

In Ukraine, there are two LIES.

  1. Ukraine is run by Nazis
  2. Russia must be protected from invasion by Ukraine and NATO.

The truth is Putin is the Nazi, and Putin is invading Ukraine.

He projects his own darkness onto the country of Ukraine.

Many in Russia believe these lies.  I’ve seen it… written on the walls of buildings burned  “Death to Nazis”….. written by pro-russian separatists, living in Ukraine, believing that Ukraine is run by Nazis.

Media outlets in Russia Facebook, Instagram, other social media are closed. How long can he keep the truth outside Russia?  15,000 were arrested for demonstrations.

How can they keep this lie alive? They keep it alive with fear.

Fooled by Lies

I was fooled by these lies.

I did not believe this war would happen. I knew he was lying and I thought it was all posturing to negotiate. What I didn’t realize was that Putin knew that I knew he was lying. And I would believe it was all posturing for negotiation. All this was like smoke covering the truth that was truly unbelievable: all along, he intended to invade.

The war began at 4am on Thursday, Feb 24th.

I was in a small city in the western and southernmost part of Ukraine. Izmail sits on the Danube; across the river is Romania. It’s a safe place to be, far from the paths of any Russian troops.

On Friday, the second day of the war, I saw a video of a Russian Submarine, cutting through the Black Sea, close to the coast of Odessa, likely in preparation for a landing of soldiers by sea. I watched videos of Russian soldiers, gunfire on the streets, a Russian tank crushing an  automobile, a tiny island laid waste by a Russian warship– all 13 Ukrainian guardsmen dead. I saw crowds fleeing Kiev and citizens lining up to receive automatic weapons to defend Ukraine.

In the afternoon, my brother-in-law called, a colonel in the US Army, retired. We talked for the third time. He explained how wars steadily expand in the beginning, urging me to get out of Ukraine.

I decided it was time to leave.

I took a taxi to the border and a ferry to Romania. Volunteers from Romania met me on the other side. They offered us food and drinks. A man came and we drove an hour to his city; he took me to his home where his wife prepared dinner. Later, he put me on the train to Bucharest. “Tell the rest of the world how the good people of Romania took care of you”

I have been working for peace in the world since the 1980’s.  I was in Nicaragua during that war, trying to build bridges for peace…. I’ve been working for peace in Ukraine since the war started in 2014.

This Child Here has trained many teens in peacemaking techniques: how to manage conflict, how to listen to your enemy, how to offer alternatives to violence, how to reach consensus.  My hope is for a camp for Russian and Ukrainian youth together. My hope is that nations will “beat their swords in plowshares and spears into pruning hooks.”

Evil In the World

But a time comes, rarely comes, when humans, people of faith, the people of God, and I speak as a Christian, must take up weapons to protect and save their own lives and the lives of those they love.

There is evil in the world, and at times this evil has to be stopped. The only hope lies in picking up the very same guns you hoped would go away.

I could have gotten in line for an AK 47. But do I pick up a weapon and kill?  I think I am now too old and sensitive to do this… I don’t want those images in my mind.

Do I recruit Americans to go and fight? Do I pray for Russians to die.

Do I believe God is with us?   Do I bless war itself?

At best, I can pray and hope it will end.

This Is Love

Now I want to say something personal, because what is most personal is also most universal.

I said goodbye to someone I love and care about before I stepped on the barge to cross to Romania. I said goodbye across a fence. I did not feel sympathy; I felt respect.

I fear for her life, not because she is weak but because she is brave..  This is love.

And then I realized this is how I feel for the Ukrainian people, not sympathy but respect. I fear for their lives, not because they are weak, but because they are brave. This is love.

I think about love and war. I am talking about romantic love, love for family, friends, colleagues, a country even.  But it came to me, when I was looking at someone I love…. just looking at this person. I understood: love makes war bearable.

Milan Kundera who is Czech wrote about that country’s 1968 invasion in the Unbearable Lighteness of Being:  “For there is nothing heavier than compassion. . .The heaviest of burdens crushes us, we sink beneath it, it pins us to the ground…. The heaviest of burdens is therefore simultaneously an image of life’s most intense fulfillment. The heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to the earth, the more real and truthful they become.

Love helps us bear the burden of war. And there is a second truth: War makes love precious.

I close with this: we say what we believe in that ancient creed, “He was crucified, dead and buried.” For Christ it was the heaviest of burdens, and was followed by the resurrection—the image of life’s most intense fulfillment.

For the people of Ukraine, and for any of us, the heavier the burden, the closer we are to the earth, the more real and true we become. It is a hard truth, and it is why “the greatest of these is love.”

Editor’s note:  Rev. Gamble returned almost immediately to Ukraine and continues his work there today.  In 2024 he married the woman who is the local administrator of his charity.

 

 

 

 

 

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Deportees: When We Need to Listen to a Song

All institutions have a purpose.  Their reason for being is to succeed at something:  making money, doing  good for others, or enjoying our chosen life style.

Caring for the vulnerable is an often overlooked calling.

Some organizations do serve  society’s neglected and forgotten.  At points in our cooperative past, credit unions responded to those left behind by creating communities of self-help.

Who speaks for those without a voice? Sometimes that role falls to a folk songwriter.

In 1948 Woody Guthrie wrote what became the folk song Deportee.  While the specifics that prompted his lyrics are different from  today’s, those persons taken away are  still treated the same.

In the poem, Guthrie assigned symbolic identities  to those rounded up and  put on a plane, only to die: “Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita; adiós, mis amigos, Jesús y María…”[6] 

Here is the song using Guthries’ words by the Kingston Trio in the late 1950’s.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2tUJZWfAO8)

 

The Message Returns in 2013

Credit unions are founded on nurturing  relationships.  Often these individuals and groups were viewed as unimportant people by those in authority.

Immigrants don’t just perform essential tasks that others shun.  Their presence has helped present the United States as a unique destination to the vulnerable across the globe. Today however, these recent arrivals have become targets of cacophonous cruelty by leaders in our federal government.

How will self-help communities founded on the value of each person’s dignity react?  Can credit unions be seen as pillars of their communities when they stay silent as they are torn apart?  Aren’t co-op pillars more than balance sheets of assets?

Here is the same music from 2013 during another deportation crackdown:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR_AC0E0rgA)

This administration’s inhuman deportation blitz is captured in  Guthrie’s prophetic words: “You won’t  have a name when you ride the big airplane, all they will call you is deportees.”

No names.  Denying the identity of others is the opposite of cooperative and human values.  It strikes at the soul of America.  If you can’t raise your voice, at least play the music so others might hear the cry.

 

 

 

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“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

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Thoughts on Inauguration Day 2025

Mark Twain was incisive when chronicling the contradictions in our public behaviors.   For example:

‘Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.’ – Mark Twain

That irony reminded me of this fictional scene from The Newsroom, an American TV series, with actor Jeff Daniels as lead anchor Will McAvoy. The show chronicles the behind-the-scenes events at the fictional Atlantis Cable News (ACN) channel.  In this exchange he is asked by a student about America’s greatness.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTjMqda19wk)

Twain also observed: ‘We have the best government that money can buy.’