By Lisa Hochgraf
One of my favorite stories that I read or heard somewhere and like to re-tell is about how the world's finest scientists benefit greatly from stopping what they are doing, writing up their work, and flying off to a conference with other researchers in their field.
As the story goes, the scientists grumble a fair bit about the "lost time" invovled in leaving the lab behind for a few days. But what happens at the conference is amazing. Science in the field usually takes a huge leap because synergies are found as the scientists learn from one another, even answer each other's questions.
This weekend I got to thinking that credit union professional development is much the same. Taking the time to do it is a regular pain (and I haven't even mentioned the part about catching up when you return). But the payback in new ideas can be tremendous, as credit union leaders not only learn from formal presentations, but also from each other's current challenges and recent successes.
I don't know if the world's researchers ever cry with joy and gratitude about what they gain from attending their scientific conferences, but I do know that attendees of CUES' CEO Insitutes have done so, calling the experience "rejuvenating" and "life changing." I'm not pitching attending CEO Institute, although I've sat in on the Cornell segment twice and found it awesome. I am pitching, however, this idea: If it's been a while since you've paused for professional development, maybe it's time.
Lisa Hochgraf is marketing/operations editor for CUES' Credit Union Management magazine and edits the CUES Tech Port e-newsletter, News to Go.
