By Monica Gilmore
When completing the CUES entry forms, organizing the thumbnail images and hitting the send key, I never dreamed that a visit from the President of CUES would be part of the chain of events. But there he was, Fred Johnson, sitting in a room filled with my credit union's CEO, EVP, VP/Marketing & Sales and Board of Directors. As he extended his hand in introduction and all faces beamed in anticipation, the pieces started to fall into place before my deer-in-headlights stare. I have never been so happy to be caught off guard.
A few month's prior, a congratulatory video had informed us that we'd won something at CUES and that more information would be coming at the end of August. Here we were, gathered together on August 16th, at what I believed to be a regular monthly meeting. But in actuality it was a wonderfully constructed hoax, complete with photo ops and a barbecue feast, that culminated in C1CU being presented with a national-level award: CUES GOLDEN MIRROR AWARDS, GMA GOLDEN SHOESTRING AWARD 2012, COMMUNITY 1ST CREDIT UNION.
Huzzah! A heavy crystal award for our internal "Own It" staff training program! Can small local credit unions get national "bling" like this?! We are happy to report that they can, and do.
Here's a bit about us: Community 1st Credit Union is not large and our frugal marketing budgets reflect our size. But we have something that no one else does (besides a 2012 Golden Shoestring award)—our history and people. We're Washington state's first credit union and were founded to serve our local postal employees. You know … the men and women that don't let snow, rain, heat or gloom of night get in the way of getting your mail delivered! They're in our history and DNA.
As the financial industry adapts to an ever-changing economic climate and regulatory environment, we felt it was important to take a look at defining ourselves by highlighting our differences and building our culture to collectively maintain our brand. The result was a training program called "Own It" and a culture book that is handed down from current employee to new hire. Its message bridges from traditionalists to millennials and serves as a valuable recruiting and training tool. This is the work that was awarded.
In "Own It" we define the six overarching attributes we believe are our main drivers and make for a rewarding and motivating workplace. Our President/CEO, Roger Gieseke, and each employee sign this book upon its review and hand-off. Here's a brief sampling of our six C1CU areas of focus:
CARE: Invest in Yourself & Others
QUALITY: Display Integrity
CONNECT: Improve Your Listening Skills
GROW: Strive For Firsts
OVERCOME: Find Solutions
OWN IT: Get Involved (You're not just an "employee" but an owner.)
We'd like to thank the judges who pored through multiple entries to find us, participating credit unions for making the CUES Golden Mirror Awards possible, our staff for contributing their insight and talent, Mr. Johnson for making a trip out to the Pacific Northwest and our members for their continued support. We couldn't be more proud and grateful—this award is an acknowledgement of our culture.
Monica Gilmore is Director of Marketing at Community 1st Credit Union.
To see all of the winning 2012 CUES Golden Mirror Awards entries, visit cuesgma.org.
