Latest / Elevate Podcast: Powered by Braden / Elevate Podcast Ep 23 - Better Together Than Apart - Michelle Baker, CPO of FORUM Credit Union

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Elevate Podcast Ep 23 - Better Together Than Apart - Michelle Baker, CPO of FORUM Credit Union · Elevate Podcast: Powered by Braden

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Welcome to the Elevate podcast powered
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and behind the scenes content. Now,
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let's dive in. Hey everybody, Jason here
0:43
with another episode of the Elevate
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Powered by Braden podcast. And I'll tell
0:47
you, these have been a blast. We've had
0:50
conversations with nonprofits,
0:52
for-profit businesses all across the
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board, but leaders leading their
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organizations, learning their stories,
0:59
their background, their history, and
1:01
we've had a little bit of fun along the
1:02
way. And today, I know would be an
1:04
amazing time talking with my new friend
1:06
Michelle. But Michelle, welcome to the
1:08
show.
1:08
>> Thanks. Thanks so much for having me,
1:09
Jason. It's good to be here.
1:10
>> So, you are at Forum Credit Union today.
1:13
And you are in what role?
1:14
>> Uh, my role is chief people officer. So,
1:16
I oversee our human resources and talent
1:20
development. Call it our people and
1:21
culture.
1:22
>> Okay. Gotcha.
1:23
>> Credit union.
1:23
>> Well, I know the credit union's got a
1:25
long history and we'll get to that, but
1:26
let's go back to the beginning. So,
1:28
where are you from originally?
1:29
>> Originally, I'm from Fort Wayne,
1:31
Indiana. So, up in the northern part of
1:33
the state,
1:33
>> the Fort Fun.
1:34
>> Fort Fun. Fort Fun. That's right. So, I
1:37
was born there, lived there until I was
1:38
in the ninth grade.
1:39
>> Okay. Um my dad had tak ended up taking
1:42
a job that was uh about an hour south in
1:45
the in the Marian Indiana area. So we
1:48
moved when I was in ninth grade. Yeah.
1:49
>> So you know I I graduated from high
1:52
school in uh in at Madison Grant High
1:55
School in Fairmont Indiana in Great
1:57
County.
1:57
>> Fairmont, Indiana.
1:58
>> That's right. But but I always think of
2:00
Fort Wayne as kind of my hometown
2:01
because that's where I spent a good deal
2:02
of time growing up.
2:03
>> Yeah. I was a northeast too. I was from
2:05
Alber and so Fort Wayne. So which which
2:07
high school did you start at in Fort
2:08
Wayne? Uh, North Side.
2:10
>> North Side. Okay, that's right. I
2:12
remember that gym pretty well in there.
2:13
We've thought a couple of North Side
2:14
people, I think, on that show. Yeah. Uh,
2:17
trying to think. Oh, Jeff Hagermanerman
2:19
uh from Hagerman Construction with the
2:20
North Side. Yeah. So, yeah, he was he
2:23
was a North Side guy, I'm pretty sure,
2:24
because I think he was what called him
2:27
River Rats. What he what he said is then
2:29
was Okay.
2:31
>> So, ninth grade in Fort Wayne, but then
2:34
uh in and up in Fairmont. So, what's
2:35
what's high school look like? Were you
2:37
in some clubs, activities? What do you
2:39
look like?
2:39
>> Well, you know, it took it took a minute
2:41
to be the new kid. You I I think looking
2:44
forward the the thought of being in a
2:46
job where I'm doing things like this
2:48
>> Yeah.
2:48
>> would be very surprising because, you
2:49
know, I was pretty pretty shy as a kid.
2:51
I wouldn't say I was introverted, but I
2:53
was kind of shy and kind of took a
2:54
little time to warm up
2:56
>> um in new settings. But when we moved,
2:58
you know, I was kind of finding my foot
2:59
in going from a big school, big city,
3:02
you know, not that Fort Wayne is huge,
3:04
but going to a one stoplight town where
3:07
our entire school system was smaller
3:10
than my elementary school was growing
3:12
up, you know. So, very just different
3:14
environment. So, kind of finding my
3:16
footing there and kind of finding my
3:17
little core group of friends at school.
3:19
But, you know, once I got in there, it
3:21
was everything that I did just revolved
3:23
around being around people. you know,
3:24
just the the clubs and activities. It
3:26
kind of didn't really matter what it
3:28
was. I wasn't really a theater kid or I
3:30
wasn't into sports, but you know, if
3:32
there were there were social settings
3:33
where I could just be around a group of
3:35
people, like sign me up. So, once I got
3:38
comfortable there, then, you know,
3:39
that's that's all it took.
3:40
>> So, not introverted, but a little bit
3:42
shy.
3:43
>> Yeah. But but but certainly certainly a
3:45
people person. Okay. Interesting. All
3:47
right.
3:48
>> So, you're in high school. you you
3:50
finish up your four years there and you
3:52
think about what's going to come next.
3:54
You know, you're in a small town in
3:56
Indiana. What do you think you're going
3:57
to do next? Where do you want to go?
3:59
>> Yeah. Well, the reason we moved, the job
4:01
that my dad took was he started working
4:03
at Indian Westland University in Mary.
4:05
>> Oh, really? Okay.
4:06
>> Yeah. So, there was a there's a big
4:07
family connection to that university.
4:09
deep history there with with people in
4:11
my family going there and and so that
4:13
was always not really assumed that I
4:15
would go there but I I genuinely wanted
4:17
to just it was kind of what I knew and I
4:20
it was something that was very
4:21
comfortable um and and I was excited to
4:24
kind of
4:25
>> to to go there like other people I knew
4:28
I had friends there as well and so um so
4:30
that's kind of where I was headed and I
4:34
always thought I'd be a teacher
4:36
>> um so that was the path that I kind of
4:39
envisioned for myself was to go to
4:41
college, major in elementary education,
4:43
and find myself in a classroom
4:45
somewhere. Okay.
4:46
>> And so that was really, you know, I
4:48
thought about what's next. If I could
4:49
kind of map it all out, that's that's
4:51
where I was headed.
4:52
>> That's where you're at. So you're going
4:53
to go to Indiana Wesley and and you
4:54
wanted to be a teacher. What was the
4:56
genesis? Like was there teachers in your
4:58
family? Did you just decide that that's
5:00
what you were thinking that was going to
5:02
be a good opportunity? Where did that
5:03
come from? You know, I think I'm not
5:06
going to I'm not going to get into a lot
5:07
of a lot of depth on this, but I think
5:09
growing up there were just some girl
5:11
jobs and boy jobs, and that was kind of
5:13
on the list of girl jobs. I grew up in a
5:15
a very girl dominant family, all
5:18
sisters, girl cousins, aunts,
5:20
>> you know, everybody was was a female in
5:22
my family and I just that was just kind
5:24
of on that list.
5:25
>> Okay.
5:25
>> Not that it was enforced. I could have
5:27
done anything I wanted. But but it was
5:29
just a natural kind of like, okay, well,
5:32
I could be a teacher. I liked kids. I
5:34
was like the neighborhood babysitter
5:36
when I was probably 11 years old. Have
5:38
no business being responsible for
5:40
another human life, but you know,
5:42
people, hey, people trusted me with
5:44
their kids. So, I was the neighborhood
5:46
babysitter and I was a camp counselor
5:48
when I was, you know, a teenager and
5:49
things like that. So, just the idea of
5:51
being um being a teacher was kind of
5:54
natural. Yeah. For fit. I just seemed
5:56
like something I wanted to do.
5:57
>> Yeah. All those things in the
5:58
background, you know, being a babysitter
6:00
at 11 and those types of things. It
6:02
takes a lot of trust, right, for people
6:04
to to do that. But it was is a different
6:06
time, right? And so there was no apps
6:09
probably back then for all that kind of
6:10
stuff. Yeah. Same thing as it wasn't an
6:12
app for the babysitters back.
6:13
>> Exactly.
6:14
>> All right. So Indiana Wesleyan, strong
6:16
family ties. Your dad was working there.
6:19
So you go into the university and you're
6:21
going to study elementary. So how does
6:23
that four years go for you there?
6:25
>> Well, I I lived on campus for two and
6:28
then ended up getting married. We're
6:31
getting kind of deep on that here, but
6:32
you know, got end up getting married
6:33
after my second year of school and so
6:36
we, you know, moved off campus and we
6:38
were kind of the poor college student,
6:40
college students who got married. Yeah.
6:42
>> Um, so that took me to more of a
6:44
part-time status living off campus and
6:47
so it it so my traditional student
6:50
experience very quickly shifted to more
6:52
of a non-traditional student. So kind of
6:54
cobbled the the rest of it together over
6:56
time, you know. Um and you know, so in
6:59
the meantime, I went from being a
7:01
full-time student to a part-time
7:02
student. I started teaching preK.
7:05
>> Okay.
7:05
>> Part-time I would take I work like
7:08
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and teach in a
7:10
classroom and then Tuesday, Thursday,
7:11
I'd take my classes and that and do my
7:14
homework on the weekend. So that was
7:15
kind of like for a while. And so I I
7:17
continued doing that for for quite a
7:19
while actually and really loved that
7:21
early childhood age. um kind of a twist
7:24
of twist of fate, kind of a a irrelevant
7:28
story, but I ended up um teaching
7:30
kindergarten at the same place where I
7:31
was. They had a pre prek and
7:33
kindergarten. I ended up teaching
7:34
kindergarten. Um
7:37
thought things were just kind of going
7:39
my way and that's kind of when uh there
7:42
was a plot twist that kind of built the
7:46
rest of my career and I didn't really
7:47
even know it. So,
7:48
>> Okay. Interesting. So, so prek and
7:51
you're liking it, get into kindergarten,
7:54
you're enjoying that asmo, enjoy working
7:56
with the kids, you have families and and
7:58
teaching.
7:58
>> Y
7:59
>> So, a plot twist. So, where where do you
8:02
go from there and what what's the twist?
8:05
>> So, my boss at the time, she asked me to
8:09
do a training session for teachers in
8:13
like a staff meeting. And I've told the
8:15
story before and I always joke that, you
8:16
know, it was just something she did
8:18
probably didn't want to do. and she knew
8:19
I was always looking for a project, you
8:22
know, I was always doing the extra
8:23
little things or, you know, planning
8:25
the, you know, different team team
8:28
building things.
8:29
>> So, you you like that anyways and either
8:32
you were known around this, she was a
8:34
little somebody that, hey, I could I
8:36
could plan the the meeting or whatever.
8:38
>> So, she would just kind of, you know,
8:40
>> know that, you know, something I don't
8:42
really want to do or something that
8:43
needs to be done. I could give it to
8:44
somebody. Sure.
8:45
>> Oh, I need somebody to do a training
8:47
session. Hey Michelle, what are you
8:48
doing?
8:49
>> Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
8:50
>> I've need you to do this.
8:51
>> You know, I didn't know what I was
8:52
doing. I didn't know that adult learning
8:55
was a thing. I didn't know that that
8:57
would in itself was a career path. Okay.
8:59
>> And I always joke that like she had no
9:02
idea that Pandora's box that she opened
9:05
>> by asking me to do that.
9:06
>> Yeah.
9:07
>> And it was probably terrible, you know,
9:09
go back and listen. I didn't know what I
9:11
was doing, you know. I was just winging
9:12
it.
9:12
>> Yeah. Yeah.
9:13
>> And but I did it and it was fun and it
9:15
just flexed a different muscle. Yeah.
9:17
Having kind of a a classroom but of of
9:20
adults and peers rather than little
9:22
kids.
9:22
>> Yeah. Completely. Right.
9:25
>> So I just told her afterwards,
9:28
you know, if you want to do that again,
9:30
I'll I'll do it. And that turned into
9:33
this thing that I just started doing,
9:35
you know, every every it was maybe once
9:38
a quarter, every couple of months. You
9:40
know, I do this inservice training, this
9:41
professional development. It was very
9:44
basic. you know, it didn't follow any,
9:47
you know, for fury or anything. You
9:49
know, I just kind of cobbled it
9:50
together. But I had so much fun doing
9:53
it. And over time, I just thought, I
9:55
don't dislike working with kids, but I
9:58
kind of like working with adults a
9:59
little bit more.
10:00
>> Okay. And so this was this was in the
10:03
late 90s. So you know I'm just very
10:05
early internet days where I'm just kind
10:08
of doing some self-eing and some
10:09
research and went to the library and
10:11
checked out some books and things like
10:13
that to learn more about it and realized
10:16
>> companies hire people to do that
10:19
>> for a job. I had no idea.
10:21
>> Right.
10:22
>> You know most of us find our way in some
10:24
accidental through some accidental path
10:26
you know that just kind of opens the
10:28
door and that was mine.
10:29
>> Yeah. And I I just loved it and so I
10:32
just started looking for more
10:33
opportunities to do that kind of work
10:35
and eventually made the shift.
10:37
>> No kidding. So late 90s
10:39
>> your boss principal right kind of an
10:42
executive director say yeah. Okay. So so
10:45
they're saying hey I need some help. You
10:47
really start to enjoy it.
10:48
>> And so how long do you keep teaching and
10:50
kind of doing this little project before
10:53
you go out find that next role?
10:55
>> And you know it was it was a few years.
10:57
Okay. and that I did that and and part
10:59
of that also um I had my second child
11:02
during that time and I had planned to
11:06
stay home for a little while because my
11:08
oldest wasn't in school yet and so
11:11
thought well we'll get her to school and
11:12
then you know then I'll go back to work
11:14
at some point and um that didn't last
11:17
very long for me so I just wasn't wired
11:20
that way so I um um I started doing that
11:23
a little bit on the side and continued
11:25
that research when I ended up being on
11:27
on maternity leave.
11:28
>> Okay.
11:29
>> And never went back.
11:31
>> Just never went back.
11:32
>> Never went back. I wouldn't say I went
11:33
full on into a learning and development
11:36
role or you know certainly not HR
11:39
immediately but I found a couple of of
11:42
roles over the course of a few years
11:44
that were
11:45
>> kind of bridge the gap between what I
11:48
knew and what I wanted to do and then
11:50
just kind of slowly kind of pivoted but
11:54
>> never went back to a a school
11:56
environment a real like classroom
11:58
environment except for a training room.
12:01
>> Yeah. So you like training, you like
12:03
working with adults, you leave the the
12:05
classroom setting. So what are the what
12:07
are the types of things that you do
12:09
before you end up getting to where you
12:11
are today? So because you, like you
12:13
said, you mentioned flex the different
12:15
muscles, right? Yeah.
12:16
>> So what are some of those things that
12:17
you got a chance to do before you end
12:19
up, you know, here at four?
12:20
>> That's a great question. And you know,
12:21
I'll just kind of use the same metaphor
12:23
way. I did the reps. I did the reps. You
12:26
know, I, you know, it's not just once to
12:27
flex a muscle one time. You know, you
12:29
have to keep working at it. And I just
12:31
kind of found when I got into kind of
12:34
that entrylevel
12:36
training specialist role, learning and
12:38
development specialist, whatever the job
12:39
title was, that first full-time role, I
12:42
I was in the classroom all the time.
12:46
>> And I was learning as I was doing it,
12:49
you know, I was learning what it's like
12:50
to work with adult learners.
12:52
>> Yeah. to work with people who come in
12:54
the door with their own ideas, their own
12:56
baggage, you know, their own experience
12:58
both at work and in life. It's very
13:01
different than more that authoritative
13:03
I'm the teacher, you're the student
13:04
relationship.
13:06
>> And I just saw the classroom in that
13:08
regard as a lab where I was just
13:11
figuring it out, trying new things, and
13:14
just really falling in love with the
13:15
profession.
13:16
>> Yeah.
13:17
>> And that's that's where I just I
13:20
continued to learn. And then over time I
13:22
just kind of traded up a little bit and
13:24
continued to build my career over over
13:27
the course of a number of years. But
13:29
>> Gotcha. Okay. So it's it's interesting
13:31
and I like the way you said that you
13:33
fell in love Yeah. with with the career,
13:35
>> but you know, a lot of people tend to be
13:37
a bit fearful of that, right? They're a
13:40
little bit afraid of the unknown and and
13:42
they don't necessarily want to want to
13:44
learn. You mentioned you you talked like
13:46
it being a lab,
13:47
>> right? So you you were now going in and
13:50
trying to test out things, test out some
13:53
theories to build some best practices.
13:55
That's really cool.
13:56
>> Yeah.
13:56
>> Right. So okay, so over time you're
13:58
doing those things, you're putting in
14:00
the reps ultimately. How long have you
14:02
been with forum? How long have you been
14:03
with that team there?
14:04
>> I've been there 11 years now.
14:05
>> Okay. 11 years. So So somewhere 2015ish
14:09
2016 you joined Forum. And what does it
14:12
look like? Are you are you coming into
14:14
Forum in HR? What what's the role? How
14:17
how does that transpire for you?
14:19
>> We'll take like a a step back from
14:21
there. Um before I came to Forum, I I
14:24
went from that frontline trainer role to
14:26
more of a learning and development
14:27
manager, talent development manager
14:29
role. And I had been doing that for a
14:31
while.
14:31
>> Okay.
14:32
>> And had a need. The company I was with
14:35
prior to forum, I was I had the seat as
14:39
a manager on their kind of HR leadership
14:41
team. I had this front row seat to know
14:43
that things weren't great there. And you
14:46
know, there were some there was some
14:48
downsizing happening and you know, it
14:51
was it was a little rocky. And so I just
14:53
kind of started putting some feelers out
14:56
there to see I might need to find
14:58
something new at some point.
14:59
>> Sure. Sure.
14:59
>> And a colleague of mine that I served on
15:02
a board with, that was another thing
15:03
that was pivotal in my growth and
15:04
development was getting um involved with
15:07
the local ATD chapter, Association for
15:10
Talent Development.
15:10
>> Oh, great. and I was on the board there
15:12
and a fellow board member just casually
15:15
said in a board meeting, "Hey, I I'm
15:18
going to be adding a talent development
15:20
manager to my team at Forum and um it's
15:23
not going to start for a few months. I
15:25
don't even have a job description yet.
15:26
It's a brand new position, but if you
15:28
all know of anybody,
15:29
>> no kidding,
15:30
>> just let me know."
15:31
>> Yeah.
15:32
And so I pulled her aside after the
15:34
after me and said, "Hey, um,
15:37
>> so I might be interested,
15:39
>> but I'm like, I might be interested in
15:41
that because it might be time for me to
15:42
make a move."
15:43
>> And this was probably in, you know,
15:46
September, October, and I started a
15:49
forum in January, first of the year,
15:51
right when she said that the physician
15:54
was going to start. So I sure enough, I
15:55
did. I was already a member of forum, so
15:58
I had accounts there. I was familiar
16:00
with it. familiar with it as an employer
16:02
through her. Sure. Through our um
16:05
working together on on the board with
16:06
our our local ATD chapter. So, I knew it
16:09
was a reputable employer. I knew it was
16:11
one of the best places to work in
16:12
Indiana. You know, it had a a really
16:14
good reputation and something that I
16:16
thought, okay, if I need to make a move,
16:18
I need to make a move to something
16:20
stable because
16:21
>> where I'm at right now doesn't doesn't
16:23
feel that way. So,
16:24
>> okay.
16:25
>> So, yeah. So that kind of brought me in
16:27
from kind of that talent development,
16:29
talent development manager role to a
16:31
talent development manager role at
16:33
Forum. Y
16:34
>> but different culture, different
16:35
different take on on it. For sure.
16:38
>> Yeah. Completely right. So the
16:39
organization you're with before, some
16:41
challenges, some downsizing. You got to
16:43
see some things that
16:45
>> you know maybe could be done a little
16:46
differently. And so coming into forum,
16:49
you you've got a good background at this
16:51
point and and you've really flexed your
16:53
muscle when it comes to the learning and
16:56
development space. So that particular
16:58
role that you start is it it's it's part
17:01
of the HR team, how does that how does
17:05
that work inside of an organization like
17:06
forum? And then what's that look like
17:08
for you there?
17:09
>> Yeah, you know, I it it takes a lot of
17:11
different shapes. I think every company
17:13
has their own relationship between HR
17:16
and a learning function. I've over my
17:18
career, I've reported to a specific
17:20
department. I've reported to more of an
17:23
operations
17:25
>> function um through HR, you know, it's a
17:27
little bit of everything at forum at the
17:30
time. And it's actually, it's funny you
17:31
asked that because it's kind of an
17:33
interesting part of the story. And we
17:35
were separate entities but reported to
17:38
the same executive leader. When I first
17:40
joined, there were the HR function,
17:42
there was talent development or
17:44
organizational development function and
17:46
both had a leader over the department
17:49
reporting to um what is now the chief
17:51
people officer role and and that's just
17:55
kind of where I came in and kind of that
17:57
middle management layer and we were we
18:00
shared an office space very
18:01
collaborative in a lot of ways but the
18:03
two functions were were siloed
18:06
>> you know there was very much our team
18:07
and your team
18:08
>> happening with it. Not not always in a
18:11
bad way, but I always just kind of felt
18:13
like it could have been a little more
18:15
collaborative than it was. Sure.
18:16
Considering the close proximity we all
18:18
shared and a lot of the programs
18:21
>> we we both support. You know, think of u
18:23
>> the hiring and onboarding process. You
18:26
know, we've got the recruiter living on
18:28
the HR side and you've got the
18:30
onboarding kind of the the learning and
18:31
development happening on on the talent
18:33
development side. So that's just one
18:36
example where I always felt like we we
18:38
could be
18:39
>> a little more a little bit like because
18:41
the from an individual perspective, you
18:43
hire somebody, they're going to walk
18:45
through a process
18:46
>> and so for them it should be as as clean
18:50
as possible, as easy, as seamless as
18:53
possible. Yeah. Okay. So you're in on
18:55
the talent side
18:57
>> and get started in there. So what what's
18:59
it look like for you? What are what are
19:01
what do you do daytoday? And
19:02
>> Yeah. when I came in there, you know, I
19:04
inherited a team and that was something
19:07
in and of itself that I'd managed people
19:11
before, but what I saw was the
19:13
investment in people was so different at
19:18
Forum compared to where I'd been in not
19:21
just the previous organization, but just
19:23
ever
19:23
>> really,
19:24
>> you know, for in relation to the size of
19:26
a company that forum is. You know,
19:28
today, today we have about 425
19:31
employees. um 11 years ago I think we
19:34
were probably around 300 350 somewhere
19:38
in there. So, you know, we've grown
19:39
quite a bit in a decade and the number
19:42
of people primarily focused on
19:46
developing people.
19:48
>> That alone what sent a very strong
19:50
message to say, "Hey, I'm in the right
19:52
place." But I inherited a team that was
19:55
passionate and doing really great work
19:58
and so much so that they needed an um a
20:02
manager to come in to help manage the
20:03
day-to-day with the team.
20:05
>> Oh, wow. So you think of all of the
20:06
standard programming
20:08
like your your onboarding programs and
20:11
career development and personal skills
20:15
and professional skills and compliance
20:18
training and all of the things that have
20:20
to get done y
20:22
>> in an organization. Um I came into a
20:24
team that was that was operating really
20:26
well had a very solid leader with
20:29
tremendous experience and that was
20:30
somebody that I had known for a long
20:32
time.
20:32
>> Sure. So, um, I felt very prepared to
20:35
come into that and to
20:39
feel out what was already there and then
20:41
to start using my experience to kind of
20:43
help influence where we went moving
20:46
forward.
20:46
>> Okay. Gotcha. So, it's good to hear,
20:48
right? Because one of the thing
20:50
onboarding can be challenging for folks
20:52
no matter where that they go, right?
20:53
It's new, it's different, and if you
20:56
create a really great experience for
20:58
those folks that that you never get a
21:00
second chance to make a first
21:01
impression, right? And that's really the
21:03
first impression for the business. It's
21:04
great to hear that Forum does that.
21:06
>> So, you're coming in and you're on that
21:08
team, but we know by the screen buying
21:10
that you're the CPO now.
21:12
>> So, what's your what's the journey look
21:14
like over the last 11 years? you know,
21:16
it's been a wonderful journey and um one
21:20
of those you you start with a great
21:21
company and never look back, you know.
21:23
Um I feel like my past experience kind
21:26
of led me to Forum and then I've been
21:27
able to just kind of take it just day by
21:30
day, but I've built a really wonderful
21:32
chapter of my career at Forum. Um I was
21:36
in the talent development manager role
21:38
for about four four and a half years
21:41
>> and then my leader the one that I had
21:43
known for a long time. She left to take
21:45
an opportunity with another
21:47
organization. They didn't have to
21:49
promote me then. They could have hired
21:51
somebody from outside but they didn't.
21:52
>> Okay.
21:53
>> And they took a chance on me and
21:54
promoted me into um uh AVP of work
22:00
talent development, AP of organizational
22:01
development. I can't remember exactly
22:03
but and then within a year later they
22:05
promoted me again to vice president of
22:07
uh the team and so I was running that
22:10
function at that point the whole
22:11
department
22:12
>> and reporting to the chief people
22:14
officer.
22:15
>> Yeah.
22:15
>> And really
22:17
when I look back over the the my full
22:19
career I really feel like I came alive
22:21
in that role when I was in that big
22:23
role.
22:23
>> All right. And you know, you talk about
22:26
strengths and capability and the things
22:29
that light you up and there are certain
22:32
certain roles over the over the long
22:35
haul. You know, we're talking over 20
22:37
years at that point. And there are
22:40
certain things that you feel like you're
22:42
just you're you're just on fire and you
22:44
just do really well that come very
22:45
naturally and other things don't. I mean
22:47
we always have both in our lives in our
22:49
work but I felt when I was in that that
22:52
operational manager role I struggled
22:55
more than in other roles.
22:57
>> Interesting. What what what was the
22:59
difference in that operational manager
23:00
role that you felt like you struggled?
23:02
What was the difference?
23:03
>> I felt like in that role I was always
23:07
responsible for carrying out somebody
23:08
else's vision.
23:10
>> Oh okay.
23:11
>> Because there was always somebody making
23:13
the decision. Somebody somebody says, "I
23:15
need you to go this way." And you're
23:16
okay.
23:17
>> We're going to do
23:18
>> Okay. So, they were creating it
23:20
>> and you you wanted to be someone
23:23
creating the vision.
23:24
>> Okay. So, you had a little bit of a
23:26
mismatch internally, right? Yeah. Okay.
23:28
>> I didn't know it at the time. I was just
23:30
thought, well, why am when do I get
23:31
frustrated?
23:33
>> And I was when I look back, I'm like,
23:35
the moments I was frustrated were the
23:38
moments where I didn't feel like I had a
23:40
voice in the vision. I might have had an
23:43
idea. I might have had something, but if
23:45
it didn't align with where my leaders
23:47
wanted to take things, you know,
23:50
>> I would just be like, well, why aren't
23:51
they listening to me? Right.
23:53
>> You know, and and it predates my role at
23:55
Forum when I came in. I just feel like
23:57
anywhere in that middle management
23:59
layer.
23:59
>> Yeah,
24:01
>> it wasn't bad, but the moments I got
24:04
frustrated were because of that. And I
24:06
felt it the most in that role. But when
24:08
I got into a more strategic role
24:11
and over time you take all the
24:13
assessments and you know the disc and
24:15
the myers breaks and all strength finder
24:17
and all of that
24:18
>> and I learned my strengths and I'm like
24:21
that's why that's why I'm getting
24:23
frustrated
24:24
>> because the work I was doing was in this
24:27
execution role that required me to be in
24:31
>> doing more detailed work and following
24:33
through on on other people's vision
24:36
rather than casting my Right.
24:38
>> And having a say in the direction of
24:40
things because I'm a more future-minded
24:42
thinker.
24:43
>> Yeah. Right.
24:43
>> I didn't I didn't have that language
24:45
earlier in my career, but when when I
24:48
got there, I'm like, okay.
24:50
>> Yeah.
24:51
>> This this is good. This is where I'm
24:53
supposed to be.
24:54
>> This is this where life was, you know,
24:55
>> we should just cut the to the chase and
24:57
it just been a BT
24:59
years ago
25:00
>> should just been the boss,
25:02
>> right?
25:02
>> So, it's interesting. I want to take a
25:04
little bit of time and talk about like
25:06
you know MyersBriggs DISC and PI and all
25:08
those things. So a lot of folks when
25:11
they they feel like hey HR talent they
25:14
want us to take this test. They want us
25:15
to all these things.
25:17
>> I think people miss the fact that it's
25:20
really a great opportunity for them to
25:22
understand some of their strengths. We
25:24
all have strengths and weaknesses. Okay,
25:25
great. We all like to be communicated in
25:28
a certain way. And if we know somebody
25:30
else's communication style, we we feel
25:33
like we maybe get along a little bit
25:34
better, right? And so, but it's
25:36
interesting you said that you came alive
25:38
because you started to learn these
25:40
things.
25:41
>> So, in like within forum, you mentioned
25:44
DISC. Is everybody taking those types of
25:47
things? And I'm curious like how does
25:49
that get implemented across 425 people?
25:53
And like what's that look like on a on a
25:55
daily basis? How do people leverage some
25:56
of that information? I love that you
25:58
asked this because we I love what we're
26:00
doing. You know, I wouldn't say that we
26:02
have it, you know, that it's perfect by
26:04
any means, but I'm really proud of the
26:06
work that we're doing. We we use the
26:08
predictive index or PI. That's kind of
26:10
our assessment of choice.
26:11
>> Sure.
26:11
>> Um we've been using that for seven years
26:15
maybe now. Seven or eight years. And it
26:19
started as a need for a a very sound
26:25
prehire assessment. And what we were
26:27
using before was not something you would
26:30
want to use. We were using DISC, which
26:32
is great. It is a great tool, but it's
26:33
it's communication. It's teamwork. It's
26:35
leadership. It's coaching. It's not a
26:37
prehire assessment. So, we were looking
26:40
for a tool to use that um was something
26:43
you could use that was EOCC compliant
26:46
things that you could use at the
26:48
interview process or the application
26:50
process as well as a tool that we could
26:52
use ongoing as a development tool or a
26:55
leadership tool and PI was a great fit
26:58
for us and you know just shout out to
27:00
advisa local organization
27:02
>> Heather Hos right that's absolutely yep
27:04
we partner with them and it has been a
27:06
gamecher for us Um because we started
27:09
out exactly there because we also had to
27:12
sort of scale back on what we were doing
27:14
with this because we didn't want to
27:15
speak two languages.
27:16
>> We knew that was just going to confuse
27:18
people. So we started with the
27:19
assessment and then we started with our
27:22
leaders
27:22
>> so they could understand the PI as a
27:25
hiring manager, as a leader of a team,
27:28
as a coach, but you most importantly for
27:31
self-awareness on how they're showing up
27:33
as a leader.
27:33
>> Absolutely. Right. And from there we've
27:35
branched out to embed it into so many
27:38
different touch points and programs. Our
27:42
uh someone on the team had this idea
27:44
last year to do an entire week dedicated
27:48
we called PI power week.
27:50
>> And we just did all kinds of things. And
27:51
so that just rallied the team around um
27:54
learning more about your style and then
27:56
your your reference type and your own
27:58
profile and how how you're showing up
28:00
for development but then how to share
28:02
that with others.
28:03
>> Yeah. Sure. and say this is me and this
28:04
is who I am and this is these are the
28:06
needs I carry with me every day and it's
28:08
created a great week. I I I hope we do
28:11
that again in the future. It was so much
28:13
fun. But we find ways to incorporate it
28:16
into a lot of different conversations.
28:18
It can't just be something you take the
28:20
assessment one time
28:21
>> and it sits on a shelf somewhere. You
28:24
have to find a way to work it into your
28:26
life.
28:26
>> Yeah, I agree. It's a great point to
28:28
review. When people are promoted, when
28:30
people change roles, when a new leader
28:32
comes in, we do team- based
28:35
conversations and workshops and, you
28:37
know, you name it. And we're we're
28:38
finding a way to to pull PI into the
28:41
conversation.
28:42
>> That's cool. PI is like you've got the
28:45
middle line is A B C D, right? These
28:47
like detail. So my I remember my PI, my
28:50
detail is somewhere over here to the
28:52
left. I didn't have any, right? And I
28:54
think B was like person that was way
28:56
over here and all that stuff. And so you
28:58
know so I was that's the way I was
28:59
charted and then early in my career we
29:02
part of a phone company and
29:04
>> they put a project manager with me that
29:06
Christy was with me for about 20 years
29:08
until we sold the business and uh she
29:11
was my D is what she would say because
29:13
she was my detail because I didn't have
29:14
any. Yeah.
29:15
>> And it was great to know because my my B
29:18
she had she her B was way over here but
29:20
her D was awesome for me.
29:21
>> I love it. And so it's it's great to
29:23
kind of guys implement that and and you
29:26
you can probably it just helps everybody
29:28
from a communication
29:29
>> stand.
29:30
>> All right. So at this point you are the
29:32
the VP AVP I think at this point maybe
29:36
>> I wasn't AVP for very long. It was just
29:39
about a year somewhere in there. One of
29:40
the two.
29:41
>> All right. So VP. Yeah. But eventually
29:43
you take over as the CPO which I'm sure
29:46
in that role now um you're probably
29:49
feeling like this is where I really need
29:50
to be because I really cast Edition,
29:52
right? So yeah. So okay. So how long
29:54
you've been the CPO?
29:55
>> Uh two years. A little over two years.
29:57
>> Okay.
29:57
>> Yeah.
29:57
>> And so how does that change? Has it
30:00
changed you know kind of what you're
30:02
obviously I know you're managing now all
30:04
of those things but maybe what's changed
30:06
over the last couple years as you're
30:07
thinking about your vision for the
30:09
future for for them.
30:11
>> Yeah. You know, I had this opportunity a
30:13
couple years ago when our former chief
30:15
people officer retired
30:17
and she had been with the company for 40
30:19
years.
30:20
>> 40 years.
30:21
>> And yeah, an incredible leader,
30:23
incredible human being, incredible
30:24
mentor, just wonderful, wonderful
30:26
person. And she had she provided a very
30:31
long retirement ramp. This is this is
30:34
when I'm when I'm ready to go. And it
30:37
was well planned. It was well thought
30:38
of. and I knew they wanted to hire
30:41
internally. And when I thought I have I
30:45
have an opportunity to be considered for
30:48
this, like at first that was never
30:50
really on my radar. But when
30:52
>> when we started having these
30:53
conversations and I started thinking,
30:55
>> could that be something I could do?
30:57
>> Could I be considered for that? Would I
30:59
be a candidate for that? Um I just kept
31:02
moving forward and ready to embrace it
31:03
if the opportunity came my way.
31:05
>> Yeah. And when I did, you talk about
31:08
things changing, things really changed.
31:11
And something she said to me when she
31:13
was, you know, we're we're working
31:15
through the transition before she was
31:16
retired, but they kind of named me as
31:19
her successor. She said, "I'm going to
31:21
tell you something that they that they
31:24
told me that the former CEO told me when
31:27
I stepped into an executive role that
31:30
the executive team has to be your number
31:31
one team.
31:33
and the team you've been a part of this
31:36
team you've been leading for these years
31:38
now at the time like nine years that has
31:41
to be your number two team now
31:44
>> and that just you know it's like you
31:47
know it but you don't really know it.
31:48
>> Yeah. And to hear that and you think
31:50
about, okay, that's going to change a
31:52
lot
31:53
>> because
31:54
>> this is my team over here. I've
31:56
>> been their leader, right? Some of these
31:58
people have been with me since I
31:59
started,
32:00
>> you know, nine years ago. They've been
32:02
there with the company for longer than
32:04
I've been there
32:05
>> or people that I had hired
32:07
>> to join the team while I was managing or
32:10
when I was AVP or VP or whatever. And
32:13
now that that has to be my number two
32:16
team,
32:16
>> right?
32:18
like, "Oh my gosh, I'm I'm stepping into
32:19
a new se I'm not just changing desks or
32:21
offices. Like, it
32:23
>> it is definitely a line in the sand and
32:25
there is a change coming with that."
32:28
>> And so it was helpful to hear that.
32:31
>> Yeah.
32:31
>> And that allowed me to kind of set the
32:35
tone. I was also inheriting our HR team
32:38
and the leader of our HR group had been
32:40
my counterpart, my peer for a long time,
32:42
right? And now I was leading her and her
32:44
team.
32:45
>> Sure. And so I had to make sure that the
32:48
talent development side of our team
32:51
that they didn't come across as my
32:53
favorite.
32:54
>> I, you know, I had to lead everybody,
32:56
>> of course.
32:57
>> And so I I really had to deal with a lot
33:00
of those dynamic shifts over that time.
33:03
But when you think about where that sets
33:05
us up for the future,
33:06
>> that's where I really felt the silo
33:09
wasn't working anymore.
33:10
>> Yeah.
33:11
>> Kind of going back to that origin at
33:13
forum to say we were kind of this That's
33:15
where I was thinking you were going to
33:16
go with this, right? You got you've got
33:18
this process that happens, but we have
33:20
two teams that own,
33:22
>> you know, parts of the process, but they
33:23
feel siloed.
33:25
>> Yes.
33:25
>> Okay.
33:26
>> And I knew from having sat in that seat,
33:29
being part of that team for for years,
33:32
>> that had to change. I didn't want to
33:34
lead two separate entities focused on
33:37
our people.
33:39
>> Like, we're here to serve our people.
33:40
We're here to move our business forward
33:42
through our people. We're better
33:44
together when we are apart.
33:46
>> Yeah.
33:46
>> So the thing that had to change was we
33:49
can't be HR and talent development. We
33:53
need to come together as like a people
33:54
and culture team. And sure there are
33:57
people who have responsibilities on the
33:59
HR side. People who are going to manage
34:02
our payroll process or benefits or
34:04
employee relations or recruiting. We've
34:06
got people who are in doing training or
34:09
onboarding or instructional design or
34:12
you know are managing our learning
34:14
management system or leadership
34:15
development. Absolutely. We all kind of
34:18
have our our role and that's a little
34:20
bit different but at the end of the day
34:22
we're here to do the same thing. We're
34:23
here to achieve the same purpose.
34:26
>> So setting the stage for long-term
34:29
change has started there. And as as we
34:33
started peeling that back a little bit,
34:35
it you know, it's not just as simple as
34:37
saying, well, today officially we are
34:39
going to be called this.
34:40
>> We're all Yeah. Right.
34:41
>> There's people want to preserve the
34:43
identity of what they know.
34:45
>> Yeah.
34:46
>> And the the value that they bring in
34:48
their role and if they feel that that's
34:50
being diluted at all, you know, then
34:52
they're going to resist against that a
34:54
little bit. So we we've been moving
34:56
through this change in a way to honor
34:59
the experience they all bring in their
35:02
function, their expertise
35:04
>> while
35:06
identifying what is our shared vision
35:08
together. Yeah.
35:08
>> How are we here to work together as a
35:10
team and find ways that's that
35:12
collaborative nature in me that wants to
35:15
bring people together rather than kind
35:16
of pit them against each other. It never
35:18
felt that way. Yeah.
35:20
>> But I could see where it could.
35:22
>> Of course.
35:22
>> I just want that.
35:23
>> Yeah. You want you want a unified team.
35:26
>> The name of the episode should be we're
35:28
better together than we are apart. Great
35:30
plan, right? And so when you think about
35:31
that, so
35:33
>> obviously CPO now
35:34
>> y
35:35
>> and in leading it, but this is a great
35:37
opportunity. I mean I'm forum is a 85
35:39
year history, right? You said 50 years
35:42
in Fisher.
35:44
>> Hard to believe,
35:45
>> right?
35:45
>> So but maybe just a little bit about
35:47
Forum as a business.
35:49
>> So Forum is a not for-profit financial
35:52
cooperative. We're a credit union, which
35:54
means our members of the credit union,
35:56
those are our customers. Our members,
35:59
they're also owners of the credit union.
36:01
And so if you've been to a credit union
36:03
and you open an account, you have to
36:04
have that $5 share.
36:06
>> That is your share of ownership and form
36:08
credit union. And so our members have a
36:10
voice. And our members are the ones that
36:13
we pour back into. We don't have
36:15
shareholders the way a traditional
36:16
financial institution has. instead of,
36:20
you know, trying to return for
36:21
shareholders, we pour that back into our
36:24
membership with competitive interest
36:25
rates and with um products and services
36:29
that are innovative and then keep up
36:31
with all of the other financial
36:32
institutions out there. It's not a
36:34
unique service that we offer. You can
36:36
drive down the road or you can find
36:38
anybody who will open a checking account
36:40
or a savings account.
36:41
>> So, our differentiator is our people.
36:43
>> Y
36:44
>> and our CEO Doug TR says it says it
36:46
best. He said, "We have two
36:47
shareholders, our members and our team."
36:51
And so, when we can vet our business
36:54
plan and our decisions that we're making
36:56
against those two shareholders, like
36:59
what's best for our member and what's
37:00
best for our people,
37:02
>> like that that tells you we we invest in
37:05
our organization deeply by doing what's
37:08
right for the member, but also because
37:10
we want to create a team that is skilled
37:13
and loyal and engaged. Yeah. And when
37:16
they show up able to do that, then we
37:18
can take care of our members. So that's
37:21
that's forum, you know, like I said,
37:23
it's not a unique product, you know,
37:25
that we're going to able to offer, but
37:27
when you walk into a branch or you
37:29
access our our chat or our app, you're
37:33
going to feel that forum brand and forum
37:35
culture alive. Al alive and well.
37:37
>> Yeah, it it it's like you said, a lot of
37:39
businesses really truly are unique.
37:42
Let's be honest, right? A lot of cutters
37:43
do the same things. And then we talk
37:45
about we have good good service, we have
37:47
good support, our pricing is good, but
37:50
ultimately what's the difference in a
37:51
lot of business? It's the people.
37:53
>> It is
37:53
>> right. And are these people that we
37:55
know, like, and trust? Are these people
37:57
that we believe bring value to us?
38:00
>> And when you think about what your
38:01
leader, your CEO said, he talks about
38:04
the shareholders of, you know, your
38:06
people and your members. Ultimately, if
38:09
you make every decision around making it
38:12
better for those individuals, that's
38:14
different. Yeah. Right. A lot of
38:16
companies don't say that, right? A lot
38:17
of companies don't do that. And a lot of
38:19
organizations also from, you know, I
38:21
know you're the CPO and of the 425 or
38:25
450 people for the business, a lot of
38:28
people don't think about them as being
38:30
the real value.
38:32
>> And I think that's what we've heard. I
38:34
mean, as you and I chatted over coffee
38:35
the other day, I heard that pretty, um,
38:37
heavy in our conversation, and you hear
38:39
it today as well that
38:41
>> investing in them, uh, leveraging tools
38:44
like PI, those types of things. Not only
38:46
do you get to cast the vision, you get a
38:48
chance to lead great teams and help the
38:50
organization grow. Super cool. I'm
38:53
curious. So in in the space when you
38:56
think about you know kind of the way the
38:59
business is changing and you think about
39:02
uh your organization technology comes up
39:05
a lot in growth of organizations.
39:07
Everybody is says AI 7,000 times a day.
39:11
Um,
39:11
>> I'm curious like what's going on in your
39:15
space and are there are there some
39:16
things you guys are thinking about from
39:18
a technology standpoint that's maybe
39:20
helping supercharge your people even
39:23
more?
39:24
>> What's going on in tech
39:26
>> every day? Yeah. You know, every day I
39:28
think the conversation continues to
39:30
evolve with that. And you know, it's
39:32
this balance in our world of staying
39:36
innovative and staying on par with the
39:40
most competitive organizations, you
39:42
know, from an innovation standpoint and
39:43
from being able to offer the the best
39:46
products and services, you know, the
39:48
most techsavvy, you know, offerings that
39:50
we can.
39:52
>> But something that kind of underscores
39:54
all of that, and it's, I think, even
39:56
more important in some ways is the
39:58
security side of it. Mhm.
40:00
>> And as the pace of change with
40:03
technology continues to evolve, it's
40:06
bringing a lot of opportunity, but it's
40:08
also bringing opportunity for kind of
40:09
the bad guys out there.
40:10
>> Yeah. Sure.
40:11
>> And we are seeing fraud awareness, fraud
40:15
prevention,
40:17
um being able to help support our
40:19
members every single day. I mean, it is
40:22
showing up in just people being scammed.
40:26
Yeah. People, you know,
40:29
finding out that the person that they
40:31
were communicating with online isn't who
40:33
they said they are. Yeah.
40:35
>> You know, and people with um elderly
40:38
relatives or members who themselves are
40:40
are elderly, they're very vulnerable
40:43
>> and and how we can equip our team to
40:46
support both with technology and the
40:48
controls in place to mitigate some of
40:51
those risks, but also when we talk about
40:54
the service, the no like and trust
40:56
factor. when somebody walks into a
40:58
branch and they're showing this
41:00
transaction
41:02
that they want to do. Look, I I need to
41:05
wire this money to a Nurian printer or
41:08
something, you know, like whatever it
41:10
might be. Um that we have a team that's
41:13
confident and knowledgeable and
41:15
sensitive and trustworthy to slow things
41:18
down and say, "Let's talk about this
41:21
before you do this."
41:22
>> Yeah. And you we see we see scenarios
41:26
playing out you know every month every
41:28
week you know with in our in our
41:30
branches over the phone and the team is
41:33
wonderful about communicating back and
41:35
forth with one another. We have a our
41:37
our internal like our internet
41:40
>> um we tell stories of this of this is
41:43
what happened. We had a member who was
41:45
in this situation and this is how the
41:47
employee helped them
41:48
>> through this. Not only does it kind of
41:50
give kudos to an employee for a job well
41:53
done, but we all learn from those
41:55
experiences. So when I when I think of
41:57
technology, you know, in in our world in
41:59
particular, it's important to stay
42:01
cutting edge where you can and um it's
42:04
certainly important and we want to stay
42:07
competitive, but we also want to protect
42:09
our members, protect our organization,
42:12
protect all of those um those best
42:14
interests of everyone. You know, it's
42:15
interesting when you when you think
42:16
about tech, and I've had this
42:18
conversation with everyone that's been
42:20
on the show so far,
42:21
>> but I like how you relate it back to
42:24
protecting your members,
42:26
>> but it goes back to training as well,
42:28
right? So, the people out at branches,
42:30
>> they've been trained properly and they,
42:32
you know, if you hear something, say
42:34
something. This seems a little strange.
42:36
Maybe we ought to say something here out
42:37
of kindness. But I really like the
42:40
second part of that is is that when
42:43
somebody comes into a branch and
42:44
something nefarious is going to happen.
42:46
It doesn't just end there. They're
42:49
putting it out on an entrance. Everybody
42:50
gets chance to read it.
42:52
>> Yeah. Of course, I get a little bit of
42:53
kudos because I did something. But now
42:55
the whole team is better. The whole team
42:58
has heard something. Some new scam that
43:00
comes up every day. They've now heard
43:03
something that people have been able to
43:05
leverage. And that goes back to, you
43:07
know, training individuals and those
43:09
types of things.
43:10
>> So, it's neat to hear you tell talk
43:12
about tech and then bringing it full
43:14
circle from a training perspective.
43:15
That's cool.
43:16
>> Oh, yeah. And, you know, there's such
43:17
power in storytelling. Like, we could
43:19
send out an email with bullet points.
43:21
You need to be mindful of that that that
43:23
that, you know, send out the talking
43:25
points or send out the, you know, thou
43:28
shalt not except, you know, whatever.
43:31
Um, the do's and don'ts. But when it's
43:34
wrapped in a story from someone that
43:36
they know doing the job every day y
43:39
>> that says, "Well, this is what I noticed
43:41
>> when this came in. This just didn't seem
43:43
right
43:45
>> and it didn't sit well with me and so I
43:47
ask more questions." You know, when you
43:49
hear a story like that, then that's
43:51
powerful. And you can you can embrace
43:54
the idea of that, like, okay, if that
43:56
person dealt with that, I might have to
43:58
deal with it in my world, too. That's
43:59
right.
43:59
>> It might be similar. might be a little
44:01
different, but I'm I'm taking in
44:03
building building this collection of of
44:06
um of experiences, you know, through
44:08
other people. And and something that
44:10
when you think about training, we've had
44:12
to evolve the way we train people. And
44:16
something that came to mind a couple of
44:18
years ago and I've just not been able to
44:20
get it out of my mind since was an
44:22
experience at a store and the cashier it
44:26
was uh buying a little bolt at a
44:28
hardware store and it cost 94 cents.
44:32
Hand the cashier a dollar and the
44:35
cashier probably high school college age
44:39
stood there and stared at the cash
44:40
drawer and really had to think
44:42
>> about
44:43
>> about how to give me the change back.
44:45
Yep.
44:46
>> And ultimately counted six pennies even
44:49
though there were nickels in the drawer.
44:52
And I know the downfall of the penny we
44:54
won't get into or anything, but
44:56
>> but what hit me in that moment was
44:58
people coming in. We have a lot of
45:00
younger employees. We're seeing a sharp
45:01
rise in Gen Z in our workforce over the
45:04
last few years. They have a different
45:06
relationship with money.
45:07
>> Yep. And we hire a lot of younger people
45:09
to work in our branches, in our um
45:12
member services like call center, some
45:15
of these roles where they're answering
45:17
sophisticated questions about people's
45:18
finances. Yeah.
45:20
>> In the moment, but they themselves have
45:22
a very different relationship with
45:23
money.
45:24
>> Sure.
45:25
>> They live in a Venmo world,
45:26
>> of course,
45:27
>> and it's all done online. And
45:29
>> they don't when they see the paper
45:31
dollars, they're like, they don't know
45:32
what this means. Yeah.
45:33
>> It's not as valuable to them. It was
45:35
valuable. It was val valuable to me.
45:37
Yeah.
45:37
>> And it's not his value. You're exactly
45:39
right.
45:39
>> We used to be able to have this baseline
45:42
assumption that people walking in the
45:44
door understood the different currency,
45:48
you know, what it how much it was um
45:50
what it what each dollar kind of
45:52
represented. Um and checks, you know,
45:55
that they kind of understood. Maybe you
45:57
don't write a lot of them, but you know
45:58
what they are. And so we could start
46:01
with this this baseline understanding
46:03
and build from there.
46:04
>> Yep. Not anymore. Not anymore. And so we
46:07
have to continue to evolve the way we
46:10
show up and the way we provide that
46:12
training, developing and delivering
46:14
content so it makes sense. It's
46:16
meaningful and relevant for the people
46:17
in in the moment of need.
46:19
>> Yeah. Sure. Before we get into community
46:21
and that type of stuff, I'm curious. You
46:23
mentioned you're hiring a lot of younger
46:24
people. Yeah.
46:25
>> How are you attracting them? I mean, so
46:27
so I'm just I'm just curious. Are there
46:29
>> are there some things you're doing out
46:30
on the website? I think we're we're
46:32
going through a lot of the standard, you
46:34
know, approaches that a lot of companies
46:36
do. I wouldn't say it's super unique.
46:38
Um, but we're consistent with it. We
46:40
show up. We we're building relationships
46:42
with local universities and show up with
46:45
at some career fairs that they're doing.
46:47
We'll do some workshops for them. We'll
46:49
partner with with um some of the
46:52
universities and we'll do resume
46:53
workshops or just be involved with some
46:56
things for the young for younger
46:58
employees. But we're active on LinkedIn
47:01
and we're consistent with our posting
47:03
and we have our forum careers social
47:06
media pages. So we're showing life at
47:09
forum and we use pictures of real
47:12
employees doing real things every day
47:14
whether it's workrelated or out in the
47:16
community or social or whatever. um
47:19
whatever we can showcase to say we talk
47:21
about form being a best place to work
47:23
which is another I think talent
47:25
attraction measure there is 15
47:28
consecutive years on that list of best
47:30
places to work
47:31
>> that's awesome by the way
47:32
>> thank you and I think that stands for
47:35
that stands for a lot we could tell you
47:38
that all day long but when you take that
47:39
peak behind the curtain
47:42
>> uh it's the same way with our podcast uh
47:44
you know we have our our own podcast
47:46
career dreams we wanted to make sure
47:48
that was available able externally. We
47:50
don't talk specifically about forum or
47:52
credit credit union related things, but
47:55
we mention them. Y
47:56
>> and so it's kind of putting your money
47:57
where your mouth is a little bit and
47:59
say,
47:59
>> right,
48:00
>> I can tell you all day long it's a great
48:02
place to work. But if you listen, you
48:04
see that we pour into our people. You
48:06
see how deeply we invest in career and
48:09
later development because we're sharing
48:11
this on a career development podcast.
48:13
Yeah,
48:14
>> we have two other podcasts as well for
48:16
different audiences. And so it's been a
48:18
vehicle that's kind of helped showcase
48:20
our brand, our our culture, um our
48:23
position in, you know, the community,
48:26
things like that.
48:27
>> It's really great to hear how you guys
48:29
are attracting folks. And I think that
48:31
podcast strategy, you know, younger
48:33
folks go out, they look at a website,
48:34
they could look at something, they could
48:36
read something, but the moment they can
48:37
hear it or because that's how they
48:39
consume information, hey, it's great to
48:41
hear that culture. So, let's talk a
48:44
little community.
48:45
>> Okay.
48:46
>> And so, community could go a couple of
48:48
different ways, right? It could be the
48:49
community uh in your business, which is
48:51
your culture, which we've talked a lot
48:53
about culture, I think, with forum. It's
48:55
the community you guys serve, which is
48:56
your members, right? And it's also
48:58
communities from a nonprofit
48:59
perspective. So, what's when you think
49:01
about community, what's that look like
49:02
for
49:03
>> uh so I think of two things. So, I was
49:05
on the right track. Uh so we have our
49:08
forum foundation which is something that
49:10
forum completely funds and we do uh
49:13
scholarships we do meaningful
49:16
scholarships um that are multi-year
49:18
renewable scholarships for college
49:20
students and we have um we have given I
49:24
I believe around a million dollars since
49:27
2014
49:29
um in just college scholarships. We also
49:31
do educator grants so teachers from
49:35
around central Indiana can apply for
49:37
grants and we're making a difference in
49:40
how teachers are able to deliver in the
49:42
classrooms. Like we know it's hard being
49:44
a teacher. We know budgets are tight. We
49:46
know teachers fund a lot of their own
49:48
initiatives right out of their own
49:49
pockets. So this is a way that we can
49:51
give back and not not only support the
49:53
teachers and just education in general,
49:56
but those little lives that are in the
49:58
classrooms from, you know, it might be
50:00
prek through through 12,
50:02
>> we're making a difference by helping
50:04
provide resources or materials, whatever
50:06
whatever that initiative is teacher.
50:08
It's it's an amazing program and really
50:10
really proud of that. The other side of
50:12
it is what's driven by our teammates and
50:15
that's what we call our spirit of forum
50:17
>> initiative and that is something that is
50:20
um that's completely driven by
50:22
employees. We have what's called a
50:24
charity of choice
50:25
>> and every year an employee can nominate
50:28
a local organization that is meaningful
50:31
to them and employees will vote on
50:36
which organization we're going to rally
50:38
behind and support.
50:39
>> Yeah. and we do all of our just kind of
50:42
social or team building or fundraising
50:44
efforts throughout the year really
50:46
rallies behind that organization. And so
50:50
for example, this year it we're
50:52
supporting Hooser Wildlife Rescue and
50:54
Rehabilitation.
50:55
>> Okay,
50:56
>> this was nominated by an employee. this
50:58
organization is very near and dear to
51:00
his family's heart. And so he nominated
51:03
that and they'll kind of campaign, you
51:05
know, like share a little bit more about
51:06
their organization to try to get
51:08
employees to vote for them. But we'll
51:11
have five or six nominees and that's the
51:13
one that won this year. And we are
51:16
providing
51:18
support with inind donations. We'll do
51:21
donation drives in house where employees
51:23
can bring in materials,
51:25
>> cleaning supplies, you know, paper
51:27
towels, whatever it might be. Yeah.
51:28
>> Volunteer opportunities. We I saw a
51:31
picture just yesterday of employees who
51:33
were over there feeding baby possums
51:35
>> and, you know, just helping out at their
51:37
facility.
51:38
>> Sure. It's cool.
51:39
>> Um, and then the other one is is raising
51:41
money, you know, cash donations. So,
51:43
we'll do our fundraising efforts
51:45
throughout the year to support Bagger's
51:47
charity of choice. And so over the years
51:50
since that's been started, we've been
51:52
able to support just a number of
51:56
organizations, you know, big and small,
51:58
but all with a local central Indiana
52:00
presence and really make a meaningful
52:02
difference because we we channel our
52:05
energy into supporting that organization
52:07
for a year.
52:08
>> You get everybody on on the same page.
52:10
You take a whole year, you support those
52:12
guys. That's a cool that's a cool way to
52:13
do it, right? There's a a lot of folks
52:15
support a lot of different organizations
52:16
and that's terrific as well.
52:18
>> But when you think about it, you can
52:19
really make a meaningful impact some of
52:21
those places. It's awesome
52:23
>> and and some of those a lot of our
52:25
employees were not even familiar with
52:27
before, you know, so it might be
52:29
something I you know I volunteered here
52:31
for years and this is important to my
52:33
family but other employees maybe aren't
52:36
familiar with it and so it can kind of
52:37
light a fire. We've served
52:39
>> former charities of choice. People still
52:42
will go and volunteer, you know, time
52:44
and we give all employees volunteer time
52:46
off every year or it's paid time to go
52:49
make it really easy to give back to the
52:51
community where we live and work. So, so
52:54
you still see people involved with a a
52:56
group we might have supported, you know,
52:57
several years ago. It's really cool to
52:59
see.
52:59
>> That's terrific. And you guys are
53:00
standing behind it by giving them paid
53:02
time off to go through that, right? So,
53:03
you create the space for them to do it.
53:06
>> What a cool opportunity. I mean it the
53:08
forum sounds terrific.
53:10
>> So before we finish up, let's talk about
53:12
fun.
53:12
>> Fun,
53:12
>> right? So a couple of kids, right? And
53:15
what what are the ages of the kids?
53:16
>> 29 and 24.
53:18
>> All right. Are they are they around
53:20
here?
53:20
>> One is, one is not. So my my daughter is
53:24
my oldest. She's uh lives in Lincoln,
53:26
Nebraska.
53:27
>> Okay.
53:27
>> So she married a guy from Lincoln and uh
53:29
she's in Lincoln. She's our fourth grade
53:32
teacher.
53:32
>> Uh but she was home this week for spring
53:34
break, so I got to spend a little time
53:35
with her, so it was nice. And then my
53:37
son is local. He graduated from college
53:38
a couple years ago. He's getting married
53:40
this year. Um but he is lives and works
53:44
around here. And I love having one of my
53:47
kids close by.
53:49
>> Understand? So but so obviously a couple
53:52
of kids but outside of work, outside of
53:54
what's fun for you? What are you doing?
53:55
>> You know, I'm still kind of trying to
53:57
figure that out in a lot of ways because
53:59
you know I'm an empty neester now.
54:00
That's a different season of life where
54:03
I'm not constantly shuttling somebody
54:06
around or going to somebody's sporting
54:08
events because that was life for many
54:10
years.
54:11
>> Kids being five years apart in age and
54:14
um at in involved in different things
54:17
throughout the year, it keeps you
54:19
hopping busy. And so there doesn't leave
54:21
a lot of time, you know, for for
54:23
yourself. And so these last couple of
54:25
years, I've really been kind of taking
54:26
stock of what what that looks like for
54:29
me. am not a big hobby person, but I do
54:32
enjoy some writing and speaking
54:34
projects. Okay. Like the uh Association
54:37
for Talent Development has been an
54:38
organization I've been involved with for
54:40
many years, both locally and nationally.
54:42
And so I I'm involved there. So even
54:45
some of the funds sometimes still has a
54:47
little bit of a a work flavor for me.
54:49
But I really just am very passionate
54:51
about it. And some of the people within
54:54
that organization have become dear
54:55
friends over the years. So, it's it it's
54:58
still a lot of fun for me as as nerdy as
55:00
that sounds.
55:02
Oh, the juryy's still out on any other
55:04
hobbies or anything.
55:05
>> Well, there's there's still time.
55:06
There's still That's right.
55:08
>> I'll tell you, this has been an awful
55:09
lot of fun. I I walking through your
55:12
journey and kind of hearing, you know,
55:14
being a teacher, then the plot twist,
55:16
>> but then finding that you fell in love
55:18
with something and then just hearing how
55:20
each opportunity you had amongst your
55:22
career was to to learn something and to
55:24
actually learn in some cases, you know,
55:26
when you felt disappointed or those
55:28
types of things, why that was. But it's
55:30
great to hear how you're reading the
55:32
team over at Forum and creating a
55:34
culture and allowing those individuals
55:36
to be the most successful they can be.
55:39
And uh so terrific story and I certainly
55:41
appreciate you being on the show. Thanks
55:43
for sharing it with us.
55:43
>> Thanks for having me.