Elaine Mann, CUYLM Executive Committee member:

I had the pleasure to take Ray Brasch, board member of Grandview Credit Union, out for breakfast on a beautiful spring morning. I was overwhelmed by his positive, enthusiastic and supportive attitude. We connected on so many levels, as I found out he was my Dad’s friend in school, and now Ray and I both share a passion for the Credit Union System. Crazy!

Our visit was a chance to talk about the many aspects of the Credit Union System. He talked about collaboration between Credit Unions and how it has become essential in rural areas. Small communities struggle to provide members with expertise, but together we can truly provide the Credit Union difference to our members. Ray has shown commitment to both the Credit Union and his community for the past sixteen years, as they have faced many changes and overcame challenges. He stressed that commitment is important even in tough times, especially for young leaders, as they are the future and far more important than we could ever imagine.

My take away on this visit was, as a seasoned leader, Ray confirmed that every single person should be respected for the ability to convert pressure into productivity and skills into strengths. This is something as young leaders we can all work toward.

By Neil Hamm, CUYLM Committee member:

I had the opportunity to sit down with Brent Budz CEO of Austin Credit Union to talk about leadership and his road to becoming a CEO of a Credit Union.

What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?

Be patient but have a plan. Effective communication and team building is essential to your success.

What are a few resources you would recommend to someone looking to gain insight into becoming a better leader?

Build a strong network of peers. This may push you out of your comfort zone however get to know leaders within your community/business associations. Join a service club/ Chamber of Commerce. Ask these people questions and listen. Good leaders have already made the mistakes that you undoubtedly will, so learn from them. Could you describe some of the most impressive traits of someone you identified early in your career as a mentor? The ability to listen and having confidence. Leadership is difficult, so being confident in whatever role you take on is important. My Mentors had these traits.

What was some of the best advice that a mentor provided to you and how have you implemented that on your path to leadership?

A mentor instilled the value of communication and team building. People will understand and embrace organizational change and direction if they can understand how it affects them. Be clear and provide as much information as you can on a regular basis – this has and continues to assist me in my current role.

What specific skill sets / leadership traits or training do you feel would be most important for today’s young leaders to develop into tomorrow’s executives?

There is a lot of info on Gen X, Y, Z, baby boomers etc. however a strong leader today needs to be able to communicate effectively with a broad cross section of employees and members. Each has a unique set of characteristics that make conversing, inspiring, and motivating them very interesting. Having the ability to resonate/speak to this diverse employee/customer base is essential.

As you were one of first committee members of CUYLM, how did this impact your leadership development?

Building a network of peers provides you with an ability to ask questions and learn from people and their individual experiences. There is no way one person can do that on their own.

What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a leader?

Community involvement – I have a different role as a Councilor – I am a part of a leadership group of a City. The experiences I encounter assist me in my current role as I am now a “Board Member” and our CAO of the City is effectively me at the CU (CEO). This allows me to completely reverse my view of leadership.

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About Brent’s Path:

Brent attended Red River Community College and received a Business Administration (Honors) degree. His career in banking began in 1996 as a MSR with BMO. He held different positions while with BMO including Investments, Personal Lending and Wealth Management, Personal Account Manager and as a Commercial/Ag-Account Manager. Brent made the switch to the Credit Union system in 2004 as a Senior Account Manager at Austin CU. Fast-forward to 2007 when Brent was named Assistant GM/Chief Operations Officer of Austin CU. He worked closely with the CEO on strategic planning, business/ branch expansion, financial reporting, forecasting, regulation, etc. He was then named CEO in 2015 of Austin CU. With the recently announced amalgamation of Austin CU with Portage CU, Brent will remain CEO of the amalgamated CU.

Giving back to the community:

Brent gives a lot of his time and expertise to the community; here are but a few of his contributions: Deputy Mayor, Finance Chair - City of Portage La Prairie; He has been a Board Member of the Portage Regional Economic Development Corporation, the Portage Regional Recreation Authority and the Portage La Prairie Planning District. He was the Head Coach Portage Minor Hockey and Portage Minor Baseball. He has volunteered his time for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army. He is the Past Executive/Founding Member of CUYLM, the Past President and Board Member Portage and District Chamber of Commerce, the Past Chair/Founding Member - Western Canadian Pond Hockey Championship, Past - Executive Member – Big Four Hockey League and Past Member – Special Projects Committee – Trinity United Church

CUYLM was granted an amazing opportunity to facilitate one of the breakout sessions at this year’s convention. Our Committee Chair Emma Lafreniere and Co-Chair Jody McPherson along with Jay Murray, CEO Mid-Atlantic Corporate Federal Credit Union led the discussions of Millennials: Reshaping the Workforce to a group of Executive and Board Members of our Manitoba credit unions.

It is predicted that, by 2025, three out of every four workers globally will be Millennials. Credit unions will need to build ways to identify talent, as well as encourage and promote our future leaders. After all, the young credit union professionals of today are our future leaders of tomorrow.

We were excited to also represent CUYLM in the annual trade show. We encouraged our seasoned leaders to share their knowledge by giving away a mentorship breakfast. We were enthused by the amount of participants that entered the draw who were eager to share with us young leaders. We look forward to sharing more information from that session at a later date.

We feel extremely privileged to introduce ourselves as your new CUYLM Chair Emma Lafreniere from Steinbach Credit Union, Assistant Manager of Consumer Lending and CUYLM Vice-Chair Jody McPherson from Noventis Credit Union, Manager of Information Technology.

Together, we have been a part of the Manitoba CU system for more than 25 years. We are very excited to share our knowledge and experience with up and coming leaders, and work together to provide continued support and direction for our dedicated committee as we carry out our 2016 objectives to strengthen and expand our CUYLM presence throughout Manitoba.

We are both passionate about building strong teams and helping people achieve their utmost potential. We consider it a true honor to be a part of CUYLM and are grateful for the amazing opportunities we have had this far to work and learn from so many dedicated, enthusiastic and brilliant young people from across the country. Our committee is planning some NEW and very exciting events this year. More details to follow soon. And as always, look for us at events around the province, social media, and check out our new website!

On behalf of the entire CUYLM committee, we are excited and looking forward to connecting with you in 2016!

Sincerely, Emma and Jody

Outgoing message from our current Chair on her experiences, gains and advice as she moves on:

My first “aha” moment in the credit union movement happened when I applied to join CUYLM, when the committee officially began serving the Manitoba credit union system, in 2012. The “aha” was that I found my purpose which was to learn more about our system, develop my leadership skills, share ideas and collaborate with others and to find and promote opportunities for young leaders. And I was excited to find out that there were other young leaders in Manitoba that felt the same way I did!

Two of the most noticeable gains for me have been firstly the realization of both my strengths and weaknesses as a young leader and secondly the development of my leadership skills. The applied development and skill building practice I’ve received from committee work I could not learn through theory alone. CUYLM has given me an opportunity to practice my knowledge in a nurturing, safe environment with peers that are experiencing the same opportunities I am.

My branch team and credit union have also seen gains through my commitment to the CUYLM committee. I’ve gained tremendous confidence as a leader. My organizational skills, strategic understanding, presentation and public speaking skills have improved. I’ve integrated some amazing ideas to my branch team and credit union from perspectives I’ve gained through interactions I have through CUYLM. Collaboration and cooperation at its finest level happens here!

And lastly, CUYLM has really solidified my dedication to the Manitoba credit union system in three ways. It has opened my eyes to just how many intelligent young leaders we have here in the province (both on the committee and members-at-large). CUYLM has connected me to seasoned leaders in the province and shown me the talent and leadership we have in Manitoba. Work on this committee has introduced me to the executive and board at CUCM. As part of this group I’ve been honoured to learn from, work with and present to this amazing team of individuals who are so dedicated to the credit union system’s presence now and in the future.

I would like to extend an enormous thank you to CUYLM members-at-large for allowing me to work with you, to the CUYLM committee members past and present who have become lifelong friends and to my mentors and leaders who have supported my leadership journey. It has been an honour and a pleasure to have taken such an amazing journey to serve Manitoba’s credit union young leaders. As you can see I am a true advocate of the Credit Union system in Canada and Manitoba. Devoting the past three + years to mentoring and empowering other young leaders in this province to grow has been energizing and necessary for me.

Leadership is action! I promise to continue to do my part.

Sincerely, Lesia

We would like to say a special thanks to our outgoing CUYLM committee members. Each of these individuals were instrumental in CUYLM’s success and we are thrilled they will be a part of our CUYLM Alumni.

• Lesia Gojan Klein – Carpathia Credit Union, Branch Manager & CUYLM Chair

• Tyler Booker – Catalyst Credit Union, Branch Manager & CUYLM Training and Development Subcommittee Chair

• Danika Zurbyk – Vanguard Credit Union, VIP Connect, Financial Services Team Lead, & CUYLM Events Subcommittee

These individuals are passionate about supporting and strengthening the credit union system. Over the past three years they have all worked hard to support and develop CUYLM initiatives and are strong leaders within their credit unions. As committee members, employees and supporters of the MB Credit Union system, they support cooperative values and are committed to continued personal and professional growth for themselves and those they have had the opportunity to work with. Thank you so much for your ongoing positive contribution, knowledge and ability to see the BIG picture! Your work will carry on for years to come and help continue to empower youth to grow and prosper in and for the credit union system.

Sincerely, CUYLM