Join us in San Diego to learn about and hone the critical skills every board (and board member) should possess for effective board leadership and organizational guidance. Learn and network with board members, board chairs, CEOs and others from around the country while enjoying the vibrant San Diego downtown area. For complete conference details and registration, visit the official conference site.

GC Session Details

Glatt Consulting's Tom Glatt will deliver seven sessions at the conference. Each session is further described below.

The Credit Union Governance Framework

Does your credit union have a formal governance framework? Most credit unions do not. A governance framework creates the purpose of governance, establishes governance objectives, defines objective-specific responsibilities, and outlines the functions and activities of the various groups in the governance chain. In this session we'll review what a world-class governance framework looks like, and explore tips on how to implement the framework at your credit union.

Director Responsibilities and Skills

For boards to be effective, board members must be effective. And for a board member to be effective they must possess the critical skills required to govern. Did you know there are seven documented skills every board member should possess? In this session we'll review the seven skills, and then explore how to strengthen them for improved individual and board governance performance.

Skill Deep Dive: Reading and Understanding Financial Statements

Beyond the seven critical governance skills board members possess, there is one functional skill requirement that every board member should also possess: reading and understanding financial statements. In this session we’ll explore the construct of the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of financial ratios in order to strengthen basic understanding of these three instruments. And if you’re well-skilled at reading and understanding financial statements, then stay tuned - we’ll finish off the session modeling a few unique “scenarios” where you can put your skills to the test.  

Board Responsibilities and Skills: Strategy and Guidance

A foundation of effective, relevant strategy and clear guidance creates an environment that improves the likelihood of organizational success. The board should be heavily involved establishing strategy and offering guidance - but often the question is how to be involved without micromanaging. In this session we'll clear that up by walking through the three distinct areas where the board’s voice should be loud, clear, and heard. We'll end the session with practical tips for effective engagement in each of the three areas.

Board Responsibilities and Skills: Monitoring Management

Often boards consume themselves with monitoring “non-strategic” trends and performance metrics. Why is that a concern? If strategy and guidance create the environment for success, monitoring the wrong things risks shifting organizational focus - often at the expense of good strategy. In this session we’ll explore how to monitor management in a way that reinforces strategic momentum without sacrificing safety and soundness.  

Board Responsibilities and Skills: Accountability

As cooperative entities the boards of credit unions are accountable to members - but how does that accountability manifest itself in specific responsibilities? In this session we’ll highlight the responsibilities that specifically relate to cooperative accountability, and explore how to live up to the responsibilities through specific board action and focus.

Roundtable

No gathering of intelligent, mindful credit union leaders should be allowed to conclude without the sharing of ideas, best practices, and insights that help strengthen the credit union movement. In this roundtable session we’ll break into small groups to share and discuss the governance topics covered during the conference, or even issues of specific concern to your small group table. We’ll end with a large group reflection of roundtable discussions.