CUYLM Chair: Reflections on COVID-19 Leadership Experience
Coming into 2020, I was excited for what the year would bring. There were countless changes coming into my life. My wife is pregnant, we had recently moved to a new community, and we were excited to meet and interact with our new neighbors. And the Jets were on the edge of the playoff picture! Then, the COVID-19 health crisis began to unfold around the world. By the middle of March, we were seeing and feeling the impacts of the global pandemic in some form.
As leaders, we found ourselves immersed in a new world of daily meetings focused on new scenarios. We made plans to ensure the health and well-being of our employees and members, and worked on new methods of delivering service and working together. As I reflect on my experience as a leader navigating these uncharted waters over the past few months, here are some personal takeaways I would like to share.
1. The pandemic has affected everyone in a different way
As the health, financial, and other impacts of the pandemic began to unfold, I realized the importance of prioritizing mental health and well-being. Faced with new situations and uncertainty, we were all experiencing stress in various ways. For example, we heeded public health advice and refrained from visiting loved ones to prioritize everyone’s safety. As for many of you, this affected me personally, as I have people in my life who are on a timeline and I am not sure how long that timeline is.
Knowing that everyone was faced with new challenges, I wanted to ensure CUYLM committee members were putting their mental well-being above all else, and decided to cancel our regularly scheduled monthly call. We encouraged committee members to lean on one another for support and advice on how to manage new situations at work and at home. We prioritized supporting our families, loved ones, members and communities.
2. Our capacity to change and adapt is greater that we think.
From virtual meetings to e-signatures and having employees work from home, things changed very quickly in a matter of days. I am the type of person who always questions why things are done the way they are done. Earlier this winter my father and I went on an ice fishing trip. I stopped at four establishments in search of a fishing licence and asked myself, ‘why can’t I purchase a fishing licence online?’ Adapting to the pandemic meant embracing virtual technology across many industries, and guess what? You can now purchase a fishing licence online.
Our committee re-connected (virtually) after a brief pause, and we, too, needed to adapt. Our first virtual meeting was a great stress relief as we caught up, joked around, and heard perspectives on how credit unions were adapting to the new environment. It wasn’t long before we realized that we would need to find new ways of delivering experiences that were traditionally delivered as large, in-person events, which seem to be a distant memory. Our challenge: re-think the Think Tank that was planned for early June!
CUYLM hosts events like these to inspire, connect, and engage with young leaders in the credit union system. I am a credit union nerd through and through, and thoroughly enjoy meeting and getting to know young leaders at these events.
The committee started brainstorming, and it wasn’t long before we were on the path of something completely new. We are still working out the details, but Manitoba young leaders can expect to hear more about the chance to engage with us in a new way in the fall of 2020!
3. Cherish the connections in your life.
I used to come home after a long workweek, exhausted, and ready to relax. Then, my wife would say “we are meeting with so and so tonight”. After a long week, I would have much rather stayed in for the evening. Now, after being stuck at home, I crave that human interaction. I took those times for granted. Connecting with others is one of the great joys in life. Looking forward, I know I will cherish the times with friends, family, co-workers, and new acquaintances.
While working with CUYLM and in the credit union system I have had the opportunity to meet and connect with so many amazing people across Manitoba and Canada. This new website was designed as a place to encourage those important connections. It is a place where credit union employees can read, learn, and engage with other system leaders. We are stronger together.
As a committee, we are challenging ourselves to get creative, not be scared to fail, and to try new things, while delivering engaging and relevant content to our supporters. We have been able to deliver on important items as set out in our strategic plan (like our bursary program and this new website), despite working in uncharted territory.
I want to send a huge shout out to Credit Union Central of Manitoba and CUYLM Executive Committee member Carla Toews for being instrumental in the new website design. Thank you!
We have a number of exciting things planned for the year ahead, so please subscribe to our mailing list, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook accounts for updates!
Cheers,
Bradley McEachern