MADISON, Wis.—More than 110 credit union women from five continents and 30 U.S. states joined with industry experts, thought leaders and one another to learn more about resiliency, inclusive leadership, accelerating tech and looking ahead to elevate impact together during the Global Women’s Leadership Network’s 2021 Executive Readiness Summit.
"Firsts are important because until they become normal we really need to raise the awareness that there aren’t enough women or diverse leadership teams," said Elissa McCarter LaBorde, who in August 2021 became the first woman to serve as president and CEO of the World Council of Credit Unions. "This group (GWLN) is actually one of the things that attracted me to World Council and to the Worldwide Foundation (for Credit Unions), the fact that there is this community of women, this attempt to really try to bring people together and effect change."
According to WOCCU, the 10 sessions over three days and included presenters such as Bryn Conway, Principal with BC Consulting; Melissa McCormick, CEO of MX3 Business Solutions, and Sandra McDowell, founder of the eLeadership Academy. Those sessions focused on personal and organizational resiliency, bouncing forward in challenging times, bias and the brain, and mindset shifts with negotiation skills, WOCCU reported.
Importance of ‘Resiliency’
“This idea of resiliency is important to understand because it is fluid and it is flexible and you can increase it over time," said Conway. "It's similar to our emotional intelligence, which can be developed over time. So, I think that's the wonderful thing that we can look at with this, is that we truly can strengthen our individual characteristics when it comes to resilience."
In a session on negotiation skills, McCormick provided a framework for attendees to learn and perfect the skill of collaborative negotiation where both parties win something of value, WOCCU said.
"We've got to fix our mindset. Everything is negotiable so we need to anticipate, visualize success, find our voice and get in the game," said McCormick. "Preparation and practice are key to getting those wins."
‘Commitment’ to Advancing Women
Along with individual presentations on leadership skills, WOCCU noted a diverse panel discussion featured leaders sharing professional journeys, insight and recommendations to attendees.
“Our domestic and international audiences showed their commitment to advancing women in society, engaging through the virtual Summit,” said Lena Giakoumopoulos, GWLN Program Director. “This shows us how important the work we do is. GWLN continues looking ahead and working collectively, inclusively and intentionally, focused on women's advancement in leadership and narrowing inequality gaps for women.”
The event was sponsored by CO-OP Financial Services, ALM First, CUNA Mutual Group, Kinecta Federal Credit Union, eLeadership Academy, and PSCU.