PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas–Members of the Global Women’s Leadership Network heard from three women who gave different perspectives on leadership and teamwork during a workshop held in conjunction with the World Credit Union Conference here.
Erin Wolf, managing partner at SuiteTrack, gave a presentation entitled “Teamwork: Giving and Receiving Feedback,” while two executives from CO-OP Financial Services also addressed the group. CO-OP Chief People Officer Cheryl Middleton-Jones discussed the skills necessary for successful networking, while Chief Experience Officer Samantha Paxson talked about shifting leadership norms by embracing traits once seen as detrimental to leadership.
"When I was young and starting out in business I was told to keep my head down and take direction,” said Paxson. “But what I found was, when I was authentically myself and I sought to understand the people that work around me, or beside me—the product team, the sales team—the more I thought about creative ways to help solve their problems, the more I personally moved up and the more challenges I was able to solve for my company..”
Paxson also urged executives in the audience to move away from an exclusive approach to leadership, to one that's more humanistic and inclusive.
Diversity & Inclusion Network
Members of the GWLN also joined with members of the World Young CU Professionals (WYCUP) Organization to participatein a Diversity & Inclusion Networking Luncheon that featured Seattle Credit Union Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tonita Webb as keynote speaker.
Webb took a deep dive into diversity and inclusion programs, saying they're easy for credit unions to talk about and plan for—but often very difficult to implement.
"If you have a diversity and inclusion program, and you’re not addressing implicit bias and microaggressions, you’re going to have people leave," said Webb.
Webb encouraged credit union employees to push for programs that ensure women and minorities can feel safe to talk about those issues, because full diversity, inclusion and equity is only possible once that happens.