By Ray Birch
BOULDER CITY, Nev.—It was International Women’s Day Sunday, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
Inside the credit union movement, the advancement of women’s careers is being driven in part by efforts from the Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN) www.cuwomen.org, which is making strides in helping women advance in their credit union careers at all levels.
But helping women advance within the movement over the last 10 years since the GWLN was created would have been impossible without the help of men, said Susan Mitchell, volunteer chair for the GWLN.
The GWLN two years ago realized the organization needed a greater infusion of male members, recognizing the organization would not thrive being exclusive to women. In response, the organization launched the “He for She” movement within its network. Mitchell said she hopes to see the day—soon—when that number is much higher.
Getting Buy-In
“Why is it important for men to be part of GWLN? Our goal is to advance women in leadership positions, but in order to do that we understand it's a collective effort,” said Mitchell, who is also CEO of consulting firm Mitchell, Stankovic & Associates.
Susan Mitchell
“We know we have limited number of women CEOs running credit unions, especially the larger ones. In order for us to get more women to the C-Suite, and to get more women taking the next steps in their careers, we need to have buy-in and commitment from our male colleagues,” stressed Mitchell.
Mitchell said when the He for She movement began, the first three members were te World Council of Credit Unions President and CEO Brian Branch, CUNA President and CEO Jim Nussle, and her husband, Mike Stankovic.
The He for She movement has grown markedly since then, with men now representing about 15% of the roughly 3,000 GWLN individuals engaged worldwide.
Mitchell said the number of male GWLN members is growing fairly uniformly across the world, as they participate in the quickly growing number of GWLN Sister Societies, which recently surpassed 100 in total. Sister Societies are local GWLN chapters that now reach across the globe and have become key drivers of the Network.
The Goal
Mitchell said a goal of the He for She movement is to drive even greater participation from men in the Network.
“I'd like to see us raise male membership to someday have an equal number of men and women,” Mitchell said. “I’d like to have everyone in the movement—men and women—joining hands together to make a measurable difference. Many men occupy the corner suite, so we need them to not only advance women within their own organizations but also to get out, talk about and demonstrate the need for greater advancement of women within credit unions.”
Mitchell said the obstacles and challenges facing women in the advancement of their careers differ in the markets around the world in which credit unions operate. She noted in the U.S. women continue to be limited by the “glass ceiling” within professional ranks, while in some women in African nations are just seeking to be allowed to sit at the same table as men.
Expanding the Conversation
Brandi Stankovic, an organizational change expert, motivational speaker and author, and chief strategy officer with Michigan-based CU Solutions Group, said the one key aspect of the He for She movement is that it “expands the conversation.”
“It's making sure people recognize the inclusiveness of the discussion,” said Stankovic, who also serves as volunteer chair of the World Council Young Credit Union Professionals (WYCUP) program. “But you don't have to be a woman to be engaged with women in leadership and to be part of the GWLN.”
Stankovic said she will soon be advocating for the He for She movement internationally.
“This month I'll be taking the message on the road,” Stankovic explained. “We'll be speaking about He for She in Manchester, England, in March, and in different countries following that event. We want to create more inclusiveness around the world.”
Growing around the Globe
Brandi Stankovic
Stankovic said the He for She movement is leading to greater acceptance of and participation in GWLN across the globe.
“Acceptance and interest is expanding from the United States to other countries,” said Stankovic. “I think Joe Schroeder (CEO of Ventura County CU in Ventura County, Calf.) said it best. A year ago he was recognized at the GWLN breakfast in Washington and he said then he appreciated being recognized as being part of the Network. But what was most important is Joe said he looks forward to the day when men aren't recognized for supporting women in leadership, and that such participation from men is just commonplace.”
Lena Giakoumopoulos, GWLN program director at the World Council of Credit Unions, said the growth of men within the organization continues.
“I think what the He for She movement does is make it very clear the GWLN focus is about empowering women,” Giakoumopoulos said. “The point is to work alongside our male colleagues, and since we have opened membership up to men we have seen good growth in male members. We have more males attending our events and our conferences every year. In Texas, we have a male leader of our Sister Society there and a male leader also in our Nevada Sister Society. That’s important.”
‘We Have to Step Up’
Mitchell said men helping women to advance in their credit union careers remains critical, as many women leading credit unions are heading small shops. She said that could have a big impact on their retirement.
“Yes, we have many females leading credit unions, but they are low-asset-size CUs,” noted Mitchell. The problem with that is they're not making much money. They don't have a good retirement plan. And then they find themselves at their careers for 35-40 years without the means to support themselves, to retire after that. So we have to step up and take a stand that equal opportunity isn't just about today, it's about the future.”