In April, young leaders from across the Manitoba credit union system gathered for CUYLM’s 2024 conference—a transformative event designed to explore leadership concepts and provide valuable networking opportunities within the system.

As part of our commitment to continuous growth and learning, a survey was conducted among attendees to capture their experiences, challenges, and aspirations within the credit union system.

The results are both inspiring and insightful, shedding light on the unique journeys of our emerging leaders. We are excited to share some of the key findings from this survey below. These insights not only highlight the collective strengths and areas for improvement, but also pave the way for future initiatives aimed at empowering the next generation of credit union leaders.

Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn to learn about upcoming CUYLM initiatives and our Executive Committee recruitment this fall. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to us.

CUYLM's 2024 Conference Find Your Why: Contextualizing Leadership will take place on Thursday, April 25 (10:00 AM - 4:30 PM) and Friday, April 26 (8:00 AM - 4:00 PM) at the Norwood Hotel in Winnipeg.

The conference is designed exclusively for young leaders (age 40 and under) in the Manitoba credit union system.

We’re very excited to welcome international public speaker Jennifer Barroll (a.k.a. Jenny B), local leadership consultants from Homefield People & Strategy, and CEO of Credit Union Central of Manitoba, Curtis Wennberg! In addition to our interactive program, an exclusive networking event will take place on Thursday evening at the Norwood Hotel beginning at 7:00 PM.

We’re also pleased to offer professional headshots on Thursday morning at no additional cost, which will be optional for conference attendees. 

Visit our conference page for more information. Deadline to register is Friday, April 5, 2024.

April 28-29, Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre, Brandon, Manitoba

Credit Union Young Leaders of Manitoba (CUYLM) is pleased to announce that registration is open for our 2022 conference 'All In: Betting on Yourself'.

REGISTER NOW!

Conference highlights:

• Focus on accountability and betting on yourself

• Embark on a personal journey, learning deliberate actions you can implement to help revitalize yourself to bring the best in yourself both professionally and personally

• Participate in an interactive program facilitated by prominent keynote speaker Stephanie Staples

• Opportunity to hear from Curtis Wennberg, President & CEO of Credit Union Central of Manitoba on the State of the Manitoba Credit Union System

• Network with other young leaders within the system

• And so much more!

A networking event is also included. Please let us know if you're attending (via the conference registration form) so we can save you a spot!
 
Please visit our conference page to learn more!

Deadline to register:
Registration closes Friday, March 25, 2022. Space is limited, reserve your spot today!

Questions:
If you have questions about the conference, please contact CUYLM at cuylm@cucm.org. 

CONVINCE YOUR BOSS TO SEND YOU TO A CONFERENCE

Conferences are an important way to learn new skills and strategies and make new connections. The trouble is that most of us don’t have the authority or freedom to send ourselves to conferences. That decision usually lies with a manager. To attend a conference, you need to do your research, present the benefits, and make it easy for your boss to say “yes.” Here’s some tips on how to make your case. Read Entire Article Here

GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR EXPERIENCE

There are a lot of benefits of attending conferences in addition to networking and listening to speakers. Here are some tips to help you use conferences to achieve personal, professional, and business goals. Read Entire Article Here.

LEVERAGE YOUR LEARNING: HOLD A POST-CONFERENCE DEBRIEF

Many benefits are lost when the conference ends because participants don’t take what they learned back to their teams. Position yourself as a leader by creating an informative proposal to share your findings. Read Entire Article Here

FOLLOW UP, CONNECT AND PERSONALISE

Actively follow up with fellow attendees and stakeholders via professional social platforms as well as emails to help maintain the connections you made. These very same connections can prove to be invaluable in the future. Read Entire Article Here:

HELP YOUR ENTIRE WORKPLACE BENEFIT

When it comes to conferences, a better slogan would be, “What happens in Vegas should NOT stay in Vegas.” If you’re one of the fortunate people from your organization to attend a professional conference, how can you bring it back to the workplace so everyone can benefit? Read Entire Article Here.

MAKING THE MOST OF WHAT YOU LEARNED

Going to a conference is always exciting and inspiring. Speakers will share tons of ideas and attendees will often finish the day feeling ready to try a lot of new things. Here’s some tips for making the most of what you learned. Read Entire Article Here.

The 2019 CUYLM Conference (Discovery: Next Generation Leadership) brought together over 90 Young Leaders representing credit unions and system partners from throughout Manitoba for a busy day-and-a-half of learning, self-discovery and networking.

The conference opened with the State of the Manitoba Credit Union System address delivered by Garth Manness of CUCM. Manness touched on the economic picture for Manitoban credit unions, regulatory modernization, the evolving expectations of members, new credit union competitors, and other challenges and opportunities credit unions face going forward. He emphasized that Young Leaders are in a unique position right now to bring new perspectives and mindsets that will be of value to their credit unions as they bridge to the future.

Barry Christiansen introduced Young Leaders to Insights Discovery, a psychometric tool that helped attendees discover their preferred communication styles, strengths and value they bring to a team. Each Young Leader received a personal profile filled with detailed comments about their leadership style and tips for development. After reviewing their profiles, attendees engaged in a series of interactive activities designed to put their new knowledge and awareness into practice.

The conversations continued at Torque Brewery, where Young Leaders had the opportunity to make new friends and connections, take a tour of the brewery, and have some fun.

The Human Library session was an opportunity for Young Leaders to meet with experienced mentors from the credit union system and ask questions. In small groups, attendees took turns conversing with twelve mentors (Executives from the credit union system). The room was filled with lively conversation as learnings and ideas were exchanged.

To wrap up the conference, attendees worked in small groups to tackle some of the challenges facing the credit union system and brainstorm possible approaches to them. Some of the challenges attendees looked at were the changing workforce and necessity of new skillsets, developments in the regulatory environment, new competitors moving into the banking space, and ways credit unions could collaborate even though many are moving in different directions. Afterward, Young Leaders made short presentations about the ideas their groups had generated.

There were many valuable takeaways from the conference. Attendees left with plenty of new ideas and perspectives to consider, a bigger picture of the credit union system and its future, and a deeper understanding of leadership and strengthening relations, and connections to other driven and inspired Young Leaders throughout the system.

Members of CUYLM had the opportunity to attend the National Young Leaders CU NEXTGEN session, part of CCUA’s National Conference for Canada’s Credit Unions in Winnipeg on May 5-6, 2019, along with other young leaders from across Canada.

CU NEXTGEN, designed exclusively for credit union young leaders, was a 1.5 day session that emphasized skill development, knowledge application and networking opportunities, and featured speaker Drew Dudley, of Day One Leadership.

Called one of the most inspirational TED speakers in the world, Drew Dudley is on a mission to help people discover the leader within. With more than five million views, his TED talk “Everyday Leadership (The Lollipop Moment)” redefined leadership — it’s not a characteristic of an elite few, but one that lives within all of us. Through his high-energy talks, Dudley shares practical and actionable insights on creating cultures of leadership that lead to higher levels of pride, productivity, and happiness. He empowers audiences to believe that they are leaders and gives them the tools needed to make a difference.

Drew guided participants through a deep dive of six key leadership values, and presented ‘The Leadership Test’ - an easy-to-apply approach to consistently engage in positive leadership behaviours. Key values Drew explored were: impact, growth, courage, empowerment, class and self respect.

Members of CUYLM attended the Credit Union Managers Association (CUMAM) conference in Winnipeg and hosted a booth at the conference trade show to survey conference attendees. They asked attendees what advice they would give to young leaders looking to break through to the next level of their career, about personal breakthrough moments they have had, and how they encourage “breakthroughs” in their team.

We caught up with Rachelle Nato, Marie McKean and Candice Bradley of CUYLM to find out how their day went at the conference.

Q: Was this your first time at CUMAM?
Rachelle: Yes! I was very excited to be part of the CUMAM conference.

Q: What was the vibe in the booth?
Marie: Great atmosphere, the people stopping by were great to talk to.
Candice: Very upbeat and positive. Lots of great conversation.

Q: What was your favourite part of the trade show experience?
Rachelle: I loved how busy our booth was! People were coming to say hi. I got to see CUYLM alumni as well as meet new people.
Marie: Getting to talk to other people in the system and listening to their advice. And, of course, getting to meet up with other CUYLM members.

Q: Did you see some familiar faces?
Rachelle: All CUYLM alumni made a point to come to our booth and say hi.
Candice: Yes! It was so great to catch up with so many people I’ve met at other system events!

Q: What are your favourite comments?
Marie: Take the good with the bad. Every moment is an opportunity for growth. Get involved, observe… everyone is a coach. Take what resonated with you and run with it.
Candice: Don’t be afraid to take chances and go outside your comfort zone.

Q: Did you learn anything new from this experience?
Rachelle: Credit union managers and executives are happy to share their knowledge. I love that our booth made them think. I can’t wait to share the info with our membership!
Candice: Just reinforces how glad I am to be part of the credit union system!

Here are the comments collected from the CUYLM booth:

Question 1: What advice could you give to a young leader looking to break through to the next level of their career?

1. Take the good with the bad! Every moment is an opportunity for growth!  (Natalie B., CCCU)

2. Be open to feedback and advice given by others. (Marie McKean, Westoba)

3. Don’t wait for opportunity or the perfect time. Seek it out and take control.  (Cora, Sunova)

4. Never give up, keep going. (Vicki, CCCU)

5. Be true to yourself about your goals and values. Pursuing a career path with those in mind will help enthusiasm shine through. (Lisa Prays, Cambrian)

6. It won’t get done for you so you need to take ownership and make it happen by talking to your boss, networking and continuing to add to your toolbox. (Bennie, CFG)

7. Keep learning and trying new things. (Jody, Noventis)

8. Take an active roll to meet many people within the system. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and get out of your comfort area. (Tyler Booker, Fusion)

9. Always volunteer to take on that task that no one wants. (Norman Neil, Westoba)

10. Get involved, observe. Everyone is a coach. Take what resonated with you and run with it. (Jen, Sunrise)

11. Set long and short term goals and communicate to your organization what they are! (Leanne, Stride)

12. Don’t be afraid to take changes. Believe in yourself! (Lavonne Tyschinski, Fusion)

13. Try! Ask! Go outside your comfort zone. (Amanda, Noventis)

14. I would advise to keep curious, ask questions, experiment, share your ides and forge forward. (Anonymous)

15. Always keep your eyes and ears open to opportunities. (Rachelle Nato, Caisse)

16. Be patient and be willing to take on additional responsibilities or be a team supporter to show all the skills and competence you offer. (Marcel Gauvin, Caisse Financial Group)

17. Take a chance. (Justin, CCCU)

18. Be you.  Learn everyday.  Listen, listen, listen! (Lindsay Hextall, Westoba)

19. Network and be humble. (Shahani, Westoba)

20. It doesn’t have to be a straight line as you progress through your career.  (Mike Brolund, Sunrise)

21. Get involved in your organization. Absorb as much info as you can from experienced peers. Challenge yourself. (Brent Budz, Stride)

22. Ask Questions, continually learn. Be confident in yourself! (Leanne DeGrave, Stride)

23. Always be willing to take on any challenge, whether you see them as small or large – you never know who is watching or what the result will be!  (Sarah Ferguson, Westoba)

24. Ask questions and learn as much as you can about every area of the organization. (Leanne, Fusion)

25. Always be willing to learn and try new things. (Mona W., Cambrian)

Question 2: What has been a breakthrough moment in your own career?

1. Never get comfortable – comfort zones change too. (Trevor K, Stride)

2. Great management empowering me and leading me. (Patti McEvoy, Westoba)

3. Taking on a project no one else would do. (Dave Hyde, Westoba)

4. When my manager believed in me and supported me in achieving my goal to transition to a management position. (Kim S., Assiniboine)

5. Discovering the value of empowering other. (Rob U., Access)

6. Finding an inspirational mentor in the industry. (Brittany Gulowaty, CUCM)

7. The moment I realized I was worthy! Take time for yourself. Health comes first. (Nicole, Steinbach)

8. Learning to share knowledge! (Sherri, Cambrian)

9. Having the courage to step outside my comfort zone and challenging myself to take on a new role that forced me to learn and grow. (Leiha Fiddler, CUES)

10. Applied for a position I didn’t think I’d get. (Debbie, Sunova)

11. Mergers! (Trent H., Fusion)

12. Getting involved in the Young leader’s movement through the National Young Leader award! It sparked a passion for the development of the broader CU system that I would not have otherwise had! (Amie, CUCM)

13. Leaving the security of a full-time role for a 1-year term working for the executive team. (Brent, Steinbach)

Question 3: How do you encourage “breakthroughs” in your teams?

1. Great communication and innovative ideas! (Kathy, Noventis)

2. Encourage that no idea is a bad idea. (Nicole, Cambrian)

3. Give them an open platform and allow them to collaborate. (Leanne, Sunrise)

4. Don’t let perfection stand in the way of good enough. (Tayona, Sunrise)

5. Encourage all team members to communicate ideas – no matter positions or experience. (Terry, Minnedosa)

CUYLM was fortunate enough to have four of its committee members attend the CUNextGEN Intensive as part of the National Credit Union Conference in Toronto that took place April 29-May 1.

The CUNextGen started early Sunday morning at 7 am with breakfast and registration. Attendees were assigned to tables with 6-7 other young leaders from across the country. Megan Mitchell facilitated a workshop labelled “The Art of the Possible”, which was designed to teach us how to increase our creative influence and effectiveness! Megan tasked each table with their own question where Young Leaders spent the remainder of the day using the “FourSight Framework” as a process to follow and ultimately come up with a solution to the question given at the beginning of the day. It was great to learn about the 4-step process, then to put it altogether:

• Clarify - Identifying the Challenge

• Ideate - Generating Ideas

• Develop - Turning Ideas into Solutions

• Implement - Making it Happen

Each group was tasked to use the “FourSight Framework” to come up with a solution to the question they had been assigned, and then presented the solution to the rest of the group on Day 2. Given the short amount of time to prepare for the presentations, it was amazing to see what each group came up with as a final product! It definitely goes to show how passionate and creative our Young Leaders are from across the country.

At the end of day 1, we had the opportunity to take part in a “Human Library”. Each of us had the opportunity to pre-select five industry leaders who we wanted to learn more about – with a rotation every 20 minutes. It was interesting to hear their ideas and perspectives on all the ongoing opportunities the CU system is facing. Some of the questions asked were:

• How is your credit union dealing with the notion that CU’s are turning into banks?

• How do you see the CU System in 5 years?

• What has your career path looked like to get to where you are today?

Over the course of the 2 days, we had many chances to network with other Young Leaders and meet people from all across the country. It was a fantastic experience to connect with people and to share perspectives and ideas.

Overall, this experience made you realize that every credit union has its challenges, and there are so many bright minds within the CU System. It was exciting to see how many people are so passionate about helping members with their finances, and ultimately want to provide them with the best service possible. It was mind-blowing and exciting to see the BIG ideas that so many of these young leaders have. It makes you us feel good about going back to our individual CUs and getting more involved to make a greater impact.

CUYLM is offering a similar workshop on May 17, as our annual “Think Tank”. We encourage all Young Leaders to get involved and be part of the future of the CU System.

2018 CUYLM Committee Members,

Brad
Marie
Kevin
Shellyna

Shellyna Lipic and Kevin Baun, CUYLM’s Executive Committee Chair and Vice Chair, had the opportunity to represent CUYLM at the Credit Union Central of Manitoba (CUCM) conference in Brandon on March 22nd, as well as at the University of Winnipeg’s Co-Op class that same evening, which made for a very busy day!

Credit Union Central of Manitoba

Shellyna and Kevin were able to mix and mingle with executives from Credit Unions across Manitoba, discussing and challenging interesting topics that are relevant across the Credit Union system.

The topic that our Chair and Vice-Chair discussed in their group was “What is one assumption we have that we should challenge, and what that would look like?”.

The solutions the group came up with aligned greatly with CUYLM’s own initiatives: Empower existing staff, provide financial literacy, and promote co-operative awareness in the community.

Shellyna did a fantastic job representing CUYLM by speaking for our group’s challenge and solution at the podium for all to hear.

The audience also had the opportunity to hear David Dern of www.cdfcanada.coop. We are going to be in touch with him about opportunities for young leaders to make a difference outside of MB (stay tuned).

University of Winnipeg – Co-Op Class

Shellyna and Kevin also met with other credit unions and co-operatives to share who we are, as CUYLM, our mission statement, and our background. We heard from the students on their own innovative co-operative ideas.

The night finished with mingling, asking and answering questions, and encouraging students to seek out their local credit union for a career path.

By Joty Bath, James Grosskopf, and Rachel Tripp.

In May, 2017, the three winners of CUYLM’s Big Idea Challenge had the opportunity to attend the National Young Leaders Conference (NYL) in Halifax, Nova Scotia as the prize for their winning entry. Here is what the three Young Leaders from Westoba Credit Union had to say about their experience at the NYL Conference.

“What we found was the most refreshing attending the NYL conference was that we had the chance to speak about relevant Credit Union challenges with other passionate Credit Union employees and come up with solutions together. It doesn’t matter if you are from the East Coast, West Coast, or anywhere in between – we all face the same challenges.

The guest speakers had a fantastic way of getting the entire group engaged and kept up the group interactions as well. If you are looking for a way to make a difference in our Credit Union System – attending the NYL conference is sure a great way to start! Our biggest takeaway was the networking opportunities with like minded Credit Union Young Leaders. It’s amazing to be surrounded by so many people who are passionate about doing what’s best for our members.

The guest speakers were all phenomenal; they focused on very relevant issues that we experience daily. It’s incredibly reassuring to see that the Credit Union system is so aware of the challenges we face and that we are ready to tackle whatever comes our way. Lastly, we did also get to have a lot of fun out there!”

On April 6 & 7, 2017, 80 Young Leaders from credit unions across Manitoba gathered for the 3rd Credit Union Young Leaders of Manitoba Conference at the Holiday Inn Airport West in Winnipeg. Attendees were invited to “Be the Change” – to learn to lead self, and in turn inspire others.

The conference kicked off with a keynote session from Stephanie Staples, a local motivational speaker who challenged us to “Bring Your ‘A’ Game to Work and Life”. She emphasized the importance of self-care leading to success, striving to make small continuous improvements in life, and learning that positivity is infectious.

Garth Manness, CEO of Credit Union Central of Manitoba, spoke about the state of the credit union system provincially and federally, including the good health of Manitoba’s credit unions, the importance of keeping up with technology, and the importance of reaching millennials as we seek to grow our membership base. He also discussed trends in the financial services industry, and upcoming system challenges that we as credit unions will need to collaborate on.

On Thursday evening we heard from a panel of four credit union senior leaders on their “Leadership Perspectives on Change”. The panel consisted of Lesia Gojan-Klein, former CUYLM Chair and Branch Manager at Carpathia Credit Union, Richard Derenewski, President of the Board of Directors at Catalyst Credit Union, Christina Semaniuk, Vice-President, Human Resources at Cambrian Credit Union, and Martin Trudeau, CEO of Belgian-Alliance Credit Union. We thank our four panelists for sharing their wisdom with us!

Rounding out Thursday evening was a fun, interactive networking event of team trivia challenges provided by Canadian Outback Adventures. The event was a great way to meet other young leaders and decompress from a day full of learning.

Friday was an opportunity to learn from Sandra McDowell, author, speaker, and VP of Communications and Culture for First Credit Union. Sandra led two workshops focused on “Building Leadership Strength from the Inside Out” by focusing on neuroleadership principles, emotional intelligence, and leadership best practices.

Finally, participants worked in functional area groups to brainstorm ways to move their roles from “transactional” to “transformational”, so we can apply our learning at our credit unions when we return to work.

Thank-you to our emcee Julene Toews-Dewis who facilitated those discussions, and did an amazing job in leading us through the conference. Thank you to our sponsors, our speakers, the CUYLM Committee for all your hard work, each attendee for your participation, and the credit unions who sent you, for your support.

Stay tuned for ways to continue learning and growing from CUYLM! Did you miss our “Be the Change” Conference? Not to worry – we will be hearing from Sandra McDowell in a two-part webinar series this fall, and everyone is invited to attend!

Thank you so much to all of you who attended the 2015 Ignite conference and for taking the time to complete the post conference survey. We CUYLM take your feedback and recommendations into consideration when planning events or preparing communications so thank you!

Your stand-out “favourite” take-away/activities from the conference:

• 4D-I Assessments

• Re-framing/keeping positive outlook

• Networking & Collaborating

• Solutions Box- Working through leadership challenges with advice from peers

Here are some of the things you said…

• “CUYLM made me proud to be a part of the MB Credit Union System”

• “I made lots of new contacts”

• “Lots of positive thinking and positive attitudes”

Thoughts for Young Leaders – Presented at Ignite 2015 CUYLM Conference by Garth Manness, CEO of Credit Union Central of Manitoba:

• Learn the business

• Make sure you understand the drivers

• Ask questions

• Seek first to understand – then to be understood

• Challenge what sets co-operatives apart

• Don’t let others create your perspective

• Let your energy infect

• Respect/positivity/energy/passion and hard work

• Identify problems – but offer solutions

• Vision/Action/Execution

Credit Union Young Leaders of Manitoba held our inaugural conference in Winnipeg, MB on November 26 & 27, 2013. During the intensive two days, we had the opportunity to meet many other young leaders with the assistance of David Gouthro, the host of the event.

Bob Lafond spoke on behalf of CUCM and he gave us the opportunity to recommend changes to current and anticipated challenges facing the MB credit union system. The CUYLM committee will be presenting at the CUCM systems meeting on May 14, 2014.

Terry Brock presented on opportunities to leverage social media to build essential member relationships in the digital age.

CUYLM along with Terry Brock and David Gouthro hosted pre and post webinars on utilizing technology. Also a panel of leaders shared with us their experiences and the importance of developing young leaders in the credit union system.

We thank our sponsors and all our attendees for the success of our inaugural conference and we look forward to planning our 2015 conference so we can further develop and strengthen our young leaders.