The last few years have been very interesting to comment on thenews and, while some things have slowed down now is no different.Many issues from credit union management to matters in Washingtoncontinue to evolve and deserve commentary.

The more modern, horizontal org charts for credit unions andother businesses have done wonders for giving more people a voicein the operations of their business and allowed more ideas andinnovation to move uphill. At the same time, some are discoveringthat employing vice presidents along various verticals creates avoid for successors at the top.

I understand this concern but I also believe that leadership isleadership, whether it's overseeing the lending program or theentire credit union. Some people have it, some people develop itand some won't.

But many of the skills employees learn on their jobs below theCEO position and in their lives that seemingly have nothing to dowith, for example, a balance sheet are transferable to other,higher positions.

Current leadership has the responsibility to clearly explain thecredit union's overall strategy and everyone's part in it. Not onlydoes it allow employees to feel a part of something, but thistrains their minds to see the bigger picture and all themoving parts within it.

At some point in every CEO's career it was their first time as aCEO. Credit unions and others need to be willing to take a chance,provided proper groundwork is present in a candidate's résumé. AsDavid Hilton notes in our page 1 story on the subject in our Feb. 1edition, nearly all of the CEOs at credit unions over $100 millionin assets are expected to retire in the next 10 years.

There's still some time to mentor the next generation ofleaders, so don't miss out on the opportunity. Executivedevelopment of employees should be a part of every credit union'sstrategic plan.

On the NCUA front, the administration has not yet receivedSenate confirmation for Carla Decker as its nominee to replace GigiHyland on the NCUA board. There are a couple of roadblocks asidefrom negative information obtained and reported by Credit UnionTimes, though at least one new name for a candidate hassurfaced.

It's probable that during an election year, particularly one ascontentious as 2012 is already shaping up, Democratic appointmentswill be few and far between as Republicans hope to take back theWhite House. However, a seat on the NCUA board is not so visible asto cause too much of a flare up.

On the other hand, these approvals are typically made in pairsand open seats at the better-known and more prestigious FDIC thatan NCUA nominee could be paired with, as is the common practice,might make the GOP less likely to allow action. Still, thedebatable recess appointment of Richard Cordray to the ConsumerFinancial Protection Bureau is in the backs of all Republicans'minds.

It's very possible that Hyland will maintain the seat for a gooddeal longer if she wishes. Former NCUA Chairman Dennis Dollar left the NCUA board a year beyondwhen his six-year term ended and it still took more than 18 monthsfor the vacancy to be filled. Given all the issues before anyadministration, including personnel appointment, the NCUA board isnot a high priority.

After Debbie Matz resigned her seat in 2005 at her previous tenure,also serving beyond her term, the NCUA board was left with onlythen-Chairman JoAnn Johnson serving on the board.

In other news, board assessments were of such interest at therecent volunteer institute (see coverage, pages 6-7 in our Feb.1 edition) the session attracted half or more of the totalattendees during a time slot when two other sessions were takingplace. A repeat of the session later in the day attracted nearly asmany. Volunteer comments and questions on performing boardassessments were diverse and constant throughout the session.

The high attendance was a good sign, but what really struck mewas the fact that only a few in the session I attended said theyperformed assessments of their volunteers at all. Reasons variedfrom not knowing where to find good resources for an assessment tonot wanting to offend.

First, I'd note that the credit union community is a cooperativeone and I would imagine another credit union in a similar situationwith comparable goals would share theirs. The fact no one seemed tothink of cooperating on something as simple as this bothered me.There are also several resources from the trade associations tovendors that can provide this type of information. Anything can bea starting point if a credit union really wants to perform anassessment.

Additionally, it's very important for everyone in life to beable to take constructive criticism. As long as the assessments arerespectful and results are treated with dignity, if some volunteersare afraid of or don't like the results, that should not be thecredit union's problem. If boards do not assess where they are,it's difficult to determine how to move the board or theinstitution forward. That is, after all, the board's duty.

Email comments to [email protected].