Credit union conferences are a curious thing. They're greatnetworking opportunities for executives and can provide educationfor those seeking it.

At CUNA's America's Credit Union Conference last week, Tom Peters was great as the crotchety old business guru tellingcredit unions what they need to do and not do. He appeared torelish the role and made some good points. I think he took everyonethere down a notch without them knowing it when he essentially toldattendees that they don't work anymore.

The reason they were able to attend conferences was because allof the people back home were keeping the lights on without thoseindividuals in the audience. The attendees–the top executive inother words–should consider themselves working for those on thefrontlines and not the other way around.

Personally his remarks on the superiority of women at getting people to work better to achieve goals, ratherthan merely obtain power, were dead on. This can only improvecredit unions and every business into the future as more and morewomen earn advanced degrees and rise up through the ranks. (Theidea that the United States, this bastion of freedom and democracythat teaches everyone they can be whatever they want to be whenthey grow up, has never had a female leader is appalling.) The keyis balance, and credit union data indicates that they are pushingthe needle in the right direction.

However, the remarks also drew groans of “We all know this” and“This is common sense.” Well, yes.

But as another keynoter, Shawn Achor, said, “Common sense is not common action.” Ifeveryone would just follow simple rules like treating youremployees well, these gurus would all be out of business. Whatexecutives bottom-up and top-down need to do is just execute. It ispart of the job title.

Achor, who spoke on “The Happiness Advantage,” explained how thebrain works when you're happy versus when you're not. All of thiswas well and good, and Achor was an excellent presenter and a goodjuxtaposition against Peters, but there weren't any real takeawaysfrom the session. Happier people are less stressed and morecreative and productive. And he admitted this was common sense, butcommon sense doesn't lead to common action.

So perhaps that is the takeaway from his session. You know youshould take time to smell the roses, quit smoking, lose weight orwhatever your sin, but most of the time people won't. For example,I knew I shouldn't have accepted two conference call invites onCredit Union Times' production day because it ends up stressing meand others out (hat tip to Managing Editor Donald Shoultz), but Ihad to. At least in my own mind.

Many of us do these kinds of things all the time that we knoware detrimental–common sense does not lead to common action. Wouldmore people know about credit unions if more credit unionprofessionals, volunteers and members talked about credit unionsand in a more unified way? Of course. Do we? No. Why? Theconference calls get in the way of the real work that needs to bedone.

Bill Cheney announced from the stage at ACUC opening sessionthat CUNA is working on a more focused and unified message forcredit unions to communicate with consumers. So far the program isshort on details, but the example provided, that credit unions savefamilies $150 a piece, brought credit unions' value to members'wallets. Good common sense will tell you to highlight what mattersto consumers, in this case their credit unions' budget impact, butcredit unions have been reticent to step forth with the commonaction and execution of a communication strategy with an integratedtheme.

While this effort and execution has been desperately needed fordecades (dare I say even a century?) on the coattails of BankTransfer Day is a perfect time. Transfer Day provided a greatboost to credit union membership, and yes for some even loans, butthat grassroots event is done. What are credit unions going to dofor themselves?

Executives will be happier in the bigger picture if they takethe time to look at the bigger picture by helping to execute anational campaign bolstering credit unions, which would includeserving their employees and making them happier so they're moreproductive and creative and better serving members.

All the words CUNA can come up with don't mean anything ifcredit unions–the ones on the frontlines with consumers–don'tcontinue to back up the people helping people promise withsubstance. Credit unions must realize that the help people need haschanged and the credit union must change with it.