Whenever I think of the term “crossroads,” I think about thefinal scene in the Tom Hanks movie “Cast Away.”

Those of you who have seen the film will remember that afterbeing trapped on an island after a plane crash, Hanks' character,Chuck Noland is finally rescued and returns to his life inMemphis.

When he arrives, he learns that his fiancée (whom he hasn't seenin years) has married and has a child. Noland was declared legallydead after being missing for so long. Chuck is left at a“crossroads” – two intersecting roads (paths) which go in all fourdirections. The movie ends with Noland standing smack in the middlecontemplating his next move.

OK – so this isn't a movie review but I think that the finalscene in “Cast Away” provides a pretty good image (metaphoricallyspeaking) of what I want to write about in this post.

It's no secret that the credit union industry has benefited fromthe “hiccups” that big banks are experiencing. Overall membershipis up and last quarter's industry financials were some of the bestever reported. When an organization experiences this kind ofgrowth, or stagnation, it often finds itself at a crossroads.Credit unions are no different.

Since our industry is ever-evolving, credit unions must continueto improve and create additional value. Let's compare this to apersonal crossroads that you may have experienced in your life –you may have felt anxious, unsure, apprehensive, excited, nervous,elated, etc. all at the same time!

For many credit unions, there is certainly that crossroads-typeof feeling. Through my discussions with credit union leaders andexecutives, I find myself suggesting that they start asking somechallenging questions. Too often, management personnel (at alllevels) find themselves dealing with minutia and nonsense insteadof strategizing, planning, and thinking.

Here are some examples of the crossroads questions that Iencourage my clients to ask:

• Where are we going as an organization?
• Who do we want to serve?
• Who are we and are we effectively communicating our brand?
• Do we need to re-brand ourselves to create more awarenessin the communities we serve?
• What are we willing to risk?
• What are we not willing to give up or change?
• Do we have the proper infrastructure in place for what we wantto achieve?
• Do we have top-notch talent working at our organization?
• Can we make tough decisions regarding non-productiveemployees?
• What are the things that are holding us back?
• Are we committed to fixing what is broken and improving uponwhat is not?
• Are we fully committed to the steps that we havedecided to take?

Being at a crossroads can seem overwhelming and rightly so. Butone of the truest measures of personal, organizational, orprofessional success is this: when you find yourselves at acrossroads, will you have the fortitude to ask toughquestions … and will you have the courage to answerthem?

Sean McDonald ispresident of Your Full PotentialLLC in Bloomfield, N.J.