Who wants to be a CEO?
Posted by Ben Rogers on May 14th, 2009
That might not be the right reason to join the Filene Research Institute’s i3 group, but it sure doesn’t hurt. Since its launch in 2005, i3 has graduated 8 participants who went on to become credit union CEOs and 3 who went on to CEO fame elsewhere (at a state league and and two CUSOs). I’d be amazed if a few more didn’t make the same jump shortly. Wanna join?
Ambition aside, i3 tries to live the open source spirit. Everything the project puts out is available for any credit union to copy, er, use. It’s a lot of fun for us at Filene (road trip to Montreal anyone?), but because credit unions are collaborators at their core, and we just want a venue to turn talk into tasks and tasks into change.
Obviously we’d like you to apply, but I also want to make this a discussion board. I’ve invited past and present i3 ers to post their thoughts about the program here (that’s the shameless part). But we also want to hear from those of you who have been on the outside looking in: What’s working about the i3 program, and what could improve?
Okay, I see you tiny credit union people sitting there thinking that your CU is too small to send you to i3, so there is no need to apply…Well, I say, wait just one minute…I am from a 16 million dollar credit union in Maryland with 3 employees of which I am one! My involvement in the Filene i3 program connected me with some fantastic people (and some that I wish I would never see again, I joke, REALLY, I DO…). I have been able to call on anyone from i3 for whatever I need and they share their vast information with me. The networking is wonderful.
It is so easy to think that size matters (no comment needed), but in this case, it doesn’t. It is what you do with it…I mean, it is what you as an innovator that gets you noticed! I believe that my contributions within the i3 program were excellent and well accepted. We must remember that we are all in this together.
My involvement with i3 was some of the most rewarding moments I have had in my 15 years in the Credit Union movement. The innovation is imperative for the future of credit unions.
Do it, don’t be afraid….apply. You will not be sorry!
Thomas Bowen Former i3 trouble maker
i3 ROCKS! -
I3 as part of Filene is a very forward thinking group, innovating and implementing new products and ideas for credit unions. Not only will you build a web of knowledge and think “way outside the box” but you will also have a chance to create and pilot new concepts before they get “unleashed” to the credit union community. I call i3 the “imagineers” of credit unions.
Plus, as a participant you are part of a pool of brilliant seasoned veterans to bounce ideas, concepts and communicate with during the rest of your CU career and beyond. (Although I consider myself AVERAGE I think it is my passion for the industry that landed me in i3) It is a global open source venue – a truly rewarding experience for me. I have about a 5 month term to serve however I will continue to contribute when my term expires. Go for it! Apply!
Ditto SOME of the things Thomas has said, (but you always have to take what he says with a grain of salt!)
Filene i3 is hands down the most enriching ADVENTURE that I have had in my professional career. It is such a REWARDING EXPERIENCE to have a deadline thrown at a bunch of CREATIVE folks and to see the amazing TRANSFORMATION that takes place.
I had the OPPORTUNITY to be involved in the DEVELOPMENT of a savings card (like a debit, but savings), a family and friends REWARDS program, a really AMBITIOUS community development initiative and the development of a COLLABORATIVE web site for sharing ideas and resources. I even got to help advance the virtual finance project which I think will take off shortly! I also believe, given a little bit of patience and persistence, one or two of these other projects will move forward. I am committed to moving several of these concepts forward.
I am also proud to call those I served with my brothers and my sisters (A little too sappy? I have tears in my eyes…a moment please…) It truly is a NETWORKING experience that strikes at the heart of COLLABORATION. The staff and management of Filene are the best MENTORS in the industry. They have developed a unique and wonderful program that everyone ought to strive to be a part of. The reading assignments, (yes, there are some), the special guest speakers and the PHENOMENAL locations all round out an EDUCATION in INNOVATION that will stick with you forever. You will meet new people, travel to exotic locations and ELEVATE your career. What’s not to like? Come on, give it a try, if you don’t, you’ll kick yourself someday, I promise! If you are willing to invest your time in this WORTHY and IMPORTANT resource for our industry, you will be paid back ten-fold!
A rare opportunity to contribute to the greater credit union good, develop your professional skills, and meet people that will make you better— all in one experience.
As Charlie and Thomas (both former teammates) stated, Filene i3 will be an incredible experience should you choose to sign up. Filene i3 is for you if you want to shake things up, whether it’s for personal growth, your credit union or the industry. It will allow you to finally share all those great ideas and actually work on them (AND you won’t have people rolling their eyes at you, well maybe sometimes). You will meet and work (yes, I mean work – lots) with incredible people from all sizes of CU’s, from various disciplines and with super-sized personalities. You will have the privilege of having your ideas critiqued by professionals outside of the industry who provide valuable insight and feedback (and are really smart). At times during this adventure, you may think you’re not the brightest crayon in the box when you get to work with all these folks and hear all these fabulous ideas, but hey, at least you’re in the box and you will get a whole lot smarter. For me personally, this has been an incredible experience and I continue to network and ideate (this word gets used often) with the many innovative and great minds I’ve met.
The Filene i3 program is an inspiring exploration of the potential of credit unions with like minded professionals who are already leaders in their own right.
The Filene i3 program goes beyond dreaming and instills a process for innovation that include Ideas, Innovation and Implementation. I admit that distilling the process to three words sounds simplistic; however, given limited resources and unlimited scope it is immeasurably challenging and incredibly rewarding.
In the time that I served on the i3 program, I was involved with four projects including: Women: A Strategy for Success; Single Again; CU Pay; and Green Feat Rewards.
I can’t say enough positive things about the i3 experience. First and foremost, without it, I might not have met my dear friend Mr. Bowen (see above…he’s amazing!). And, as he stated, the networking is incredible. Beyond that, here’s the test to know if i3 is for you: If you are one of those people who often has experiences in your credit union where you find yourself saying things like, “Wouldn’t it be cool if…” and “What if we tried…” or “Let’s just move a bit faster folks, we can’t wait keep implementing so slowly…” and typically the people around you just look at you funny and ask you, “why won’t you just keep these ‘great ideas’ to yourself?” then i3 is probably for you! It will provide you time and space to have people around you who are as passionate and energized about our industry as you are. It will stretch you well beyond most opportunities that you can find within our industry. I don’t want to overstate, but it’s on my short list for best career experiences. Apply today!!
As a Canadian i3’er, I can tell you that the innovation and learnings that come from Filene and the i3 program transcend borders and have been applied in our setting as well.
Filene is one of the only organizations in our greater system that is centered around collaboration and idea generation. Then, all the great ideas are posted and distributed to all credit unions to use as they see fit. Now that’s cooperation!
The people in the i3 program are some of the most passionate and committed industry professionals I have had the opportunity to meet and I am so glad I took the opportunity to get involved. Give it a try, you won’t regret it!
I am a newbie to i3, but I can honestly tell you that having been involved for even less than a year now – it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I echo all the sentiments above. It’s a constant source of inspiration and a refuge for free-thinking. Not to mention – I’ve had the opportunity to forge some amazing friendships.
In a year when we’re all cutting back, innovation tends to be the first to get the hatchet. The beauty of i3 is that you get to bring world-class innovation back to your credit union, many times for free.
i3 is a true example of how CU collaboration can work to benefit the greater good. It’s how the credit union movement “moves”. I don’t know where else you can get that kind of experience. It’s better than an MBA.
Best of all – it’s a win for everyone involved. A win for you professionally, a win for your credit union and a win for the industry.
Do it – You won’t regret it. Promise.
The i3 experience has been similar to my dream of one day being a master chef that specialized in Italian food. You have the opportunity to meet other innovative people who enjoy a good bottle of collaboration and talk over projects about the next meal they would like to prepare, people who understand that generating good meals (brain food) is what will propel the industry forward, and allows your digestion of ideas to be more open to trying different things. During the i3 experience, you get to toss a lot of noodles up on the kitchen cabinets and see which ones stick and watch others fall to the floor. Always keeping mind the 5-second rule that if someone in the industry can pick up an idea within 5-seconds (okay 5 years) that it is still just as enjoyable.
Anyone who wants to challenge their own thinking, benefit their credit union and the industry should apply!
This is a complete and utter i3 lovefest. What about all the hard work, lack of bathroom breaks and conference calls you will be subjected to? Not to mention that you have to hang out w/ the Filene staff a couple of times per year. Think long and hard about that last point before you apply.
George, it’s Friday, man—look to the positive!
George is right. It is a lot of work, but anything in life worth having is A LOT of work.
I’ve learned more than I ever thought I knew and had an opportunity to participate on some great teams. The best part for me is that I feel like I have been a collaborative team member of a catalyst group that is making a difference in the industry. Bar none, the very best experience—-the friends you make along the way.
See, you are a little different. People look at you like you are from another planet because you have a unique passion for the industry and you get the craziest ideas. Well, you are not alone, friend. That’s i3!
The people I’ve had the privilege of meeting are passionate about the industry and committed to making a difference. To personally get to know these people and have an opportunity to work with them has absolutley been the most rewarding experience. I can call on my fellow i3er’s any time, any place and know I can count on them. Tell me, where else can you find that kind of network? Verizon? I don’t think so.
As for George’s other comments… I agree we could have used more bathroom breaks. The weekly calls aren’t so bad as long as you get a Bluetooth earpiece so you can be on the go or running through the airport. And, as for the Filene staff… they don’t get any better. Yes, they are a quirky bunch but we are lucky to have them and what they are doing for the industry.
I am a fellow “newbie” with Kelley-
and a rabid fan of i3. The program has opened my eyes to different, and broader ways of thinking, provided exposure to many other areas of our business-which has benefited me professionally here at my CU. It is truly energizing and will motivate even the most cynical among us.As the others have said, you develop amazing relationships with others—and through that collaboration, incredible and executable programs are born. Go for it-I’d stay 10 years if they’d let me!
And, I learned the definition of the word “gherkin” .....
i3 was a wonderful experience! Definitely a lot of hard work, but it was also a lot of fun. You will make friends with your teammates for life (whether they like it or not!)
How many times in your CU do you have the opportunity to sit back and innovate, and truly push people outside of their comfort zone? Here you get to share your crazy idea with many people, and as Charlie said, get to see those ideas become reality.
i3 (and Filene) truly embodies the CU spirit and is a rich and rewarding experience.
So what can I add to the virtues of i3 extolled above….
Yes, it was an amazing opportunity to meet like-minded innovative professionals. Yes, it was a lot of hard work—although extremely rewarding. Yes, I made contacts and friends I’ll have for the rest of my life. Yes, there were too few breaks, and personally, I really enjoyed hanging out with the i3 staff! Yes, it’s incredibly rewarding to be on the creation end of products and systems that have the potential to make a real and meaningful difference to the credit union industry.
Not mentioned yet, I think were the mind -blowing learning experiences.I loved some of the assigned readings including The World is Flat, and Small Giants, among many. We had the opportunity to visit and learn from innovative companies like Dell and Hallmark, plus we had great speakers on a variety of subjects! All of these combined to make me to think about innovation in new and different ways.