LAS VEGAS – The parallels between 1976 and 2009 are clear: an economic crisis, people losing their jobs or scared they will, banks busting…and in another similarity, Michael Hales is mad as hell, as was Howard Beale before him.
Hales, a credit union consultant who is a partner with The Rochdale Group, shared a clip of one of the most famous scenes in movie history at the NACUSO annual conference here Monday. In “Network” Beale, a news anchor for a fictional television network, is pushed too far by what he sees in modern society of 1976 and delivers an on-air rant that climaxes with a wild-eyed exhortation for people to get up out of their chairs, go to the window and shout “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Peter Finch won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Beale; Hales managed to get an entire audience of credit union folks shouting, which has to be worth something.
“Credit unions have four choices,” Hales told the crowd. “They can continue on with their traditional model, they can merge with another credit union, they can convert to a bank, or they can convert to a collaborative mindset.” According to Hales, collaborative networks would help with numerous issues that cost CUs money, including compliance, vendor management, HR administration, loan underwriting and services, marketing and advertising, call centers, and collections.
Hales urged attendees to use the entrepreneurial, collaborative spirit of CUs to fight complacency. “But first, get mad!” he insisted. “You are the group that needs to get mad and lead the industry.” After leading the audience in a rousing group scream of Beale’s iconic line, Hales added, “Don’t let this spirit die. What happens in Vegas can’t stay in Vegas.”
