Assumptions are the most powerful force in financial services. Period.

Assumptions fuel innovation, predict crises, inspire action, focus effort, and generate consistency. They also stall innovation, force miscalculations, destroy passion, divert attention, and create chaos. Assumptions in credit unions can be healthy and unhealthy-sometimes simultaneously.

Consider the assumption that "credit unions can't grow market share because we haven't done a good enough job of educating the public about the movement." This is real and bogus all at the same time. While it's true we haven't done a good enough job of educating the public about credit unions, there's a distinct possibility that some people simply don't care about our ownership structure, mission, and core principles. What if we turned this assumption upside down and said "credit unions aren't growing because we're doing too good of a job educating the public about the movement. The more the public knows, the less the idea appeals to them."