Networking Is Vital in the Credit Profession

As credit professionals well know, the credit industry comes with various nuances and technicalities that involve other departments within a company. That is why it’s critical for credit professionals, whether you’re experienced or just starting out, to seek out every possible opportunity to learn.

NACM’s virtual?Thought Leadership Groups ?have been meeting for a little more than one year now and have accomplished a lot in that time—strong connections with other credit professionals, a place to share best practices and research topics that were eventually turned into?white papers . “My leaders have asked me ‘What are these groups? Are they useful?’ and I explained that yes, these groups are my lifeline,” said Bonnie Halvorson, financial services manager at Van Meter, Inc. (Cottage Grove, MN). “We all come from different companies and backgrounds and some of the best knowledge I have ever gotten is from these people sharing different stories.”

NACM Thought Leaders meet on a monthly basis and cover a specific credit topic, such as Performance Metrics, Construction Credit, Global Credit, Leadership—and a Technology group that will be meeting for the first time in April!

“The vast majority of participants are in leadership roles within their various credit departments,” said Jason L Mott, CCE , corporate credit manager at MFA Incorporated (Columbia, MO) and member of the?Credit Leadership?group. “We not only talk about credit, but we talk about HR issues, performance reviews or how to hire effective people. For me, it’s about bouncing ideas off one another about credit-related issues and learning how to lead with authenticity.”

These networking opportunities can serve as learning experiences for credit professionals, especially as they tackle the more challenging aspects of the industry such as international trade. “Others may be experiencing the same thing and handle it in a different way,” said Christopher Finley, CICP , manager of global credit at Club Car, LLC (Huntersville, NC) who is a newer member of the?Global Credit Leaders?group. “I’m able to find out what their experience is and if they recommend a strategy that will help my organization and help me tackle these different issues.”

You can get ahead of the competition by joining the?Performance Metrics?group, where you can learn to make data-backed credit decisions and measure performance. “We had a really good dialogue about how people measure a particular metric,” explained JoAnn Malz, CCE, ICCE , CCE, ICCE, NACM chair-elect and director of credit and collections at The Imagine Group LLC (Jordan, MN). “This can help you when you want to benchmark yourself against another company and measure effectiveness within your own department.”

Isaac Kotila, credit support manager at Insulation Distributors, Inc. (Chanhassen, MN) and member of the?Construction Credit?group said there is never a shortage of topics to discuss. “You might go into the meeting thinking that you know a fair amount about a certain topic, but questions will come up,” Kotila said. “You’ll see different viewpoints you maybe haven’t thought of, which helps you gain a deeper understanding and expand your knowledge.”

To learn more about NACM’s Thought Leadership Groups,?click here.