So the week started with a server upgrade that allowed our systems to respond more rapidly – a good thing. But it also resulted in a technology glitch that meant there were some email addresses that were not working. This glitch lasted for about 34 hours, 8 minutes and 14 seconds, but who’s counting? We actually could email everyone, but only about 18% of those emails were going through. So if you experienced a longer response time from us earlier this week, now you know why.  

We did not like it. Not one bit.  

We have a rule of responding here @ NCCF within a certain time period, and that “glitch” meant that we could not honor that by email. This really played havoc with our work ethic. We were getting frustrated, and I was beginning to seriously worry about our IT Manager, who’s usually calm demeanor began to show some cracks around hour 18.

So, what do you do when a form of communication is blocked?  What if you cannot be heard? You take a deep breath, you pick up the phone, you text, you divert your time to other tasks. You think back to a time before we had computers and wonder how anyone got anything done quickly.  Fax? Smoke signals? Pony express?

You think about typing a letter and putting it in the mail. But you also cherish the opportunity to walk down the hall or pick up the phone to have a conversation. It is richer somehow, more colorful.

Communication was also the spirit of our Audit Committee meeting this week. Our independent auditors from Cherry Bekaert were in the house to meet with our committee, which is comprised of statewide board members, outside financial experts and staff. This meeting reminds me how lucky we are to have the folks on this committee — truly a shining example of what a strong board committee looks like. They ask questions — lots of questions.  They are knowledgeable, paying attention, focused and independent.  Not only to our CFO and controller and investment manager, but to me — and to each other.  

We have had some changes this year on our finance team — and I could not be prouder of the work that was done before they arrived — and the work and leadership shown since they joined our team. I appreciate our auditors communicating with us.

This week I am grateful for the ability to communicate.