“For credit unions as a whole, our industry revolves around people.” - Jim Hayes

Thank you for tuning in to episode 130 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your host, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight.com. This episode is brought to you by Humanidei. Humanidei helps credit unions build inclusive cultures that attract, develop, and retain talent.

My guest on today's show is Jim Hayes, President & CEO of State Employees' Credit Union (SECU). SECU is one of the largest credit unions in the country, and Jim shares that the team is all about serving their 2.6 million members. Jim explains that while SECU has a strong technology focus, the strength of the credit union is truly in its people.

During this episode, Jim and I chat about how the people at his credit union are the exciting part, and the ways he is amazed by the team. He shares that key to his success has been surrounding himself with leaders who he considers smarter than himself. In an ideal employee, Jim looks for a team player who is more interested in team success than individual success. He remarks that he doesn’t want a team full of individual superstars and instead favors collaborative and team-focused leaders with a “we over I” mentality.

Jim and I also discuss emotional intelligence and empathy in this conversation. Jim encourages leaders to create an atmosphere where people can takes risks and feel safe to fail. Listen as Jim explains what it takes to build a strong culture and climate that helps people be successful wherever they’re going in life. He also shares his approach to giving effective feedback, his take on a remote workforce, and his approach to strong board-CEO relationships. 

Tune in to hear Jim share the best advice he’s ever received, the books he recommends every leader read, and the person he thinks of first when he hears the word success. Enjoy my conversation with Jim Hayes!

Find the full show notes on cuinsight.com.

Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher 

Books mentioned on The CUInsight Experience podcast: Book List 

How to find Jim:
Jim Hayes, President & CEO of State Employees' Credit Union (SECU)
https://www.ncsecu.org/
LinkedIn