“You have to lead through your people.” – Ken Cahoon 

Welcome to episode 232 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your hosts, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight, and Jilly Nowacki, President and CEO of Humanidei.

This episode is sponsored by Trellance. Trellance is a leading technology partner for credit unions, delivering innovative technology solutions to help credit unions achieve more. With a comprehensive suite of analytics, cloud and talent solutions, the Trellance team ensures credit unions increase efficiency, manage risk, and improve member experience. Learn more here!

In this new 2026 season, Jilly and I will have conversations centered around leadership, credit unions, and living our best lives. We will have some of the most respected leaders from around credit unions who we are grateful to call friends join us in the discussion from time to time too.

Listen in as we talk all about having a daily rhythm with Kenyahda Cahoon, CEO of Signal Financial Federal Credit Union. We reflect on how our own days are structured around intention rather than reaction, from early morning routines and workouts to time specifically set aside for coaching, strategy, and reflection, and we talk about how those choices shape the way we show up for our teams. Ken walks us through how his week at Signal Financial is carefully crafted, with Mondays centered on one-on-ones with his team (which is non-negotiable for him), midweek focused on execution and external relationships, and Fridays reserved for stepping back into visionary thinking and reviewing the week with a “watch the tape” mindset.

We also openly discuss what tends to pull leaders out of rhythm in the first place—getting buried in emails, mistaking busyness for impact, or slipping into the comfort of doing work that feels more immediately gratifying. All three of us challenge that instinct and explore what it looks like to consistently operate at your highest value instead of defaulting to what feels urgent or familiar. Ken shares how he had to reset his approach when moving into a new organization, learning to protect time for strategy and leadership rather than letting the calendar run the show.

Throughout our conversation, we ultimately land on the fact that leadership rhythm is not something that you perfect once and keep forever. It’s something you constantly notice, adjust, and recommit to by getting clear on your role, protecting the work only you can do, and staying honest about what’s moving the organization forward. We hope that you enjoy our conversation with Ken Cahoon!

Find the full show notes on cuinsight.com.
Connect with Ken:
Kenyahda Cahoon, CEO of Signal Financial Federal Credit Union
signalfinancialfcu.org
Ken: LinkedIn
Signal Financial Federal Credit Union: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok

Sponsor: Trellance

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