While Michele Walczak has always had a special place in her heart for credit unions, she never considered working at one, until a light bulb went off after years in commercial banking.

“With commercial banking it became all about the numbers and less about doing the right thing and building relationships, which is where my passion was,” the branch manager at the $72 million Great Erie Federal Credit Union in Orchard Park, N.Y., said.

“My first account, first car loan, was at a credit union,” Walczak said. “When I had my son, I took the opportunity to follow my heart, applied at a credit union, fell in love with the credit union difference and knew I was where I belonged.”

The latest Trailblazer 40 Below honoree worked at a larger credit union then found her home at Great Erie, where she welcomed the opportunity to take on new challenges, always learning more.

Walczak enjoys digging deeper into how the financials and credit union philosophy work together to shape the vision and products and services offered. Her advice for any young professionals is simple: build relationships with those who have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share.

“Participate in young professional groups, attend credit union and other networking events,” Walczak said. “Take advantage of opportunities to interact with leaders who have helped shape this industry. If they are too busy at an event, see if they can schedule time to meet for coffee.”

Pushing aside that fear of approaching more experienced leaders to share ideas can lead to surprising results. What has worked well for Walczak has been preparing notes that range from a 30-second infomercial of sorts about what Great Erie is and what it stands for to questions aimed at discovering shared values and opportunities for collaboration. Last year, she set a personal goal to ask each person in a networking group of 24 people for a 15-minute meeting outside of the event.

“I met with every single person and learned a lot more about how we could work together to help each other,” she recalled. “It's so important to connect with others, build relationships and really listen to what's needed not just in the community but the organization as well.”

Since joining the credit union, Walczak has put her passion for education to use by helping the team feel empowered to make decisions and receive support when needed.

A believer in leading by example and never asking anyone to do anything she herself wouldn't do, Walczak has also instituted a process for early feedback and remains focused on capitalizing on individual strengths to help team members live their potential and find their niche.

A DECA volunteer since 2006, she has only deepened her work with young people teaching them valuable lessons ranging from professionalism and public speaking to how to prepare to enter the job market. Founded in 1943, DECA is an organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges worldwide.

“We have three employees who are just out of college and their energy, ideas, creativity and honesty in questioning something or asking for clarification, have been invaluable,” Walczak said.

“If the industry as a whole is looking to attract younger people then open communication, training and development, having a team atmosphere and recognizing others for their hard work goes a long way,” she added. “I think leadership has changed in that employees today expect you to be involved, explain the whys behind decisions and that you truly value input from your team.”

She said that as the credit union continues to evolve, a training and development focus has been key to finding creative solutions. To reinforce the team environment, no one person has been assigned to training but rather, it's done on a rotating basis. The individual who has been leading the project or initiative has the opportunity to lead the training.

Walczak said it has been a way to not only keep training sessions fresh and engaging as each person brings their own individual styles, but it has also helped staffers feel more empowered as integral partners in the credit union's success. There has also been a greater sense of cooperation across departments and experience levels.

“We want to know what we should or could be doing to better serve each other and our members. That means working together,” Walczak said. “So for example, I asked everyone to share three things they did that I may not know about or seen. It helps employees focus on their positive contributions and allowed me to learn more about them.”

She said credit unions shouldn't be afraid to try something different. Walczak credited Great Erie President/CEO Robin Young and the board for being active in the community and open to taking a chance to recruit young talent. Young and other area credit union and community leaders have even created an informal sharing pool of sorts for talent.

For example, a fellow CEO mentioned having a young professional in a teller role with so much potential, drive and energy but there were no immediate opportunities for growth at the credit union. When Great Erie happened to have a marketing position available, the talent was able to grow professionally while staying within industry walls.

“Future leaders will only be prepared if those currently in leadership roles are ready to take a chance on them, give them the tools they need and opportunity to show what they can do,” Walczak said.

“Just as it's important for young professionals to step up and ask to meet with leaders, current leaders also need to make a point to spend time sharing experiences with young people. It would be a shame for all that wisdom to get lost. There's so much we can learn from each other. It may be a risk, but it is one the industry as a whole can't afford not to take.”