Pat Jury recently agreed to take a four-month sabbatical to help him, and the Iowa Credit Union League he has led for 25 years, prepare for the future.

In a Tuesday phone interview with CU Times, the 55-year-old Jury sounded positive, relaxed and reflective.

“I think the greatest gift a CEO can give to an organization is to prepare them for a future without the CEO,” Jury said, who will return to his duties on May 1. “This was a long time in the planning. I tried to do it [the sabbatical] in a time frame that was not disruptive to the organization, but at the same time, if it's not somewhat disruptive to the staff, then how are they going to continue to learn?”

Last year, Jury said the league board and the Affiliates Management Co. board – the subsidiary of the Iowa league that Jury also manages as CEO – began discussions about a sabbatical as part of his professional development. Affiliates Management Co. operates Coopera, PolicyWorks, The Members Group, TMG Financial Services and the Iowa Credit Union League Foundation.

Before going on his sabbatical, however, the boards assessed their executive succession plan.

“One of the things that the boards discovered is that when they examined the issues of sabbaticals within the educational community and the religious community is that it can help you know what your bench strength is and where you need to improve upon it,” he said. “It gave us an opportunity over the last year to set up how people fill in and how do you fill in for people underneath them because all of these responsibilities cascade. From a succession standpoint, it's worked pretty well.”

The sabbatical, which began Jan. 1, was announced to league members and partners in November.

“We've grown in much of the last few years, and I think professionals have to grow as organizations grow,” Jury explained. “I think this sabbatical gives me a chance to kind of recalibrate as to what I want to look like over the next 10 years or however long I get to work there. I think I need to be more mindful about being the leader of the organization that we are going to be five years from now. What does that mean? I think I am going to end up being more strategic and less into the weeds of the organization.”

During his sabbatical, Jury said he's been able to do things that he wasn't able to do because of his demanding work schedule, including some traveling, spending time with his family and getting back into shape through long-distance running. Before he left on his sabbatical, his staff gave him books to read on the power of positive spirits and metaphysics.

The sabbatical did not affect Jury's responsibilities as a CUNA board member. As the chair of CUNA's Corporate Governance Committee, he oversaw the proposed CUNA bylaw changes that credit unions and the leagues will be voting on over the next two months.

“Hopefully, they are getting along without me, but there's probably a little part of me that's saying maybe they are looking forward to seeing me come back,” Jury said.