Over 45 years, CO-OP Financial Services CEO Stan Hollen has built a reputation of creating environments that foster and develop emerging credit union leaders.

Sixteen of his former employees became CEOs.

We asked a few of his protégés for help in creating a list of Hollen's top 10 leadership lessons but thought we'd also share some of their personal experiences. 

Do you have a great personal story about your experience with Hollen? Please share in the comments section!  

With Stan there's just this theme of innovation.

I was low on the totem pole at The Golden 1 from 1987-91 in IT and I thought that was going to be my career path.

It was a place that was open to technology and Stan set that tone. He hired great people who were outstanding mentors, encouraging me to go down the leadership path.  It's because of Stan creating an environment surrounding himself with people who pursued their potential and helped others develop and grow that I'm a CEO today.

Stan and those many mentors saw things in me that I didn't see in myself. That tone of possibilities, not just of your current position, but where you could be, created a very dynamic, supportive momentum of growth in the organization. He set a really high bar and yet took the time to send a personal birthday note to every employee.

I'm grateful to Stan and the others he put in my path. 

Roger Ballard

President/CEO

NuVision FCU

Stan is a great mentor and I will always value the time we worked together at The Golden 1 Credit Union.  Stan not only identifies people who have potential, he believes in them and he empowers them to get results.  

The most important things I learned from Stan are:

Believe in Yourself 

If you believe in yourself, others will believe in you and together you'll achieve great things. Believing in yourself is an essential building block to successful leadership.

Find Solutions 

When you encounter a problem, analyze the situation and find a solution. Critical thinking is so important to the successful operation of any organization.

Embrace Change 

Under Stan's leadership, change was the norm at the Golden 1. It was an amazing experience to work for a CEO that was forward thinking and driven to achieve great things.

Take Risks 

Understand the risks associated with your business decisions, but don't avoid them. Stan has a great mind and he could quickly analyze an opportunity and act on it. It's been 14 years since I worked with Stan, but I often hear him in conversations with my staff.

Stan was my mentor and I often smile when I think how much I learned from him. I always wanted a boss that I could learn from and look up to. With Stan, I got that and more, I also got a friend! 

I owe him so much to him, but knowing Stan, the fact that I became the CEO of the University of Hawaii FCU in 2009, is thanks enough. 

While he never wanted us to leave The Golden 1 stable, he always wanted us to succeed. 

He has done so much for so many, but he should be very proud of his personal accomplishments and those of his protégés.

Jeanine Morse

President/CEO

University of Hawaii FCU

Stan was always on the leading edge of technology. 

When we were at Golden 1 the ATM deployment initiatives were visionary. Stan always worked with all the chief officers to keep the initiatives moving. Stan taught everyone that you have to have a strong technology platform in place before you make branch expansion plans. 

When I was at Golden 1 we were just starting to evaluate the concept of a CUDL system. Think about what the CUDL system has become! 

He continues his technology excellence today with CO-OP.  The senior executive team at Golden 1 used to respectfully kid around about “pedal to the metal” Stan.  Stan is and has been a technology leader. 

I have shared this philosophy with the senior team at 1st United Credit Union. The only issue that I had with Stan when I was at Golden 1 was his choice of football teams – the Chicago Bears. When the Bears won the Super Bowl, we 49er fans all had to put up with “Go Bears” for a year!  

Victor Quint

President/CEO

1st United CU

Due to having the opportunity to work with Stan for eight years I shared the following with my senior management team:

• Strongly believe in delegation with full reign to manage your areas of responsibility, to continually learn, make mistakes and prepare for potential career moves. If major mistakes are made, meetings are called with all the players involved to talk through what happened and how to prevent in the future.
• Encourage employees to join boards and committees, sign up for continuing education classes and attend conferences within the credit union industry not only for sharing but to network with peers.
• “This is the way we have always done it” – take it out of your vocabulary. Instead management is encouraged to challenge the procedure, product or service and look for something better.
• Be sure to wait until the morning coffee has been consumed if something negative has to be discussed. Also never have early morning meetings.
• Our credit union will happily share and help other credit unions whether through a merger or just assisting them is important. No need to reinvent the wheel if we have done the research already.  
• Each of the senior management team will be able to oversee various areas – as an example the chief information officer will also oversee branch operations for a period of time to gain the knowledge, perhaps suggest improvements, and see how it relates to their area.    
• Communication is key – the good, the bad and the ugly followed by listening – know when to shut up. If you make a promise we must keep it.
• The job is extremely important, however, at times family must come first. We are flexible with all employees.
• Rewarding and recognition are a must.

Stan was truly my best mentor ever! I have been proud over the years to say that I was a former employee of The Golden 1 Credit Union working with two other senior management employees directly under Stan.   

Vikki Kaiser

President/CEO

Great Lakes Credit Union

I was in charge of human resources when Stan was hired as president/CEO. During his first few years, it was necessary make some tough business decisions in order to reduce expenses and improve our financial performance. I was very fortunate to be part of that transformation.

Stan gave you lots of room to do your job once you proved yourself and your capabilities. It was a time of tremendous growth and opportunity, much change and lots of competition. But what a learning experience! 

Thanks to Stan, I've shared the following leadership lessons with my teams:

• It's not enough to be competent in the functions that report to you. As a senior leader you need to have a good understanding of the entire operation in order to make sound business decisions. Stan frequently changed the reporting structure at the Golden 1 to give his SVPs exposure to different areas. He was disruptive before being disruptive was cool.  
• Be willing to take risks to achieve your goals – whether accepting a new position, developing a new product, or creating a new organization to serve the industry.
• Be prepared and consider the possible outcomes but don't be afraid to go after what you want. Change creates opportunity.  
• Don't be afraid to compete. Competition makes us challenge ourselves and our credit unions to be better.  
• Help others succeed by achieving their full potential. Quite often we hold ourselves back because we doubt our own skills and capabilities. Stan believed in the importance of training and development and encouraged us to seek opportunities outside the credit union to make a difference in our communities and in the credit union industry.  
• Develop your own leadership style. Learn from others and observe what works and doesn't work for them but be true to who you are and what you stand for.  

He definitely helped shape my career. I was very fortunate to have reported to him and also many years later, really enjoyed serving on the CO-OP board.  

Patsy Van Ouwerkerk

Retired President/CEO

Travis CU 

First, a little background. I started working with Stan in the mid 70s at CEFCU in Peoria, Ill. 

“Back in the day,” credit unions were very simple – we had share accounts and auto loans. That was also when things were changing very quickly and drastically.  I had the pleasure of working for Stan, who led CEFCU to new heights – implementing share drafts, credit cards, ATMs – and a locally shared ATM network, mortgage lending, and the list goes on. 

These were all great examples of the innovative, forward-looking, competitive and tenacious leadership style that begins to describe Stan. He was also very passionate about the credit union movement and the value and importance it played, and continues to play, in who and why we are here. He was always looking for ways to create and innovate solutions to benefit our members and industry.

Stan took his leadership attributes and passion to The Golden 1 Credit Union, to Liberty Checks and finally to the CO-OP. At each stop he led his companies to heightened levels of success. 

I also had the pleasure to work for Stan at The Golden 1. It's here that Stan really helped me develop as a leader. He continually provided new opportunities, guidance and encouragement to grow in different areas of the credit union and the industry. Along the way he taught me a lot about leadership, about people, about the business and most importantly, about what it takes to be successful. 

I am where I am today, and the leader I am today, largely due to Stan Hollen. 

Back to your question: The top leadership lessons I've learned from working with Stan Hollen and shared with my own team are:

Always look forward, find that next “thing” that will create value for your member and give it to them – innovate, innovate, innovate.

Have the courage to take risks. You can't innovate and succeed by playing it safe. 

Take care of your people and they will take care of your members and business. 

Thank you, Stan!

Jim Harris

President/CEO

USE CU

I worked with Stan when he first arrived at the Golden 1 Credit Union to take over the leadership as CEO. I always admired his ability to solve problems. It is ironic that I too will be retiring this year, as of June 30.  

After giving it some thought and although many years have passed, I have provided you with a few answers.

The top leadership lesson(s) I have learned from working with Stan Hollen and shared with my own teams are:

1. Lead the way with cooperation and trust. Seek out solutions to problems by including those who may agree or disagree with your proposed solution.

2. Be creative and innovative. Find ways of doing things more efficiently. Others may not see your idea as having a positive impact. You will need to convince others in a way where they feel the idea belongs to them. 

3. Admit when you are wrong. You will gain respect from others and it will help you build stronger decisions in the future.

4. Be honest, loyal, passionate and empowering. A management team will respect these traits and it will encourage them to do the same.

5. Use common sense. Use your talent to pick out, recognize and evaluate answers to situations without much discussion.

6. Identify the problem. Seek out solutions, evaluate solutions and consider a solution only after debating the effects.

Dale Verderano

President/CEO

Matadors Community CU

The top leadership lessons that I have learned:

• Success is achieving results by thinking a few steps ahead of the competition.
• We are a stronger network as we collaborate together.
• Persistence and determination to get a plan completed.
• Hire top talent to get great results.

Steven Stapp

President/CEO

San Francisco Federal Credit Union