Partin's journey over the next three decades included completing his MBA, running a broker-dealer, learning how to manage different areas of credit union business while climbing the ranks at Partners, and eventually moving cross-country to South Carolina in 2013 to serve as president/CEO of the $1.9 billion, Indian Land-based Sharonview Federal Credit Union. With plans to retire at the end of 2022, Partin recently gave one of his final interviews as a credit union CEO to CU Times for this Q&A. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Bill Partin

CU Times: How and when did you know you wanted to become a CEO?

Partin: I've always been a big fan of personal and professional development, and trying to be a better version of Bill today than I was yesterday, but it was at Partners where I decided I wanted to be a CEO. From 2005 to 2011 or '12, John [Janclaes] had given me half of the organization run, and one of the things I wanted to find out from a challenge perspective was, "Can I run the whole thing? Can I do this?" So I asked John, "When are you retiring?" He said, "Not soon, what are you thinking?" and I said, "Well, I really think I'd like to try the CEO thing out." I was probably around 48, 49, 50 years old at the time, and I thought I would really like to see if I could do this and accept the challenge.

CU Times: During your tenure at Sharonview, the credit union experienced significant growth in assets, membership, loans and deposits. How would you describe your strategic approach to growth at a high level?

Partin: We [at Sharonview] have always been fans of not growing just for growth's sake. We wanted to grow in the right way, and for us the right way was really about bringing more members into the credit union. We thought if we had the right types of products and services, we could attract the right types of members – folks who would really feel the difference of being part of a financial cooperative. My big push was around interactions, not transactions, and that's really been the mantra for the last nine years. We wanted to create what I called moments that matter, and make sure that when people needed us, they had access, whether it was via our contact center, online digitally or in our branches. We've been running about double the national average on membership growth, and it's been due to the work we've done to set up our branches and contact center to have these interactions.

From left to right: Sharonview Board Member Lynn MacLeod, Partin and Elaine Spalding with the Rowan County (N.C.) Chamber of Commerce at a branch groundbreaking event. (Photo: Sharonview FCU)

CU Times: Your tenure at Sharonview has also been marked by some modern branch renovation projects. What do you think the "credit union branch of the future" should look like?

Partin: I think smaller footprints make a lot of sense. You're spending members' money to put these branches in place, so we want to make sure we're being good stewards of our members' money. So smaller footprints but with open architecture, and [branches that are] super tech-heavy, where you can come in and we can serve you on the iPad, and if you need to move to a different area it easily transitions over, so it's very friction-free. We're also using Teams and Zoom to a better extent now, so you don't need to have an expert in every branch. You can have a mortgage loan officer sitting in one office who serves two or three offices, and same with our wealth management people. We got forced to use Teams or Zoom during COVID, and what we learned from COVID is that not everyone has to drive 30 minutes to come into an office to meet with one of our wealth people – they can do it on Teams now. So it's become more convenient for our members, and I think they are loving it. But having said that, I'm still reading stats that say millennials and Gen Z want to possibly walk in for more sophisticated transactions, so we want to have offices in branches as well.

CU Times: You've also been vocal about embracing remote and hybrid work since the pandemic began. What does Sharonview's work culture look like now, and what would you say to credit union leaders who are still resistant to allowing remote/hybrid schedules?

Partin: I've had a few conversations recently with CEOs who are pretty adamant about being better together [in person], and I can't disagree with that because everyone has their own culture and how they work. But I firmly believe 100% that this hybrid/remote capability is here to stay, and is what will attract folks to Sharonview. Make no mistake, I'm a results-driven guy, but part of my leadership philosophy is that it's about relationships and results. I do think there's value when we get together and have those collaboration days, I absolutely love those. But what I'm hearing from the staff is how much they appreciate the flexibility and trust we provide. We ask that all leaders' meetings be in person, and for employee meetings, that many of them who work at corporate come in, and that [managers] hold collaboration days where they get their full team in and maybe collaborate with other departments. It's been a culture enhancement for us. And we've even hired a few people from neighboring credit unions who were told they had to go into corporate to go to work.

Partin addresses staff at a Sharonview location. (Photo: Sharonview FCU)

CU Times: Are there any areas or concepts that credit union leaders need to embrace more to not only survive, but thrive?

Partin: We have volunteer boards of directors that have a huge fiduciary responsibility, and what we've been working on at Sharonview is diversity. That's diversity of thought, skin color, gender … we want our board to look more like our member base. Internally, we've really taken hold of the DEI-type work that we need to do, and we have some great learning teed up for next year to help us understand how we can get better at working with each other. And that's from the C-suite down to the newest teller. I think that harnessing DEI is really important for the industry going forward, because it gives us a chance to make sure that we're making decisions in the best interests of the groups we represent.

Also, part of what credit unions were founded on was the cooperative spirit. Yes we're "competitors," but one thing I love about our industry is I can pick up the phone and call my CEO friend down the street. I had almost daily email chats with North Carolina and South Carolina CEOs when COVID hit. We have to figure out how we can continue to propel that and encourage it to happen, so that we don't just have everyone trying to stand on their own.

CU Times: How would you describe your leadership style?

Partin: I'm a huge fan of collaboration. I don't want any "yes people" on my team, I want them to come in and challenge each other. We have a great executive team with age diversity from 40 to 63, and we love to debate and vet and argue in a good way. I've become a big fan of hiring people who are humble, hungry and smart. They're trying to personally work harder on themselves than they are at their jobs, and they can also work on teams, and that's where the collaboration comes in.

CU Times: What advice would you give to a young credit union professional aspiring to become a CEO one day?

Partin: You have to be able to put the work in and that means you have to be disciplined. You have to have an individual development plan, and that should include written goals. And you have to seek formal and informal learning.

The biggest question I get is, "How did you get to where you are?" And it wasn't one big thing, it was 100 little things – my journal, my written goals, and how I try to take care of myself mentally, physically and emotionally. So what I would tell a young leader is to have a written plan and written goals, and then really work on thinking outside of the box. Ask, who do I need to talk to or get to know? I did interviews with CEOs [before I became one] and asked them to tell me about a typical day or board meeting. It was a way for me to learn about what that next role was, and it was super helpful.

Partin (R) with Sharonview Regional Assistant Vice President Temeka Long at the credit union's Steele Creek branch grand opening event; Long served as manager of the branch at the time. (Photo: Sharonview FCU)

CU Times: What led to the decision to retire, and what are your plans for retirement?

Partin: I got here nine years ago and had a pretty healthy list of things I wanted to accomplish with the board. We had to create a brand, get digital, spend some money on marketing and get our branches renovated, and we checked a lot of those boxes off. And it didn't hurt that we won a Top Workplace in the USA honor earlier this year – that just felt so good, I felt so honored and humbled that our staff felt that way about us. On the personal side, my wife and I really want to do some traveling while we're still feeling good, and all of our parents are still alive. [My wife] Kim's are 91 and 87, and mine are 84 and 81, so we want to be able to spend some time with them. A couple of friends had a few health scares – that always gets you to step back and take stock, because none of us are guaranteed a bunch of time. And one of the funny things I said to the board was that I'm actually getting a little annoyed with the traffic on my drive to the office, and that's saying a lot for a guy who grew up in LA. So it wasn't one big thing, it was a lot of little things.

I do want to stay connected with the credit union industry. I was fortunate enough to write a little book called "The Leadership Bet" and put together a little company, and I'd like to do some consulting. I've created some processes that I was able to tie into my passions around helping people and leadership that have worked well for Sharonview, and I'd love to share that with other credit unions. I have a feeling my niche will be the smaller credit unions, where I could help take their leadership program to the next level. I also want to do some volunteering. I have a soft place in my heart for Second Harvest Food Bank, which we've worked with over the years. My wife and I agreed that when I retire, I can't stay home for five days, I have to be out doing something. I also have a good group of men and women whose lives I've had a chance to be a part of as a coach and mentor, and I'd love to continue to be a sounding board for them on their journey.