'Don’t Judge Yourself by Your Failures or Successes,' Credit Union EVP Advises

Name: Nicole James

Credit union: Merrimack Valley Credit Union ($2.2 billion, Lawrence, Mass.)

Title: EVP, Chief People Officer & Chief Retail Officer

Number of years at current credit union: Nine months

Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in finance from Boston University; law degree from Suffolk University in Boston

CU Times: What are your key responsibilities in your current role?

James: As MVCU’s Chief Retail Officer and Chief People Officer, I am an advocate for both MVCU team members and credit union members. Specifically, as Chief Retail Officer, I manage MVCU’s retail banking, corporate communications, community relations, marketing and business development departments, facilitating company growth and ensuring that members receive excellent and personable service.

As Chief People Officer, I oversee our credit union’s human resources and organizational development departments, which offer employees supportive benefits and opportunities to learn, grow and develop professionally.

CU Times: What drew you to the credit union industry?

James: Growing up, my parents instilled in me a sense of responsibility and commitment to my community, which developed my passion for supporting others. When I began learning and working in the financial industry, I connected this passion to the credit union mission of placing people first. Since then, working in credit unions has continued to allow me to combine my skillsets and affinity for community service to support people in a financially thoughtful way.

CU Times: What unique skills, experience and attributes do you bring to your role?

James: While I do have valuable experience in the credit union sector, I think the most important attribute that I bring to my role is my strong belief in service to others and helping people become the best versions of themselves. Credit unions are cooperative organizations, meaning that our members are not our customers, they are our partners and we uplift each other.

Whether it is my team members through the programs our credit union implements or members through the services we offer, I love to help others grow, learn or discover something new and exciting about themselves that brings them closer to achieving their goals.

CU Times: Which person (or people) do you credit the most for helping and supporting you along your career journey?

James: First, my family, who are my loving support system in my personal life. Throughout my career journey, their support has motivated me to bring the best version of myself to my job each day.

Second, I am grateful for my first boss, whom I worked for at another credit union. Although I was young and new to the industry, my boss always respected my opinion and treated me as a colleague. He exposed me to many different parts of the financial industry, including encouraging me to attend credit union association events, informational sessions related to regulatory issues and board meetings. He opened me up to the world of what credit unions should and can be.

CU Times: What are some of the biggest differences between working in your current executive level role and your previous, non-executive roles?

James: The biggest difference between my current role and my past, non-executive roles is the scale of my responsibilities and the impact that my words or actions can have organizationally. When you are in an executive position, it is important to realize that you have so much more influence for making directional changes, and there is real impact when you make decisions for the team and the members we serve.

CU Times: What’s a challenge you faced when you first joined your executive team, and how did you overcome it?

James: In each leadership or executive role that I’ve experienced, there is always a human challenge. While you may have lots of experience in the field, when you enter a new position, you are working with new individuals — new personalities, thoughts, opinions and ideas — that you have never worked with. This can be challenging to navigate at first, but I have learned that the best way to overcome these human challenges is to keep an open mind and listen carefully to learn and get to know the people you work with.

CU Times: How would you describe your current leadership style?

James: My leadership style is goal-oriented, analytical, empathetic and people-focused. I enjoy solving problems, bringing people together and mentoring my team members to help them discover their strengths and build their confidence so we can serve the community to the best of our abilities.

CU Times: Do you approach your job any differently now compared to how you did pre-pandemic? If yes, how so?

James: The pandemic helped me understand that, in our business, anything is possible. I realized that when you are facing a crisis, there are more choices available and more ways to solve problems than previously anticipated — if you keep an open mind. Just days after the pandemic began, we were able to take our team 100% virtual and incorporate mobile ATM machines. We made several changes that required so much courage and bravery with staff, and I was inspired by their ability to adapt under such circumstances. It helped us believe in the phrase ‘never say never’ as we supported both credit union members and staff who were facing both financial and physical health challenges.

CU Times: What’s next for you on your executive career journey? Do you have any specific career goals you’re working toward?

James: I believe in constant growth and improvement, and I am always eager to learn more, do more and embrace new ideas. Remaining focused on these values will help me bring more to the table for my organization and will help our team better support our members’ ever-changing financial needs.

CU Times: What big-picture impact do you hope to make within your credit union, as well as for your members and community?

James: I have a unique dual role where I manage the external experience of our members — Chief Retail Officer — and the internal experience of our staff — Chief People Officer. I consider myself the steward of the MVCU team and the members we serve, and my work will advocate for new programs, technologies and benefits for our members; and exciting programs that will help our staff develop their skillsets and carve their desired career path.

Currently, our credit union is undergoing a conversion of our core systems, and we are focused on the synergy of our two teams. I am excited to help our staff continue to integrate into one large team that supports one another like family.

CU Times: What career advice would you give your younger self?

James: Believe in yourself, understand that life is a journey and don’t judge yourself by your failures or your successes! Most importantly, be kind to yourself and others. Kindness matters so much because it involves both respect and compassion.

Would you or someone you know like to share your journey to credit union leadership? Please reach out to Natasha Chilingerian at nchilingerian@cutimes.com. To qualify, the individual must be a part of a credit union’s leadership team or C-suite, and have a compelling story to share about their rise to their current leadership role.