CFO Shares Importance of Goals, Social Networking On His Path to CU Leadership

Name: Lawrence (Larry) Skube

Credit union: Together Credit Union ($2.4 billion, St. Louis, Mo.)

Title: Chief Financial Officer

Number of years at current credit union: Seven

Educational background: Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Illinois State University; MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago; Certified Public Accountant

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

Skube: Financial strategies, leadership, strategic planning, business performance and profitability analysis.

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

Skube: The ‘people helping people’ philosophy and the ability to make a difference on a daily basis in the lives of our members and employees.

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

Skube: I have a background working in very large organizations along with capital markets experience, which can both be applied to smaller institutions like credit unions that often lack [people with] these types of skills. I’ve also worked cross functionally throughout my career with leaders within the businesses to help them solve business problems, rather than staying confined to purely financial planning or reporting roles.

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

Skube: My colleagues from Household International [where I previously served in an accounting and reporting role] were really some of my best mentors for which I will forever be grateful.

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

Skube: Probably the time horizon of your work being much more strategic and more about setting the best course for the future of the organization versus roles that were more task-oriented.

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

Skube: The biggest challenge initially was finding myself in the middle of so many things that were decided or discussed prior to my new appointment, and numerous meetings and decisions I needed to be a part of despite not being included on the original invite when it went out!

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

Skube: I’m the type of manager who likes to hand off the ball and let folks run with it. I also like to get buy-in from my team before making decisions, which allows team members to ‘own’ the decision and the approach.

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

Skube: Totally. I certainly prefer that we all be together in the office every day but know that is not the way we work any longer, and we have to take advantage of remote work tools to stay in contact. We always have to consider where everyone will be and how they can and will engage when planning work, meetings and events.

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

Skube: I just want to be the best business partner I can be for our various divisions in the credit union to help them achieve their goals, and provide the leadership the credit union needs to succeed now and in the future.

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

Skube: I want Together Credit Union to be the first financial institution people in our community think about and consider for their financial needs, and for them to know we are here for them and not motivated simply by profits. And to let their referrals to friends, co-workers and relatives be our best source of advertising.

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

Skube: Let people know what your goals are and how you intend to reach them, and what your time horizon looks like, and ask what you can do to help others achieve their goals. Also, do not underestimate the power of social networking, especially in the age of technology that we live in. Personal relationships are what last and pay dividends in your career.

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.