'Don't Let Perceived Shortcomings Hold You Back,' Corporate Credit Union VP Advises Younger Self

Name: Stephanie Schmidt

Credit union: Corporate Central Credit Union ($2.6 billion, Muskego, Wis.)

Title: Vice President Member Services

Age: 41

Number of years at current credit union: Nine and a half

Educational background: Wisconsin Lutheran High School Diploma; CUNA Management School; various industry certifications and accreditations: AAP, CCCM, CCUE, CCUFC, CUDE, CWCUL

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

Schmidt: I am responsible for overseeing the Member Services team, which is equivalent to the frontline of a natural-person credit union. This is the area that assists our credit union members with questions they may have related to the services we provide. I am also responsible for orchestrating strategies to optimize member satisfaction and fostering innovative solutions to meet evolving member needs and preferences.

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

Schmidt: It started as an accident and grew into something that I absolutely love! I began my credit union career as a member services representative at a tiny natural-person, closed-chartered credit union, and it was there that I experienced the credit union difference. Over time, I became a loan officer, and I’ll never forget the feeling I had after helping a member to pay off her payday loans and credit card bills. The member sat in my office and cried because of the savings we were able to help her achieve. From that time on, as I networked with my local peers and participated in more industry events, I loved hearing and seeing what credit unions were doing in their local communities to make a difference. Now, working in a corporate credit union – where our members are credit unions – I love knowing that the work we do helps to grow the credit union mission of people helping people.

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

Schmidt: I don’t think it’s very unique, but I think the fact that I genuinely care about the well-being of people comes into play every day. I care about the individuals our members serve. I care about the people who work at our member credit unions. I care about my team. And I care about everyone at Corporate Central. It’s why I get out of bed every day. It’s why I push through challenges, and try to find new ways to solve problems.

In working at a corporate credit union, my experience working in various roles at smaller natural-person credit unions has come into play with identifying ways to help our smaller credit unions, where individuals often wear many hats, be more efficient.

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

Schmidt: I have been so blessed to have many incredible mentors over the years, both within and outside of the credit union industry. One individual who comes to mind is a coworker who always kept the member’s experience and benefit in mind first. I think that’s an integral part of working in the credit union industry. As a middle-manager, a peer once described to me the concept of ‘managing up,’ or working to create a great rapport with a supervisor to not only exceed expectations and needs, but to also help with reverse coaching to inspire fresh perspectives. A friend of mine at another industry company told me about expanding from one mentor to having your own personal ‘Board of Directors’ to maximize your network of personal advisors.

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

Schmidt: The biggest differences for me have been the opportunities to help others grow and the taking on of responsibility for an entire group of people.

It’s really rewarding to meet with my team members one-on-one and speak with them about what concerns and ideas they have for our department (and sometimes the company as a whole!), and what I might be able to do to help them overcome challenges with daily tasks, but to also help them achieve their career goals. I love to watch their confidence continue to bloom as we work together to grow their knowledge and skills.

While it can sometimes be stressful, it’s also really rewarding knowing that one owns the successes and challenges of every single member of the team. Some of my favorite times are looking back on experiences we thought at the time were insurmountable (I’m talking to you, conversions!), and then reflecting on how the team pulled together to ensure everyone was successful and knowing that you helped to support that … talk about an amazing feeling!

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

Schmidt: Our executive team has had a lot of longevity, so while I feel incredibly comfortable with all of them, I felt intimidated in meetings and other interactions. With the incredible amount of knowledge these individuals have and the various situations they have experienced over the years, it could (and sometimes still can) feel like I don’t have as much to bring to the table. Knowing that they had confidence in me, and that they would not have put me in a leadership position if I couldn’t handle it, helped me to face my insecurities and not be afraid to make suggestions for efficiencies and processes. I also think having good relationships with other leaders is really critical. It’s much easier to ask for help or talk through ideas when you have a great starting base. I know that they are there for me, just as they know I am there for them whenever needed.

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

Schmidt: I think my leadership style is still evolving as I continue to learn and grow. Overall, trust and transparency within the team is key. I have an open-door policy, and I strive to operate with fairness in all things. When mistakes are made, taking that step back to consider things from all angles, to understand what really occurred, and to not be judgmental have made a huge difference in helping to make everyone feel comfortable in those less than desirable situations. I love to get feedback from my team on how various upcoming changes might impact them. I want them to have a say in the day-to-day operations they deal with. I’m also big on giving them the autonomy to do what they need to do in order to get things done. I also try to be as flexible as I can with work and home life, because being able to balance that is incredibly important.

CU Times: What are some lessons you’ve learned over your career concerning how to communicate well with others? And, do you approach communication differently depending on the generation of the recipient (boomer, Gen X, millennial and Gen Z)?

Schmidt: I have learned that excellent listening skills are critical! I’m also a bit of an emotional intelligence junkie. It’s so important to be able to look at where others are coming from, acknowledge what has happened with a particular situation, and then constructively work to find a solution. We work with money, so we need to be accurate, right? Of course! But also … we are human and sometimes mistakes are going to happen. Most people already feel terrible when a mistake is made. While it’s important that everyone understands the impacts of a mistake, I would never want to make someone feel even worse. Rather, taking mistakes as opportunities to have learning lessons is incredibly valuable.

CU Times: What are some ways in which you achieve work/life balance, set boundaries and/or avoid burnout at work?

Schmidt: This is absolutely a challenge! Small things that I have done include setting focus time on my calendar, as well as setting aside time on my calendar for specific projects. I also try to have as much open communication as possible with my direct supervisor so that we are on the same page as far as upcoming family or personal events I have coming up, which enables us to put plans in place for coverage.

Being in a leadership position sometimes means that you have to be available outside of normal business hours, so making sure that you and your superiors understand availability expectations – on both sides – is super important. Understanding technology and how it can filter after-hours notifications from Teams, Outlook or other software is helpful, too.

We all have rough days, so sometimes I will listen to music in between helping my team and members, or I’ll make sure to get up from my desk and have a walk away from my screen for a few minutes. If the day has been super rough, I might treat myself to a delectable baked good at the end of the day. It’s the little things! Remember – you have to put your own oxygen mask on first before you help others with theirs!

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

Schmidt: Learning all of the things! I am looking forward to broadening my depth of knowledge about my credit union, or members, operations, faster payments, coaching and the list goes on! My current career goal is to be the absolute best VP Member Services that I can be!

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

Schmidt: I want for our CCCU team and members to feel like day-to-day operations is just like hitting an easy button! As we continue to develop our Beastro platform, I hope that I can create big impact by examining our processes and procedures from not only an internal perspective, but from a member experience perspective. Additionally, I want to identify ways to leverage technology to everyone’s benefit.

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

Schmidt: Don’t let perceived shortcomings hold you back. You’ll notice that I don’t have a college education, and I never thought that I would have made it to where I am without one. While I always intended to go to college, it just wasn’t my path. That said, don’t stop learning, don’t stop being curious, and always do the best you can knowing that your best can look different every day.

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.