CU HR Executive Touts 'Underrated Superpower' of 'Being a Communication Chameleon'

Name: Lindsey LeWinter

Credit union: FAIRWINDS Credit Union ($4.7 billion, Orlando, Fla.)

Title: Executive Vice President, Human Resources

Age: 39

Number of years at current credit union: 18

Educational background: BSBA, Human Resources Management and Hospitality

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

LeWinter: Strategic oversight of all human resources functions including talent acquisition, talent management, talent development, total rewards, crewmember experience and internal communications. I serve on the Executive Team and am responsible for overall company strategy and leadership.

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

LeWinter: As a business student at the time of beginning my career, I was drawn to the professional environment and access to a wide variety of business functions.

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

LeWinter: Having worked in all functions of the HR team during my career at FAIRWINDS and working in a branch at the beginning of my career, I have a deep understanding of our strengths and opportunities as an organization. That knowledge, coupled with a natural tendency to push boundaries and question the status quo, makes me highly effective at working across multiple different business lines at all levels of the organization.

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

LeWinter: My predecessor, Cathy Hertz, played a critical role in shaping my career. She challenged and pushed me outside of my comfort zone. She saw my strengths, often before I did, and put me in situations that forced those strengths to shine. Our President/CEO Larry Tobin has fostered a culture at FAIRWINDS that supports and encourages growth from within. Without that support from the top, the opportunities I was fortunate enough to be offered very early in my career would not have been possible.

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

LeWinter: The biggest difference for me has been the transition away from the day-to-day human resources work and stepping into the strategic leadership of the company overall. That access to a variety of business functions that originally drew me to a credit union career has come full circle as I now spend most of my time playing in that space.

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

LeWinter: The beauty of an organization that focuses on internal development is that our current Executive Team has been working together for 20-plus years. Coming into that well-established team as a new voice and personality was initially challenging for me. I remained focused on the experience that led me to this role, trusted my instincts and sought knowledge from all sources, which allowed me to quickly overcome that challenge.

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

LeWinter: I lead with high expectations, but I do so in a supportive, collaborative and fun way. I hold those who work with me to a very high standard. I expect everyone to care about their work as much as I do, and I know that people will work harder when they feel valued and supported and have connections to the people they work with. If you asked my team to summarize it, they’d likely say, ‘Work hard, play hard.’

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)?

LeWinter: Communication is a key skill for a career in human resources. It’s something I had to master very early on, and the key is to tailor your style to your audience. Those adjustments can be based on endless factors including generation, role, situation and personality. Being a communication chameleon is a highly undervalued superpower! Those who can master it will always have an upper hand.

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

LeWinter: As someone with high standards for performance, it has always been a struggle for me to find balance. That’s why I stopped trying to find balance and instead focus on harmony. I have boundaries related to my family and children that I will never waiver on, and I’ve learned the importance of prioritization. Most things aren’t a crisis, but some things are. When you figure out the difference between what is and what isn’t, the harmony will follow.

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

LeWinter: I’m so fortunate to be in the position that I am today. My goal is to continue to grow as an executive and add value to FAIRWINDS. I want to play a role in ushering our credit union to $10 billion in assets and beyond. If my strengths and experience can be beneficial in another capacity in the future, I would welcome the challenge, as I have for all the roles presented to me over the years.

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

LeWinter: The most important impact I can make is to remain connected to the pulse of the company so that I can use my role to influence positive change. When we take care of our people, they will take care of our members and community. It all starts from within, and I feel a great responsibility to nurture that environment.

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

LeWinter: Say yes to challenges. Do ALL the jobs! Trust the process. Speak up. Own your strengths and go for it. Take calculated risks. I took a risk early on by moving from a full-time Member Services Representative to an intern in HR. I would say that risk paid off! Thankfully, my younger self was surrounded by amazing mentors, so that advice was all around me from the get-go. It’s the reason I’m here today.

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.