DeJesus: The credit union philosophy of “people helping people” and living it every day is what drew me to the credit union industry. Unlike banks, we exist solely for our members and our community, and that makes everything we do that much more rewarding.
 
CU Times: What unique skills, experience and attributes do you bring to your role?

DeJesus: I bring more than 26 years of banking experience, with 20 of those being in the retail branch covering all the possible roles in the retail branch environment. I learned to serve members with their best interests in mind and how to lead a team, emulating that same thought process to success.
 
CU Times: Which person (or people) do you credit the most for helping and supporting you along your career journey?

DeJesus: I had the privilege of having incredible mentors along the way during different times in my career. We meet different people in our lives/careers that serve the purpose to elevate your skillset by providing candid feedback with care to help you get better.

Early in my career I had an Assistant Manager by the name of Joe Velazquez, who helped me see the value in getting out of my comfort zone of operational duties and learning the sales aspect of the financial world. This was a scary transition for me but having a mentor who can motivate you along a scary path and help you see potential pitfalls was an invaluable lesson that holds true today in my career.

There are so many people and mentors who have helped me along my path that it would take a book to mention them all, but I am grateful for them. Their guidance has allowed me to learn that success doesn’t happen on its own, it takes help from others. I have a duty to pay it forward in my career, and mentor in any way that I can. Along with mentors, the people that I credit the most with helping me along my career are the teammates that have given me the privilege to help lead them.

These teammates have trusted me with my vision, philosophy and leadership to help bring us to success and develop them along the way; without these teammates I would never have had the opportunity to learn from them.
 
CU Times: What are some of the biggest differences between working in your current executive level role and your previous, non-executive roles?

DeJesus: The biggest difference was learning to adapt and embrace a strategic and futuristic thinking mindset without being involved in the day-to-day operations of tasks.
 
CU Times: What’s a challenge you faced when you first joined your executive team, and how did you overcome it?

DeJesus: The biggest challenge I faced, in full transparency, was suffering from imposter syndrome. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to contribute to the Executive Team immediately as they had years of experience in their current roles. I overcame this by having one-on-one conversations with each existing member of the executive team to understand their journey and getting their feedback on how I can help contribute to their teams and the overall success of the organization. Each conversation led to open dialogue that helped me believe that I was in the right place in my career and at the right time.
 
CU Times: How would you describe your current leadership style?

DeJesus: My experience over the years has taught me that you have to ‘master’ several leadership styles that can be used in certain situations. I feel like the leadership styles that prevail the most with me are transformational, coaching and visionary leadership. I tend to combine all three to make my own fluid leadership style while providing clear direction, expectations, accountability, empathy and development.
 
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)?

DeJesus:  I have learned that in order to communicate well with others, regardless of generation of the recipient, you have to be open to learning how the person prefers to receive feedback. Once that is established, then communicating with empathy and care leading the way, should always prevail in achieving communication success.

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

DeJesus: I make sure to keep my calendar up to date to include my lunch times, breaks and vacation time. I understood that connecting with nature helped me find resilience which includes hiking and going to the beach. While at work, I also make sure to find time to connect with teammates and discuss subjects that are not work related, such as any new shows people are watching, new movies or the best restaurant they visited during the weekend.
 
CU Times: What’s next for you on your executive career journey? Do you have any specific career goals you’re working toward?

DeJesus: I am excited to announce that just recently I have been given the opportunity to lead the retail branches of the credit union. I was previously leading the contact center, and the member experience departments for the credit union. Leading the member experience team, along with my retail banking experience, will allow me to use my expertise to propel our service levels to new heights, therefore making us the credit union of choice for our communities. I will continue to focus on learning from my peers, from the members of the executive team and by attending conferences to then learn what will be next on my journey.
 
CU Times: What big-picture impact do you hope to make within your credit union, as well as for your members and community?

DeJesus:  I want to help influence the key identifier that will help make Addition Financial stand out from its peers in the marketplace. I want to make our credit union the place that members love to come visit, regardless of the touchpoint they use and the credit union our teammates love to work for. I believe that we have what it takes to be top of mind for our community members when it relates to being the partner they trust the most to seek financial advice and help.
 
CU Times: What career advice would you give your younger self?

DeJesus: If I could go back in time and have this conversation, it would be to ‘be yourself and trust yourself.’ We are taught, sometimes to a detriment, to have role models and emulate them without truly knowing who we are first as individuals. If we look from within, you will find that you had the “secret sauce” all along, you just never really looked because you were too busy trying to be someone who you aren’t. We waste time not trusting in your abilities and capabilities that we let opportunities go by. Be yourself and trust yourself, and ultimately you will believe in yourself and so will others.

Would you or someone you know like to share your journey to credit union leadership? Please reach out to Natasha Chilingerian at [email protected]. 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.