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The CUInsight Network

The CUInsight Network podcast: The leadership shift – DDJ Myers

Featuring Deedee Myers, CEO at DDJ Myers

CUIN 125 DDJ Myers

“Ask questions. Have a culture of inquiry.” - Deedee Myers

Thank you for tuning in to The CUInsight Network, with your host, Robbie Young, Vice President of Strategic Growth at CUInsight. In The CUInsight Network, we take a deeper dive with the thought leaders who support the credit union community. We discuss issues and challenges facing credit unions and identify best practices to learn and grow together.

My guest on today’s show is returning guest Deedee Myers, CEO of DDJ Myers, Ltd. She comes back to discuss leadership as we unpack what’s forming the future of credit union leadership. From a huge wave of CEO retirements to board turnover to executive teams changing under new leadership, Deedee lays out what this really looks like in the concrete data that her team has been collecting for years.

In our conversation, we talk about numbers and how many CEOs are expected to exit in the coming years. We talk about why so many delayed retirement after COVID and how that pent-up shift is finally arriving. Deedee also explains the generational turnover that is hitting boards and executive teams simultaneously, creating something close to a perfect storm. One of the biggest themes that we talk about, however, is responsibility. Who owns succession? Who’s accountable for readiness? What should each party be doing to prepare for the leadership needs of the next decade? In addition, Deedee and I cover the programs, institutes, and coaching experiences that are truly accelerating leadership growth right now.

As we wrap up the episode, we go through our traditional lightning round of questions as I ask her about the little things as well such as the purchases that she swears by, the rituals that keep her grounded during nonstop travel, and the guiding principle that she believes the industry desperately needs more of. Enjoy my conversation with Deedee Myers!

Previous episode featuring Deedee: “Advancing leadership”
Shout-out: ALM First
Shout-out: Emily Hollis
Shout-out: The CEO Institute
Shout-out: ALM First Institute
Shout-out: Cardwell
Shout-out: Deedee’s team
Shout-out: Deedee’s family
Podcast mentioned: The Diary of a CEO
Shout-out: Amazon
Shout-out: Steven Bartlett
Shout-out: Netflix
Podcast mentioned: Freakonomics

[1:08] – Hear Deedee explain how being a CEO can actually be a burden.
[3:18] – DDJ’s priority is securing strong talent and helping organizations maximize people’s potential.
[5:08] – Hear how external CEO candidates currently outperform internal ones in emotional intelligence.
[8:17] – Boards, CEOs, and executives all share responsibility for long-term CEO succession readiness.
[10:55] – Deedee talks about how uniting the board and CEO on development plans, plus coaching, helps level up internal candidates.
[13:14] – Deedee discusses the company’s plans for the future.
[15:49] – Deedee treasures stargazing trips in her Defender and relies on noise-canceling headphones for calm.
[17:06] – Deedee lists off some podcasts that she enjoys.
[18:50] – Deedee encourages leaders to assume good intent, ask questions, and lead with patience and compassion.