The CUInsight Experience podcast: Shine with Faye Nabhani (#233)

Welcome to episode 233 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your hosts, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight.com, and Jilly Nowacki, President and CEO of Humanidei.

This episode is sponsored by Trellance. Trellance is a leading technology partner for credit unions, delivering innovative technology solutions to help credit unions achieve more. With a comprehensive suite of analytics, cloud and talent solutions, the Trellance team ensures credit unions increase efficiency, manage risk, and improve member experience. Learn more here!

In this new 2026 season, Jilly and I will have conversations centered around leadership, credit unions, and living our best lives. We will have some of the most respected leaders from around credit unions who we are grateful to call friends join us in the discussion from time to time too.

This week on the podcast, we return to a simple but far too often overlooked truth: leadership is not about staying in the spotlight but is rather about building space so that other people can step forward and shine. We explore how legacy isn’t really what we accomplish alone, but who we help develop along the way, and joining us to help us tackle this discussion is Faye Nabhani, CEO of SAFE Credit Union, whose work is often defined by a culture rooted in trust, growth, and people-first leadership!

We talk with Faye about what it actually feels like to develop people in practice, and she shares the joy of watching someone realize that they are capable of more than they believed—those moments when confidence finally clicks because someone took a chance on them! We also discuss the distinction between mentorship and sponsorship, and how powerful it is when someone opens doors for you before you even know you’re ready to walk through them.

Faye reflects on opportunities that place leaders into unfamiliar, high-responsibility roles and how those experiences can truly help reshape confidence and capability. We also talk about how to recognize emerging leaders without trying to force development.

Listen in as we also explore what it means when the people in whom you invest eventually move on and how strong leadership cultures create alumni who carry that experience forward and reflect it back into the world! We open up about the shift into senior leadership: learning to let go of control, focus on fewer priorities, and accept that authority doesn’t translate into day-to-day execution, and Faye shares how unlearning the urge to do everything has been just as important as learning how to lead.

We finally close on what it feels like to see someone you’ve supported succeed and offer up the reminder that helping others shine often means stepping back just enough to let them. Enjoy our conversation with Faye Nabhani!

[2:10] – Faye argues that helping people realize their own capability creates the most rewarding leadership moments.
[5:02] – Communication discipline and selective mentorship lessons shape effective, ethical leadership behavior.
[8:42] – Faye sees mentorship as something that builds growth via guidance, while sponsorship creates opportunity via trust and access.
[11:23] – Hear how stepping into unexpected leadership roles during major change can unlock impactful organizational success.
[13:07] – Growth often comes from placing people in roles aligned with their potential, even if they initially feel uncomfortable with them.
[15:10] – Faye argues that organizational success improves when leaders intentionally invest in people and connect them to purpose!
[17:42] – Hear how intentional connection-building and development are incredibly important to sustaining culture in larger organizations.
[19:32] – Faye has learned that curiosity and broad organizational awareness indicate strong leadership potential that’s worth investing in!
[22:28] – Leaders identify potential via observation and engagement in everyday interactions.
[24:01] – Hear why people should be developed freely, even if they eventually grow beyond the organization.
[26:17] – Lasting professional impact leads to lasting connection and gratitude between people and organizations.
[28:05] – Faye argues that investing in people strengthens culture, attracts talent, and supports mutual long-term growth!
[30:07] – Faye points out how leadership growth comes from experience, self-awareness, and focusing on impact over titles.
[34:05] – Faye reveals how she has learned that leadership requires unlearning and focusing only on what truly matters.
[37:54] – Faye feels warmth, happiness, and joy when someone she has helped develop succeeds.
[39:32] – Leadership success ultimately depends on prioritizing people, especially with growing reliance on things like technology and AI.