This past year, U of I Community Credit Union welcomed nearly 7,000 new members at a time when many credit unions with assets under one billion are struggling to grow membership. I share it as a statistic worth celebrating and a moment for me to pause and reflect on what truly drives growth, at UICCU. For me, the real story behind that growth isn’t a campaign, a product, or a perfect strategy. It’s how our people are all-in showing up with care, staying engaged even when things aren’t perfect, and bringing real presence to the work in front of them.
This all-in perspective didn’t come from theory or a single moment of clarity. It’s been shaped over time by watching people across our industry, in our community, and at my credit union who do the work with the intention of helping and engaging in what’s in front of them. Leaders and frontline teams alike who stay engaged and choose action over waiting for perfection show us what being all-in truly looks like.
Some of the most meaningful examples didn’t look dramatic. They looked like a member service representative who chose engagement over perfection, showing up to help even when there wasn’t time for flawless interaction, understanding that genuine connection matters more than getting everything exactly right.
I think about a moment not long ago when a gentleman came into one of our branches with his family on his birthday, late in the afternoon, hoping to open an account. It was the kind of appointment that’s typically scheduled for an hour. Instead of deferring or rushing the interaction, our team chose to lean in and make the moment matter welcoming him fully into membership and turning an ordinary transaction into something memorable.
It may not have been the birthday gift he expected, but it became one he’ll always remember. Long after the paperwork is forgotten, he’ll remember that we showed up for him.
Or they looked like our business development team, leading first with the mission of financial well-being for all. Not focused on who might become a member or how many products might be booked, but on sharing knowledge with care, celebrating every moment they’re able to make a difference in someone’s life, without judgment, and even with a little fun along the way.
Those are the experiences that stay with people and the ones that remind me what being all-in really looks like. What’s underneath all of this for me is a simple shift: finding fulfillment in the doing, not just the outcome.
When teams focus on what’s right in front of them, the member they’re serving, the potential new member asking a question, the community partner showing up with an idea, the work changes. The question becomes less about what can I get from this? And more about what can I add to this?
I’ve seen how powerful it is when people move out of constant planning and into doing—when they take care of what’s right in front of them, even if the moment isn’t perfect or the timing isn’t ideal. Perfection has a way of slowing things down. Presence tends to move things forward.
When we embrace imperfect action, something shifts.
We second-guess less and have fewer regrets. People feel trusted, not managed. Energy replaces tension, and progress happens.
In credit unions, this matters. Our work is deeply human. We meet people at moments that matter, buying a first home, starting a business, navigating uncertainty. That kind of work responds better to presence and care than pressure and perfection.
I’ve noticed that when we lead with mission and focus, less on chasing outcomes, and more on how the work is being done, results tend to follow. Being all-in doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means showing up fully anyway and making the best decision you can with the information you have so the work can keep moving.
As we look ahead, I find myself returning to a simple question:
Am I fully present in this moment, or am I distracted by the outcome?
When the answer is present, our work feels lighter. Clearer. More human.
It’s about presence, trust, care and executing with joy.
And when we lead that way, good things tend to follow.
Happy New Year!
