Credit Union Leaders: Share Your Nachos!

by: Devin Selte, Corporate Trainer/Leadership Development/Change Leadership, Servus Credit Union

I have been extremely lucky in my credit union career to attend several international credit union conferences as well as various educational opportunities.  There is a common theme amongst all of these experiences and that is nachos.

Nachos provide the opportunity to bring likeminded credit union people together for after hour discussions on the day that was, something we learned, or just the opportunity to sit down to get to know someone better.

This is networking at its finest.

To break bread….err…nachos….is to affirm trust, confidence, and comfort with the people you are with.  Sharing food is proven to make others feel comfortable and relaxed by sharing and radiating a good personality.

Looking back at my career, some of my most fond credit union memories come from being able to share “nachos” with credit union peeps from around the world.  This has lead to greater credit union collaboration, building stronger business relationships, and even lifelong friendships.

For credit union leaders, I think there is an opportunity here.  Typically employees only get to interact with the executive leadership team in a business environment.  As an employee, I have truly appreciated the opportunities to sit down and “eat nachos” with the leaders of Servus Credit Union.  It has allowed me to share who I am, but also has allowed me to see our leadership team on a whole new personal and human level.

As credit union leaders, we need to take the time to get to know our people, and give them opportunities to allow them to get to know us.

Don’t be afraid to share your nachos.

Devin Selte is a 12 year veteran in the credit union industry all with Servus Credit Union (with a few mergers in between).  Through his tenure, he has spent the majority of his career in the business banking department.  After winning the 2011 CUES Next Top Credit Union title, he has transitioned to the human resources department as a corporate trainer in the area of leadership development and change leadership.   Devin was also recognized as one of CU Times 40 Below Trailblazers in 2011.  He has been married to his wife, Lynne, for 10 years, and has three children: Kyan (5), Braylen (3), and Quinn (7 months).  He loves spending time with his family, hockey, and the credit union way. www.servus.ca