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The CUInsight Experience

The CUInsight Experience podcast: Releasing with Patty Corkery (#213)

“Every time I’ve just been myself, it’s really worked to my advantage.” - Patty Corkery

Patty Corkery

Welcome to episode 213 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your hosts, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight, and Jill Nowacki, President and CEO of Humanidei.

This episode is sponsored by The Sheeter Group - a leading executive benefits firm that meets your retention and succession needs. This includes non-qualified benefit plans, short and long-term incentive plans, compensation studies, scorecard design, performance evaluation, and more. Learn more at sheetergroup.com.

In this season, Jill 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.

In this episode, we are joined by repeat guest Patty Corkery, the president and CEO of the Michigan Credit Union League. She comes on board to discuss the idea of "releasing to evolve" as leaders, sharing some truly insightful reflections on the mindset shifts and unlearning that often must happen as we take on more senior roles.

One big theme that resonates with us is this idea of having to let go of the need to be liked, especially when you're in a position in which you must make tough decisions. Patty talks about how she has had to work on being more direct and not worrying so much about everyone approving of her and we talk about the human desire to be an approachable, fun leader, versus having to put on the CEO hat and make uncomfortable calls.

We also dive into the challenge of adjusting your communication style as you move up, with Patty sharing a great piece of advice that she got about how "your whisper is a roar" at the executive level. It is a fine line to walk—being authentic while also being mindful of the weight that your words carry.

This is a truly thought-provoking conversation about the evolution required to be an effective senior leader, and Patty offers a lot to reflect on and think about. Enjoy our conversation with Patty Corkery!


How to find Patty

Patty Corkery

Patty Corkery

Michigan Credit Union League and CUSG

Patty Corkery is the President/CEO of the Michigan Credit Union League and CUSG. ...

At the League, she oversees all operations of the trade association and its service corp, MCULSC. She oversees the advocacy, education, marketing and communications teams. Her position includes educating the community, lawmakers and the industry on the credit union difference and promoting the financial strength of credit unions in both Michigan and the nation. For the service corporation, wholly owned by MCUL, Corkery works to maximize relationships with credit union partners.

CUSG, a Michigan CUSO with majority ownership held by MCUL, operates three divisions: Marketing + Technology, Human Resource Performance and Financial Empowerment. CUSG is a national partner of hundreds of credit unions, most
leagues and thousands of other financial institutions and businesses nationwide.

Corkery holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, a law degree from Wayne State University Law School and earned her MBA from Walsh College.

Corkery is the Chair of the Board of Directors for League InfoSight. She also serves on the boards of the American Association of Credit Union Leagues; the Credit Union House, the home away from home for credit unions advocating in our nation’s capital; the Michigan Business Connection, a CUSO supporting small- and medium-sized organizations; Lighthouse Michigan, a beacon of hope for families in need of food, shelter and other basic needs and CUSG partners Marquis, CalcXML and Think|Stack. Corkery also helps lead the Michigan Sister Society for the Global Women’s Leadership Network.

She is a collaborator and enjoys learning from her team. Her motto is: Because life is short, never stop learning or experiencing.

Song mentioned: “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” by Taylor Swift
Shout-out: CUSG
Shout-out: NCUA
Shout-out: David Miller
Place mentioned: Grand Rapids, MI
Previous guests mentioned: Patty Corkery (#112), Lauren Culp (#39, #115, #194)

[1:02] – Leaders grow by unlearning habits and releasing control.
[2:46] – Authenticity over pretending helped Patty find happiness and success.
[5:56] – Jill wrestles with whether being approachable undermines her perceived authority.
[8:38] – “Fake it ’til you make it” can build confidence, but it’s risky and must be used with care.
[10:52] – Patty reflects on how letting go of needing approval helped her lead decisively without fearing being seen as bossy.
[13:20] – As a leader, Patty realized her casual jokes now carry unintended weight and serious impact.
[16:30] – Patty feels that recapping meeting expectations and next steps helps avoid future confusion.
[19:32] – Jill prefers giving people chances instead of rigidly sticking to “hire slow, fire fast.”
[21:50] – Hear how Patty has let go of expecting prompt replies from friends, learning not to take it personally.
[24:36] – Randy prioritizes tasks that match his value, embracing using time intentionally.
[26:58] – Jill believes that true leadership means focusing on your highest value work, not just doing everything yourself.
[29:05] – Coming from humble beginnings, Patty finds it difficult to decline tasks out of humility.
[30:45] – Reevaluating long-standing processes can help lead to meaningful improvement.
[33:04] – Jill feels that while change can be good, validating gut instincts with data helps ensure that it’s more effective.
[36:34] – Some leaders still follow outdated norms which hinders team input and flexibility.
[38:42] – Jill argues that authenticity can actually make you more approachable in a good way.
[39:25] – Ultimately, letting go is necessary for growth because we grow by shedding what no longer fits us.
[40:05] – Focusing on organizational impact over likability strengthens boundaries and makes you a better leader.

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