Building First, CEO Second

I was honored to be on a podcast a couple weeks ago that dove into some of my views and experiences on leadership.

I’m always somewhat hesitant to speak with any sort of authority on the topic as I’m constantly adjusting and growing as a leader myself. With that being said, I get more comfortable after making that disclaimer that I’m an imperfect, developing leader just trying to get a few decisions right.

On this particular podcast, I was asked if I ever had plans or goals to be the CEO of a credit union service organization (CUSO). I gave the response of “no”, but I’d now like to spend a few paragraphs diving into that further to provide some clarification.

First of all, I’ve been known to say that if your goal is to be CEO – then go file LLC papers and designate yourself as CEO. I say that, because I think most will quickly find it wasn’t the three-letter title they were truly after. Maybe they were after the power, the authority, the prestige, pleasing someone else, or perhaps something else altogether.

If a person gets more specific around what they want to be CEO of – then we’re getting somewhere.

But back to the podcast question – did I ever think, plan, or have the goal of being a CUSO CEO.

As someone who was a business major, I think it’s natural to occasionally daydream about being CEO – of something. When I was at Merrill Lynch in 2008, I used to read the stories of the CEO at that time and some of the crazy office purchases/features. Ridiculous? Sure. Fun to think about? Absolutely.

As my career developed somewhat aimlessly on its own, I felt the ambition start to fade. Looking back now, that period of aimlessness was crucial - it allowed me to gather diverse experiences that still serve me today. It wasn’t until my friend and mentor, Vickie Schmitzer, really challenged me and pushed me to get better. The ambition started to come back and ideas for CUSOs were constantly swirling in my head. But nothing I would’ve seen myself really running as the CEO.

Even as I pitched the idea for this current CUSO, I remember laughing when I was asked to lead it – because it just wasn’t on my radar as a feasible/realistic option.

?So, did I have plans or goals to be CEO of a CUSO?

No. I just knew I wanted to make a difference and knew I had to be ready. Getting ready equated to getting plugged in everywhere I could. Raising my hand constantly, knowing I’d have to figure it out.

By the time I was asked to be CEO, I looked around the room and said, “Alright Josh – you’re up”.