DULUTH, Ga.–Four female credit union leaders shared their experiences, insights and advice on how women can advance their careers and those of others (and make the world a little better place) during a webinar hosted by the African American Credit Union Coalition.
The webinar was part of AACUC’s Commit to Change Conversation series. Participating in the webinar were Lucy Ito, president and CEO of NASCUS; Hazelmae Overturf, senior manager of learning and development with BECU; Leslie Pearce, SVP with Fiserv, and Brandi Stankovic, COO/chief strategy officer for CU Solutions Group. The discussion was moderated by Alicia Chaney of CUNA Mutual Group.
Here’s a look at some of the conversation:
What position in your career has stretched you the most?
Ito: Frankly, every position I have had has provided challenges. If you made me choose I’d say my position now. It’s interesting, because when I was at the World Council had two women mentors above me and I was stunned one day when they said, “Lucy you have no fear, you’ll take on anything.’ That was the first time I realized maybe I should be afraid, but they said, ‘No. It’s good to be challenged, it stretches us.’
Pearce: For me it was my first time I was promoted to a first-line manager. Being an individual contributor was easy for me. I was only responsible for me. When promoted to manager I learned I’m now responsible for 22 other people, and oh, by the way I have to manage up, and oh, by the way I’m having my first baby. It was such a difficult, rewarding, challenging opportunity.
What I did was focus on the women leaders I had in the past and I wrote down what I loved about working with them. That was most difficult. Climbing the ladder is sometimes really difficult, but you have to persevere.
Overturf: It was when I became a contact center supervisor at BECU. I started at the entry level. That change of leading people, leading a team, leading myself and managing up, and taking escalations from our members....It was that type of work, and if you haven’t spent time in your contact center or on the front line, please do, it’s so eye-opening. I brought all that forward with me.
Right before I came to BECU I traveled to Korea to teach English for a year after college. Talk about a stretch. The good news was I am Asian, so I fit in a little bit. Having a global perspective like that has really widened my view.
Q: What advice do you have for women to be successful?
Lucy Ito
Stankovic: Advocate for and champion one another. Often, there is too much competition; this isn’t survival of the fittest. It’s about lifting one another up. It’s not just he for she, but she for she. For me, I recognize my advantage and for people who have similar epidermis as me, and learning to be a better ally is what it is. You can’t just have someone’s back you have to stand up for the front line.
Overturf: About a year ago I started a journey where I really tried to bring forth my authentic self personally and professionally. The specific advice I received from my coach is the world doesn’t need another insert-famous-person-name here, it needs you.
I wanted to bring this forward because it is Women’s History Month. There was a Read Across America event where Professor Rudine Sims Bishop said something about books but I also see it as an analogy for women: ‘Booksare sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created and recreated by the author.’
Pearce: You have to be bold enough to ask someone to take a risk on you. Oftentimes, we are not seen in positions because we have not had the opportunity to own those positions. In my own career I shocked my mentor when he asked, ‘What job would you like to have next?’ and I said ‘Your job. What do I have to do to be seen as your successor.’ I was seen as a great middle manager but not seen for that next tier. But because we had bold conversations I was able to get to that next tier. You have to be comfortable saying, ‘Invest in me.’ And if I fail, it’s OK.
Ito: My advice is we are most successful when we are honest with ourselves and act with integrity. You have to own your actions, your organization’s actions, and when you have to say mea culpa, say it, own it. Stand up for yourself. One of the highest compliments I was ever paid was by a boss of mine, a man, because I was demanding something. He said, ‘Lucy you’re an iron fist in a velvet glove.’ And I thought I will take that description.
What inspires you?
Hazelmae Overturf
Overturf: One of my strengths is I’m futuristic. I think what inspires me is thinking about a greater, better future for all of us. Something may feel so grandiose and big that it makes you ask how can I make a difference? You can act incrementally. That inspires me to wake up every day and even if it’s one little thing it’s one little thing more and there is hope and potential in this world to make it better.
Ito: The first thing that came into my head was (AACUC President) Renee Sattiewhite, because AACUC is the most inclusive organization in the credit union system. I think it’s amazing how (they) are bringing people together. (Xceed FCU CEO) Teresa Freeborn is also an inspiration to me. At a Global Women’s Leadership Network event she shared a (paraphrase of a) quote by Madeline Albright: ‘There is a special place in Hell for any credit union women who don’t help other credit union women.’
Pearce: First, my children. So much of what we do is for our other selves when we’re not working 12-14 hours a day. Now my daughter looks at me differently as she starts her career and she asked why I work so many hours. I said my company has a grant program giving $10,000 to minority business owners, and I get to talk to the business owners. If I can make a difference in one woman’s life, it’s all worth it.
I am in a position to have uncomfortable conversations with my colleagues. If all the guys have dinners together without inviting me, they don’t understand how isolating that is. I don’t know what opportunities I will be given but I am determined to work hard at whatever comes my way.
Stankovic: What inspires me the most is a relentless drive for results. It’s those who are making it happen. The point of those who inspire me is about overcoming barriers and stereotypes and even self-inflicted challenges. But in all cases they have a clear direction and relentless drive for results. Conversations are critical, but action is really most important, which is why I love this commitment to change initiative. Credit unions have synergy and power collectively.
At some points in your careers you have encountered tough obstacles. What has been the most difficult thing for you to overcome?
Leslie Pearce
Ito: I have been with three different organizations in my credit union career: the World Council, the California and Nevada leagues, and now NASCUS. It’s kind of funny, I have been told I have a selective memory. I remember positive things and forget negative experiences. One my husband reminded me about recently is at one point in my career I actually had a woman boss who treated me like an assistant even though I was a research specialist, and she asked me to pick up her dry cleaning for her. I was shocked to be asked to do that. You have to stand up for yourself and I said no and was never asked to do something like that again. It turned out to be the right thing to do, to speak up.
Stankovic: One of the hardest challenges is being a mommy. It’s what I’m best at and what I’m worst at. In becoming a mom I had to start over and I had to also regain the confidence in myself and manage a whole new outlook on priorities. There is fierce grit and humility in being a mom and I don’t think anything has challenged me more.
Overturf: In terms of self-inflicted stress, there was a point in my career where I was the contact center supervisor and in order to get to that promotion I was in an interim position; it was the first time it had been enacted at BECU. I was in it for nine months. I got to the 30, 60 and 90-day mark and then on and on and I was still challenged to be officially promoted. It’s hard to be in that space. I’m so thankful I went through the process and now we have these set interim roles in our organization.
Pearce: One of my colleagues coined a phrase, ‘I may not be the first generation college in my family, but I am first generation corporate.’ When that happens you lack a safe place to go and ask questions. Your salary is an astonishing amount to your mother. There was a gentleman who was in the office next to me for a decade. Every time we got a merit increase I was always grateful and happy. He complained every single time. Every single year. And mind you, I was a VP and he a director. But it worked; he got more money, even though I had more responsibility and a higher title. I did not have an appreciation for my work. I think it’s something we all struggle with.
Money has always been this secretive thing we don’t share with one another. How do you know what you’re worth? The only way I was able to do that was to change companies. For me it wasn’t lack of confidence. But as first generation corporate, we have to rely on one another to have these safe places for bold conversations on what is the right number, how do I get to that next promotion.
How are you supporting other women and how does that bring you joy?
Brandi Stankovic
Ito: I do believe the AACUC has been such an example in raising awareness. CUDirect has started an Asian American and Pacific Islander leadership development group and I was thrilled to hear that. It brings me great joy to see organizations across the credit union system waking up and talking about stuff. I’ve been with credit unions for 35 years and this is the first time I’ve heard of attention being paid to Asian-American sensitivities. I’m very inspired by that.
Overturf: I am inspired to be the window, the sliding door and the mirror. One of the events I want to highlight is we hosted an innovation think tank where we charged young professionals to solve a particular problem by going into the design-thinking process and developing resolutions. The management team was so impressed to see the talent within the organization. Any opportunity I have to do that, I do. I hire internally whenever I can. We can build people within and we should be doing that constantly.
Pearce: I live by giving of your time, treasure and talents. I really try to make sure I’m balanced. Sometimes we think, ‘I wrote a check, I’m good, I’ve done my part.’ There are times in your career when you feel you don’t have enough time to give. You don’t. But someone took a chance on me. If someone asks me to mentor them, I always say yes, with this caveat: you own the schedule. You’d be surprised how many have only the first meeting.
For those truly interested in partnership and internship, it’s so rewarding. I am co-executive sponsor for our Black Leadership Council and it’s probably an extra 10 hours a week to make sure we are supporting our associates in the way they need to be supported. It’s important. Whatever is important to you, you will make time for. So you have to prioritize other people in their journey. I’m going to do my day job. But did I do enough to have an impact on that other woman who needs help? Sometimes people just need a safe place to have a conversation.
Stankovic: The four steps for women leaders are to educate the next generation in any way you can to create a legacy, within your organization, your family, your community. To challenge your own systematic beliefs and values. To continue the conversations in your offices. And to use your voice to influence in any way you can for women, for leaders, and for what’s right.