Caroline Willard - Summit Together (#147)

"There is more that unites us than divides us." - Caroline WillardThank you for tuning in to episode 147 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your host, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight.com. This episode is brought to you by Elan Credit Card. Elan partners with more than 250 credit unions to provide an outsourced credit card program, and offers merchant and mortgage services for credit union members and business owners.My guest on today's show is Caroline Willard, President and CEO at the Cornerstone Credit Union League. She is also on the Executive Committee of the CUNA Board of Directors. Recently, Caroline and I, along with others, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro for Climb Africa to benefit The ACCOSCA Academy. Caroline shares, “What started as an adventure, turned into becoming a better global citizen,” when discussing her takeaways from visiting the growing continent and supporting Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs). Caroline discusses all that went into this six day climb and surprisingly, while training for the physical aspect, she noticed it was much more of a challenge mentally. She explains how leadership lessons emerged through this adversity.During our conversation, Caroline talks about a possible merger in the future and how this will benefit the efficiency and culture of the association.  She also talks about the biggest challenges that credit unions are facing and how they must continue to evolve in order to overcome these challenges. Caroline connects the work of SACCOs in Africa to credit unions in the U.S and believes they are similar in mission, purpose, and the means to provide a meaningful solution. Caroline and I chat about the greatest investment made in her career that is attributed to personal growth. We talk about the value of teams including what she looks for when adding to her team and the importance of open communication and accountability within it. As the league continues to grow, Caroline shares what has her excited and how it will benefit credit unions and their members. As we wrap up the show, Caroline talks about what amazed her recently, watching the sun come up on Mt. Kilimanjaro, work-life balance, and an insightful piece of advice from her mother. Enjoy my conversation with Caroline Willard!Find the full show notes on cuinsight.comSubscribe on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher Books mentioned on The CUInsight Experience podcast: Book List How to find Caroline:Caroline Willard, President and CEO at Cornerstone Credit Union [email protected] Caroline: LinkedIn | TwitterCornerstone: Facebook | Send us Fan Mail