Brett Wooden, financial institution software strategist, Buildable
This is for anyone building a career in the credit union movement, but I especially want to dedicate it to young credit union professionals who are climbing, growing, proving themselves, and trying to make the most of every opportunity placed in front of them.
I call it career gluttony. That may sound a little harsh at first, so let me explain what I mean. I am not talking about taking on extra work. Extra work usually comes with growth. When you prove yourself, people trust you with more. They invite you into bigger conversations. They ask for your opinion. They give you harder problems to solve. That is part of developing as a leader.
What I am talking about is when you are already in a meaningful role and continue taking on additional departments, responsibilities, and executive functions without stopping long enough to ask whether the structure actually works. There is a difference between stepping up and slowly becoming stretched too thin to lead well.
I experienced this firsthand. At one credit union, I started as the Chief Retail Officer. During my first month, the Chief Marketing Officer left. Instead of immediately replacing the role, I advocated for the opportunity to oversee Marketing. Later that year, the Chief Lending Officer left, and I made the same case again.
From a career standpoint, those decisions created real growth. I gained exposure across multiple areas of the organization. I learned faster than I probably would have in a more traditional structure. I was able to accomplish a lot in a short period of time. I had a seat at more tables, led more conversations, and carried more responsibility than the role I originally accepted.
There were positives, and I do not want to minimize them. Taking on those areas helped shape how I think about credit union operations, member experience, lending, marketing, strategy, and leadership. It helped me understand how connected every department really is. Retail does not live on an island. Lending does not live on an island. Marketing does not live on an island. The best credit unions understand how those functions work together.
But there was another side to it. I did not always have the peer group I needed. I could not spend 100% of my time on each department, each initiative, or each team. I was pulled in multiple directions. I had to make decisions across areas that each deserved dedicated focus. I wanted to be present for every team, but the calendar did not always allow it. I wanted to give every initiative the attention it deserved, but there are only so many hours in the day.
That is where career gluttony can become dangerous. The new title can feel good. The broader scope can feel validating. The bigger team can look great on paper. The additional income, if it comes with the responsibility, can be meaningful. For a growing professional, it is easy to see the opportunity first and the cost later. But eventually, you may have to replay the tape and ask yourself a harder question: Was I truly leading all of those areas, or was I just carrying them?
I want to be clear. I am not saying you should say no to opportunity. I am not saying you should avoid taking on more responsibility. I am also not ignoring the reality that many credit unions are being asked to do more with less. Sometimes positions are not replaced. Sometimes staffing is tight. Sometimes the organization needs someone to step in and help stabilize an area. There are absolutely moments when saying yes is the right thing to do.
But before you say yes, slow down and ask better questions.
Will I be able to support this additional department and give it the attention it deserves? Every department has its own rhythm, people, priorities, issues, deadlines, and opportunities. Marketing needs time and creativity. Lending needs focus, consistency, and strong risk awareness. Retail needs energy, coaching, member focus, and operational discipline. Digital, payments, call center, compliance, business development, and operations each bring their own demands. If you take on an area but cannot spend meaningful time with the team, review the work, understand the issues, and help move the department forward, you need to be honest about that before accepting the role.
Do I have the right support team around me when I get pulled in another direction? This may be the most important question. Taking on more can work if you have strong leaders underneath you. It can work if managers are empowered, decision rights are clear, and the team knows how to keep moving when you are unavailable. It can work if you are not the bottleneck for every decision. But if every department depends on you to approve, guide, solve, attend, review, and decide, the structure will start to break down. Not because you are not capable. Because the model is not realistic.
Will this area be better after I leave it? That is the leadership question we do not ask enough. It is one thing to hold a title. It is another thing to improve the department. Did the team get stronger? Did the processes improve? Did communication get clearer? Did members benefit? Did projects move forward? Did future leaders develop? Did the department become healthier, more focused, and more sustainable? If the answer is no, then the title may have helped your career more than it helped the organization.
I see this more now as I consult with credit unions. Managers, directors, and C-level leaders often take on roles that previously would have been replaced. In some cases, it works well. In other cases, I can see the strain. Leaders end up in back-to-back meetings all day. They work after hours to get their actual work done. They operate with less energy. They get pulled in too many directions. They miss meetings or show up late. They spend less time with the people who need their leadership most.
The impact does not stop with the leader. It reaches the team. It reaches the member. It reaches the project. It reaches the organization. When a leader is spread too thin, decisions slow down. Coaching gets pushed aside. Communication gets thinner. Strategic work becomes reactive work. The leader may still be working hard, but the organization starts to feel the lack of focused leadership.
That is why I believe every growth opportunity needs a plan. One of the best CEOs I ever worked for understood this. When I wanted to take on something new, they did not just celebrate the ambition and hand me the responsibility. They slowed me down. They made me build a plan. They asked hard questions. Can you give this the attention it deserves? What happens to your current team? What support do you need? What will you stop doing? What will success look like in 90 days? What will success look like in a year? What happens if this does not work?
At the time, those questions could feel frustrating. When you are ambitious, you want the chance to prove yourself. You want the yes. You want the opportunity. But looking back, that was great leadership. They were not trying to hold me back. They were trying to make sure I could succeed without damaging the work, the team, or myself in the process.
That is the advice I would give to any young credit union professional who is being asked to take on more. Do not just look at the opportunity. Look at the structure around the opportunity. List the positives. What will this help you learn? How will it help the credit union? How will it strengthen your career? What new perspective will you gain? Then list the risks. Where will your attention get pulled? Which meetings will you need to attend? What decisions will now sit with you? Which team members will need more access to you? What work may suffer if your calendar fills up?
Then build a 90-day and 1-year plan. Be practical. What needs to happen in the first 30 days? Who are the key people you need to meet with? What decisions need to be made? What projects need immediate attention? What can wait? What support do you need from your CEO, your peers, your managers, and your team? Most importantly, be honest about your capacity.
Ambition is a good thing. Growth is a good thing. Stepping up for your credit union is a good thing. The credit union movement needs people who are willing to lead, learn, stretch, and take responsibility. But more responsibility without the right structure can quietly turn into less leadership.
So, take the opportunity. Raise your hand. Advocate for yourself. Grow your career. Just do not let the new title, bigger team, and broader scope distract you from the real question: Can you make the area better while still leading the work already entrusted to you?
If the answer is yes, build the plan and step into it. If the answer is no, have the courage to say what support, structure, or timing would make the opportunity successful. That is not weakness. That is leadership.
I would love to hear from other credit union professionals on this one. Have you taken on an additional department, title, or leadership role that helped accelerate your career? Did it work well, or did it stretch you thinner than expected? What would you tell a younger credit union professional before they say yes to the next big opportunity?
Share your thoughts with me. I think this is a conversation worth having, especially as more credit unions ask leaders to carry broader responsibilities with fewer resources.