Jessica Shorney

Leadership Style

Over the course of my career, I have learned that you cannot and should not do it all. Delegating does not mean passing the buck; rather, it empowers employees to feel trusted and to grow. I’ve also learned the difference between being kind and being nice. Kindness involves setting healthy boundaries and being honest when necessary. It may require providing constructive feedback or addressing tricky situations. Niceness, on the other hand, may avoid confrontations or uncomfortable conversations, potentially hindering growth, and improvement. Finally, I have learned that sometimes less is truly more. Thank you is a complete sentence. By focusing on the essential aspects and removing unnecessary elements, we can achieve a more powerful and effective result.

Leadership Lessons

I have worked for the same company for my entire adult career, which brings both positives and negatives. After becoming CEO, I was putting myself in a box, feeling that I had to maintain the status quo and operate as we had under my predecessor. This was challenging since my predecessor and I have different strengths. By comparing myself to someone with different strengths, I felt I was failing. I did not realize it right away, but I was placing self-imposed restrictions on my thoughts, actions, and possibilities.

At the same time, I wish someone had told me that failure is part of growth. I experienced what they call “analysis paralysis” when I took on the top leadership role, pressuring myself not only to decide, but to make the right decision every time a situation arose. Embracing change and exploring innovative approaches takes time and effort, but allows you to unlock your own creativity, drives innovation, and paves the way for new and exciting possibilities. And time keeps moving forward, even if you are paralyzed by a decision. The situation that has you caught will unfold with or without your decision. Better to make the wrong one and learn than do nothing and remain developmentally stranded.

Leadership Legacy

As I have grown into the top leadership role, I always strive to put others first by listening, assuming positive intent, empathizing with concerns and trying to understand perspectives. My goal is to empower others by fostering a culture of trust and collaboration, cultivating learning and growth, and promoting the success of the team. I am committed to making a positive impact on the team, organization, and society, by not only achieving organizational goals but also serving the greater good to bring about positive change.

In doing this, I endeavor to live up to an ideal first exemplified by my grandfather. From an early age, I had a tremendous amount of respect for his dedication to his family and to his career. He truly had it all, and he somehow made time for it all. I loved the idea of following in his footsteps, and those values are what inform my leadership style and why I am truly at home as the CEO of a Credit Union, where we put people above profit. As a non-profit, we are dedicated to serving members and our community, ideals that I uphold with the hopes my work ethic and values inspire my children the way my grandfather inspired me.

I hope my legacy will entail creating an environment where everyone can thrive, where the default is to assume positive intent, and where everyone realizes their unique impact overall. Ultimately, I want to empower our members to achieve financial health, and through their success, create a more prosperous community.