The CUInsight Experience podcast: Jill Nowacki – Friction (#190)

Thank you for tuning in to episode 190 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your host, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight.com. This episode is brought to you by Velera, formerly PSCU/Co-op Solutions, the nation’s premier payments credit union service organization and an integrated financial technology solutions provider. Velera serves more than 4,000 financial institutions throughout North America, operating with velocity to help its clients keep pace with the rapid momentum of change and fuel growth in the new era of financial services.

My guest on today’s show is Jill Nowacki, Founder, President & CEO of Humanidei. Jill shares how she started her career in credit unions over 20 years ago and reflects on the last five years since Humanidei was developed. Credit unions work with Humanidei to integrate their most important asset, human capital, into organizational growth plans to win the war for talent. 

During our conversation, Jill discusses being optimistic when facing one of the industry’s biggest challenges—the pace of changing complexities in running an organization and how to keep teams aligned and moving forward. She shares the value in providing autonomy to employees and members to create a frictionless and high-performing experience. Jill notes the key to receiving insightful feedback is asking open-ended questions. Listen as we discuss how to remove friction and create more meaningful experiences for employees and members.

As we wrap up the show, listen as Jill talks about self-growth, her excitement for traveling this summer with family, and what book she is getting ready to read with her team. Enjoy my conversation with Jill Nowacki!

Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts and Spotify

Books mentioned on The CUInsight Experience podcast: Book List 

How to find Jill:
Jill Nowacki, President & CEO of Humanidei
humanidei.com
Jill: LinkedIn | Instagram | X
Humanidei: LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X 

Show notes from this episode:
A big shout-out to our friends at Velera, an amazing sponsor of The CUInsight Experience podcast. Thank you!
Want to hear more from Jill? Click here.
Shout-out: Tracie Kenyon
Shout-out: Delta Air Lines
Shout-out: Samantha Beeler
Shout-out: League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates
Shout-out: Whole Foods Market
Shout-out: Oscar Porras
Shout-out: NCUA
Shout-out: Diana Dykstra
Shout-out: Jill’s niece and nephew
Place mentioned: Paris
Place mentioned: Athens
Shout-out: Amazon
Book mentioned: Own Your Greatness by Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin and Dr. Richard Orbé-Austin
Previous guests mentioned in this episode: Jill Nowacki (episodes 4, 18, 37, 64, 82, 101, 113, 126, 138, 148, 161, & 177), Tracie Kenyon, Diana Dykstra

In This Episode:
[01:45] – Jill shares how she started her career in credit unions over 20 years ago.
[02:53] – Jill reflects on Humanidei’s five-year journey
[04:30] – Jill discusses the obstacles that credit unions are facing and how to overcome them.
[07:01] – Jill finds the fast pace of change exciting and sees it as a tremendous opportunity.
[09:16] – Jill talks about points of friction within organizations and how it affects employees
[11:03] – Jill compares a recent travel experience to the employee experience
[14:44] – How can we create a frictionless experience for employees?
[16:09] – Members and employees value autonomy and having the choice to customize their experience.
[19:19] – Jill advises asking open-ended questions and conducting focus groups for actionable insights.
[22:16] – Leaders should experience services as standard members to identify friction points effectively.
[25:55] – Jill highlights the importance of investing in leadership development for fulfilling credit unions’ missions.
[29:11] – Jill emphasizes the importance of leaders taking time to reflect, plan, and communicate changes effectively.
[31:37] – “What should we continue doing and what should we start doing because it will be necessary 3 to 5 years from now?”
[32:17] – Jill shares her excitement for travel plans with her niece and nephew
[33:51] – Jill finds strength and resilience shaped by her late mother’s challenges and reflects on embracing a fast-paced life.
[36:48] – Jill shares what book the Humanidei team will be reading.