The CUInsight Experience podcast: Rodney Hood – Effective not excessive (#54)

Welcome to episode 54 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your host Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight.com. This episode is brought to you by our friends at CO-OP Financial Services. CO-OP is your trusted payments processing partner whose mission is to drive the credit union movement forward and we couldn’t be happier to have them on as a sponsor of the podcast to kick off season two.

In this episode, Randy is speaking with The Honorable Rodney Hood. He was nominated by the President and confirmed in 2019 as the 11th Chairman of the NCUA. We discuss his goals for the NCUA under his chairmanship, and what he sees as opportunities and challenges for credit unions.

Chairman Hood discusses where credit unions are today and what he sees as the challenges that they face in the future. He speaks about diversity, equity, and inclusion, why it is so crucial in credit unions today, and about the DEI Summit that was held last year. We chat about the NCUA and how they are embracing diversity in the way they recruit from more diverse candidate groups.

Listen in as we talk about where Chairman Hood sees the NCUA in the year ahead and what he hopes to accomplish during his time as Chairman. He tells us why he took the position at NCUA, how the inspiration with time on the job, and what he feels his leadership style is. He says regulation needs to be effective, not excessive, and that is something his team hears him say all the time and they are working towards.

Chairman Rodney Hood has a lot to share and you don’t want to miss any of it. He is a genuine person that has a passion for helping people and loves to share his insights on the credit union industry. So sit back, plugin and enjoy!

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Books mentioned on The CUInsight Experience podcast: Book List

How to find Chairman Hood:
The Honorable Rodney E. Hood, Chairman of the National Credit Union Administration
www.NCUA.gov
Contact | LinkedIn | Twitter 

Show notes from this episode:
Shout-out: To our friends at CO-OP Financial Services, our first sponsor of The CUInsight Experience podcast.
Check out all the resources and what’s going on at the NCUA here.
Read Chairman Hood’s full bio here.
What is “Libra” that Chairman Hood mentioned? Read all about it here.
Find out more about the DEI Summit the NCUA hosted here.
The NCUA counts Diversity and Inclusion among it’s core values.
Take the time and fill out the Diversity Survey.
Shout-out: Jill Nowacki
Shout-out: Gallaudet University
Shout-out: American Council for the Blind
Find out more about the Payday Alternative Loan Chairman Hood mentioned here.
Find out more about the Second-Chance policy here.
Shout-out: Jelena McWilliams
Shout-out: Joseph Otting
Shout-out: George Ombado and our friends at ACCOSCA
Book mentioned: Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
Shout-out: Gallup, Inc
Book mentioned: My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Album mentioned: Graceland by Paul Simon
Book mentioned: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Book mentioned: Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Book mentioned: The Most of P.G Wodehouse by P.G Wodehouse
Previous guests mentioned in this episode: Jill Nowacki (episodes 4, 18 & 37), George Ombado
You can find all past episodes of The CUInsight Experience here. 

In This Episode:
[01:42] – Welcome to the show, Chairman Hood!
[02:18] – Chairman Hood discusses what he sees as the challenges that credit unions face and where they are today.
[07:19] – He speaks about diversity, equity, and inclusion and why it is so important.
[14:38] – Is this something that needs to be done from a systemic level?
[16:32] – If we were to sit down a year from now, what would you be the proudest thing that you have accomplished?
[21:14] – Chairman Hood talks about why he took the position with NCUA.
[22:12] – How is the inspiration different now than a decade ago?
[24:19] – He describes his leadership style as one of servant leadership.
[27:45] – Regulation needs to be effective, and not excessive is what his team hears him say all the time.
[28:13] – How do you make the tough decisions that are not always popular?
[29:49] – He wants people to realize that the leader is not always the smartest person in the room.
[31:12] – Is there a mistake that you made or that you see young leaders making now?
[33:09] – Proper preparation and planning prevent poor results is something he was told and has carried it with him always.
[33:40] – Chairman Hood tells us about the mentors that helped shape his career and how he passes that on the people he teaches today.
[38:30] – If you have a free day, what do you do to recharge?
[40:05] – Chairman Hood speaks about what he was like in high school.
[41:03] – He talks about his career path and how it lead him to the credit union industry.
[42:44] – What is your daily routine that if you don’t do it, your day feels off?
[44:32] – Mapquest is something he uses daily and would be lost without it.
[45:18] – What is the album you can listen to over and over?
[45:56] – Is there a book that you think everyone should read?
[47:34] – Quality time with close friends and family has become more important, and fluff has become less important.
[49:09] – When he hears the word success, the first person he thinks of is the credit union member.
[50:05] – His final thoughts are he hopes you can glean a little more about him – Rodney Hood.