James McBride On Leadership

I’ve made it a mantra that there is no failure. We just tried things that didn’t work. We didn’t fail. We don’t use that word. I’ve banned it.”

Nearly two years into the job as president and CEO of Lion’s Share Federal Credit Union ($72.4M, Salisbury, NC), James McBride has added a few new leadership skills to those he’d already developed after two decades in the credit union business.

McBride entered the industry in college as a part-time teller at The Tennessee Credit Union ($417.1M, Nashville, TN). After nearly a decade there, he spent four years at Arkansas Federal Credit Union ($2.2B, Little Rock, AR) before returning to Nashville to serve as executive vice president at TTCU.

Now, as a first-time CEO, he’s in North Carolina leading a 12,000-member operation that serves grocery store employees along the East Coast. A variety of retail, HR, and management experience under managers with a range of approaches has helped McBride develop his own ideas on leadership.

On not fixing what isn’t broken … until you figure out if it is … and then the fix can be painful …

I’ve learned it’s important as a leader to avoid the temptation to assume your ideas are superior. Along with that, I’ve learned changing how things have always been done can be really hard on people. An effective leader knows to take the time to understand a situation before deciding whether to act.

On the other hand, sometimes things just need to be done — and that’s not always easy. I’ve waited too long at times to, for example, shift around responsibilities because I was more concerned about feelings than I was about results. Caring about your staff’s feelings can be a strength, but it can also be a weakness. There’s a balance that must be struck. That said, I’m an emotional person. You might see me cry if you’re around me for any length of time.

On lessons learned from a micromanaged environment …

As the EVP at The Tennessee Credit Union, I worked in an environment where there was a great deal of micromanagement. That can be a negative experience in some ways, but, positively, it helped shape me as a leader. I learned a great deal about risk and about how to manage a portfolio securely and successfully. I also learned that, for me, a more collaborative leadership style is a way to get better results. I’m developing that approach now in my new role as a first-time CEO.

On empowering transparency through trusted relationships …

One of my mentors told me when you’re in charge of someone else’s paycheck and career path, there’s a good chance they won’t be that transparent with you about what they see and know. He was right. There’ve been a couple times when I wasn’t told what I needed to be told because someone thought they were protecting me or telling me what they thought I wanted to hear. A trusting relationship built on effective communication can help avoid that situation.

On leadership that allows for failure (if Lion’s Share used that word) …

I’ve been granted the opportunity to do new things and try new things throughout my career, and I’m a believer in extending that opportunity to the people I manage. However, that means you’ll sometimes try things that just don’t work. I’ve made it a mantra that there is no failure. We just tried things that didn’t work. We didn’t fail. We don’t use that word. I’ve banned it.

On learning to ask questions …

I worked for Arkansas FCU for about four years. During my onboarding, one of the first things we did was meet the CEO, Larry Biernacki. He had a Ken Blanchard book, “Whale Done,” on his desk. I asked him why. Larry said, “Well, James, it’s there because I wanted someone to ask about it. Here it is. Read it and come back and we’ll talk about it.” I read it and came back, and he had another copy on his desk. I was an assistant branch manager then, and I learned as a young man that you need to ask a lot of questions.

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On the importance of learning …

Another thing Larry taught me was the skills you have today are not going to be the skills you need tomorrow. After I returned to The Tennessee Credit Union from Arkansas, I asked my president how I could become his successor. He said I had to figure out credit union math. So I found a conference I affectionately refer to as “Credit Unions for Dummies” that was targeted to board members. I took a lot of notes and still have the book from that conference eight or nine years later. I’ve continually applied what I’ve learned as my leadership responsibilities and career have grown.

This interview has been edited and condensed.