Great leadership starts with balancing self respect with an understanding of what others need. Learn how the “Gold Covered Platinum Rule” can help leaders build stronger, more meaningful relationships through curiosity, listening, and respect.
Perspectives on leadership, culture, and organizational performance. Written by the Zealyst team for credit union leaders who are serious about growth.
Great leadership starts with balancing self respect with an understanding of what others need. Learn how the “Gold Covered Platinum Rule” can help leaders build stronger, more meaningful relationships through curiosity, listening, and respect.
The article explores how self awareness and understanding your natural strengths can make you a more effective leader. Carolyn Reeves explains that strengths based leadership isn’t about fitting a certain leadership mold, but recognizing how your natural talents influence the way you communicate, make decisions, coach others, and respond under pressure. It also highlights how Zealyst’s Lead Through Strengths experience helps credit union leaders turn that awareness into more intentional leadership.
The debate around cover letters has been heating up for some time now. A LinkedIn poll asking “Is the Cover Letter Dead?” split nearly 50/50. Meanwhile, studies suggest many hiring managers aren’t even reading them. Adding unnecessary layers to your hiring process can hinder your ability to secure the best candidates in this fast-moving world of talent acquisition.
I love being a recruiter. I love helping job seekers find their next role. But as a recruiter, I have seen some things — things I’d like job seekers to stop doing. From resume missteps to interview mistakes to ignoring LinkedIn, here are the habits that are quietly costing candidates opportunities.
The “paper ceiling” describes an invisible barrier created by degree requirements that prevent capable, experienced candidates from advancing — or even being considered — simply because they don’t hold a four-year degree. For credit unions built on inclusion, opportunity, and community, the paper ceiling presents both a challenge and an opportunity.
Gone are the days when leadership was defined by burnout and self-sacrifice. As millennials step into executive seats, we’re reshaping what it means to lead — building a culture where authenticity, collaboration, and purpose replace exhaustion, hierarchy, and ego. The so-called rebellious generation has arrived, not to reject the system that shaped us, but to reimagine it with people at the center.
The full Zealyst team is writing. New perspectives added regularly.
Tracie Kenyon joins co-host Jill Nowacki to explore the inner work that makes stronger executives — the self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and intentional growth that separates good leaders from transformational ones.
Safe CU President/CEO Faye Nabhani shares how she has made culture and employee development a strategic differentiator — and what credit union leaders can learn from her approach to building organizations where people truly thrive.
Liz Ponder, President/CEO of SRP FCU, shares her perspective on building a great organization by leveraging empathy and understanding — and how leading with humanity creates cultures that last.
“As women, we have a lot of work to do—and that work is something we have to continue to be impatient about.” Tansley Stearns joins Jill Nowacki for a candid conversation on identity, leadership, and the ongoing work of building a more equitable credit union movement.
Co-Founder & President/CEO
A catalyst for credit union leaders for over two decades. Passionate about igniting the potential in people and organizations.
Co-Founder & Executive Development Partner
Brings deep expertise in executive development and organizational transformation to every engagement.
Vice President, Strategic Growth
Drives strategic growth initiatives and ensures Zealyst's impact continues to expand across the credit union space.
Talent Experience Manager
Ensures every talent engagement is exceptional — from first contact through onboarding and beyond.
Leadership & Organizational Development Consultant
Specializes in helping teams and leaders unlock their highest-performing potential through purposeful development.
Leadership & Organizational Development Consultant
Passionate about culture transformation and the behavioral change that drives lasting organizational results.
Marketing Manager
Brings the Zealyst brand to life — connecting our story with the leaders who need to hear it most.
Reading is a start. Let’s talk about what’s possible for your organization.