GECU’s Crystal Long shares her thoughts on leadership and change

President/CEO of GECU Crystal Long shares her thoughts on what makes a great leader, teachable moments, and why more credit unions should strive to be active participants in a global movement with CreditUnions.com.

Crystal Long is wired for service and prides herself on being a good listener and collaborator. As president and chief executive officer of GECU in El Paso, Texas, Long was instrumental in leading the credit union to become El Paso’s largest independently owned financial institution. To date, it has nearly $3 billion in assets and more than 800 employees and 385,000 member-owners.

In her 39 years with credit unions, Long has been involved in many local and international organizations. From serving as a trustee for two local hospitals and as a board member for multiple organizations to being appointed the fundraising committee chair for the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions, the philanthropic arm of the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU), Long is dedicated to serving a larger purpose.

On joining the credit union movement …
I found credit unions purely by accident. My future mother-in-law worked at GECU in the 1960s and told me GECU would be a good place to work. So, I applied.

Before I joined the credit union movement, I worked in retail and the restaurant business. Understanding consumers’ expectations proved helpful in my various roles at GECU.

On what distinguishes a great leader …
A great leader is someone who has a sense of humility and a heart for service. They must be malleable, honest, and transparent. They also must be objective and able to consider others’ opinions and ideas. Lastly, they must be passionate about their cause.

I’m a good listener, and I seek to collaborate with others who have a more intimate knowledge of operational issues and challenges. Now that I’m in a more generalist role as a CEO, it’s important to align real-world challenges and opportunities with the environment and economic drivers that impact the organization.

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Source: CreditUnions.com and Sharon Simpson