Grow Your Career Without Losing Yourself in the Grind

If you’re a credit union leader, you care deeply about your members, your mission, and your team.

But caring without a clear structure can quietly backfire. You might recognize the signs:

• Every decision circles back to you

• Your days are full of fire drills, not real progress

• You’re chasing follow-through or just doing it yourself

• There’s no time left for strategy or your own growth

When leadership becomes reactive, it’s easy to burn out, stay stuck, and stall your career. Not from lack of effort, but from lack of space to lead.

There is a better way.

Using the ABC Framework (Assess, Build, Cultivate), you can lead in a way that grows others, protects your energy, and moves your mission forward.

Assess: Start With You

Culture doesn’t begin with what you say. It begins with what you model.

If you’re always in reaction mode, your team will be too. But when you lead with clarity, boundaries, and ownership, others follow your lead.

Two resets that shift team culture fast:

The 24-Hour Rule
Don’t correct in the heat of the moment. Address misalignment within 24 hours, but only once you’ve had time to think. Calm, timely feedback builds trust and changes behavior faster than frustration ever could.

Honor the Absent
Never talk negatively about someone who isn’t in the room. Choosing not to do this will stop triangulation, reduce drama, and build a culture of respect.

Tip: Don’t just correct. Elevate. Instead of saying, “You missed the mark,” try:

“I know what you’re capable of. Let’s reset. What’s one step you’ll take next?”

This builds confidence, not dependence, and gives you back time in the long run.

Build: Deliver Better Service Without Carrying It All

Mission-driven teams thrive on purpose, but when leaders are stretched thin, it’s easy to slide into crisis control and burnout.

Here’s how to stay grounded:

• Share the why. A quick member story at a meeting reminds the team what it’s all for. Buy-in grows when purpose is front and center.

• Recognize effort and character. A sincere shoutout often matters more than formal programs.

• Coach. Don’t push. Help your team shift from selling to recommending. Better conversations lead to better results with less pressure on you.

When your team feels trusted, connected, and clear, they step up. And you finally get to lead instead of constantly putting out fires.

Cultivate: Protect Time and Multiply Impact

If your calendar is full of approvals and fixes, there’s no time left to think, coach, or grow.

Start small and stay consistent:

• Protect one hour daily for deep work. No meetings, no inbox, just space to think and plan.

• Schedule one-on-ones every other week. They catch issues early and keep escalations off your desk.

• Invest in development. Your budget reveals your values. Leadership growth should be built in, not optional.

• Empower intentionally. Rotate team leads. Sponsor community projects. Give others a chance to lead.

And think like an hourglass, not a funnel.

Narrow the vision at the top. Widen execution at the base.
When others own the how, you can focus on the why.

Want to Grow Your Career? Lead Smarter, Not Harder

Trying to outwork the chaos is not a strategy. It is a shortcut to burnout.

Ask yourself:

1. Where am I spending more time reacting than leading, and what system or boundary could help change that?

2. Who on my team is ready for more ownership, and how can I coach them to rise rather than rescue them from mistakes?

3. What’s one leadership rhythm I could commit to this month to create more space for strategy and growth?

You don’t have to sacrifice yourself to serve others. You just need better systems, clearer boundaries, and the courage to lead from vision instead of reaction.

Grow what matters… starting with YOU

Interested in going deeper? Grab my book, Catalyst (by Michael Wolsten), on Amazon! I go in even more detail about the ABC method there! Thanks for reading!