Jill Nowacki, vice president of development at Maps CreditUnion, had big dreams of doing public relations for an NFL team orstarting a nonprofit. But a contract marketing position with theMontana Credit Union Network led to her to discover her truecalling.

“I thought, oh I'll do this for a year to gain some experienceuntil I can move to a state with an NFL team because there couldn'tbe anything exciting about marketing a checking account,” saidNowacki. “Before the year was up, it was too late because I wasalready ingrained in credit unions. I was motivated by theirpurpose, mission and to have the chance to work with people whojust wanted to do more and help others. I never felt more focusedand clear. Now I can't imagine doing anything else.”

She said despite credit unions' 100-year history in the UnitedStates, they remain an undiscovered secret, and the desire to bringthem more into the consumer mainstream has become a torch sheproudly carries.

“I wish more credit unions were asking what can I do rather thanwhat others are doing,” said Nowacki. “I think too often we look atissues, competitive pricing, products, services etc. that othersare already doing and feel the need to emulate them. When maybe theanswer for us is a completely different one. And its unique to eachcredit union. I want more credit unions asking what their communityneeds are and coming up with solutions tailored to meet thoseneeds. The best programs and innovations are those that may notwork in every community but are just right for theirmarketplace.”

As someone who values collaboration to create over titles andcredit, Nowacki has harnessed her natural curiosity and genuineinterest in people to encourage and gather as many ideas aspossible from across the organization.

“It's hard to imagine me saying, 'O.K. team, here's how it'sgoing to be done.' It's not natural to me, I've been a part ofteams my whole life, so I want to hear any idea that's thrown outthere. When you just focus on coming together to deliver the bestsolution to a problem, rather than what can I get out of this,everyone wins. To me a true leader serves as a resource to supportand help others in fulfilling their potential.”

She added that she tends to come from a place of happiness andis motivated by the idea of a society where others are happy foreach other as well.

“For whatever reason, I feel a personal responsibility if I seesomething that seems inequitable or unjust, then I have to dosomething about it. Whether it's a fellow employee I see hasunrealized potential and helping them get to the next level or abroad population of underserved people paying more for banking thanthey can afford, it's my responsibility to try to help addressthat. I don't necessarily think I have all the solutions, but withmy fascination with people, I get to know a lot of people sothere's always someone in my mental Rolodex who can help, and I domy best to connect people and encourage solutions.”

That ideal has also shaped her perspective on competition.

“I'm the least competitive person I know. I don't think in termsof beating others, and I wouldn't want to make the barometer ofsuccess based on being comparative. I just want to be the best forthe value of it, not crushing others. I believe that everyone canwin when we all deliver the best service to the community. I don'tfeel there can ever be too many financial institutions because byserving our own specific niche and focusing on really understandingand meeting our member and community needs, then it doesn't matterwhat the competition is doing.”

Since joining the Salem, Ore.-based Maps Credit Union in 2009, Nowacki has overseen the marketing,business development, and community development functions of the$410 million credit union. In addition to growing the communitydevelopment team, she has spearheaded investment in Hispanicoutreach and overseen the rollout of a new brand in 2011.

It's no surprise that some of the initiatives rolled out byMaps, she is most proud of revolve around helping others connect orimprove their lives.

For example, given that Salem has a 20% Hispanic population,most of whom immigrated from Oaxaca, Mexico, a team of 10 MAPSstaffers teamed up with local nonprofit Friends of Pimpollo andembarked on an immersion service trip to the region as a way tobetter understand the culture.

“We spent a week meeting children and adults, making buildingimprovements to their schools and met leaders of a local creditunion,” said Nowacki. “It was an incredible experience to see theirmicrofinance efforts and neighbors pooling their resources to feedthe whole community. For me it drove home that this is what we areas credit unions and what good can be done when money is keptlocal.”

When local schools were facing unprecedented budget shortfalls,Nowacki shifted a significant portion of her marketing budget intoa $50,000 donation to the local school district–the largest singledonation the district has ever received.

A belief that a community is only as strong as the economicopportunities it can provide to its small business owners sparkedthe creation of a buy local program, which provides advertising forlocal businesses and discounts reserved for Maps members only. Themost innovative component of the program is the featured partneroffers. Every two weeks, the credit union highlights a specific buylocal partner that provides a freebie to both members andnonmembers—anyone who visits the website and downloads the featuredcoupon.

“We're about 40 miles from Portland and although Salem issmaller, we do have it all here, but many locals think they have togo to Portland for great dining or shopping. What makes thisspecial is that the credit union compensates the business for thefree giveaways, so the small businesses, many of whom haveextremely tight margins in the current economic climate, don't takeon the risk of the offer. Instead, the credit union gives them alow-risk opportunity to convert new customers,” said Nowacki. “It'sanother example of how shared ideas can offer the best solutions.This was the brainchild of Jamie Young our business developmentofficer. You don't have to do it all yourself, let go of the reins,tap into the many resources that surround you and trust them tocarry the program forward and you'll be thrilled with theresults.”

For those looking to develop their own leadership skills,Nowacki's advice is simple: Keep learning and having conversationswith as many people as possible.

“Read all the books you can, talk to as many people as possibleand don't just look to the corner office for insight. You can learnabout leadership lessons from peers, people who report to you andpeople in other organizations not just the CEO,” said Nowacki.“There are so many lessons in the experiences of others, soak itall up, be open and recognize you'll get contradictory lessons butwhen you piece it all together it makes sense. Create anenvironment where you are the sum of not just your independentexperience but from other people, books, classes etc. I can neverimagine any position in the world where someone could say, 'That'sit I know enough, there's nothing more I need to learn.' There isalways someone who can teach you something, it's what keeps yougrowing as an individual and keeps you challenged.”