Fortunate is the word Tamara Langton, vice president of businesstransformation at the $2.2 billion Coastal Federal Credit Union,said sums up her leadership journey so far.

“I think if someone looked at my career in retrospect it maylook planned, but mostly it's been leaps of faith that weresponsored by really good mentors,” said the latest Women to Watchhonoree.  

Langton wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her degrees inmathematics and business administration, but said she had anopportunity early on to work for a public accounting firm. Alwaysone to explore, Langton, despite not having an accounting degree,jumped at the chance.

Also Read: All our Women to Watch sofar.

“It ended up being a good fit for me because the firm wanted tobuild a team of young business professionals with a variety ofbackgrounds, and I had the opportunity to be exposed to workingwith different industry groups,” she said. 

Her rotation with a credit union-specific group would lead notonly to getting her CPA but also ultimately finding her industryniche.

“I've always tried to keep an open mind when it comes toopportunity and not limit myself to some sort of predeterminedpath, so when opportunities come I tend to make a change if itmakes sense,” Langton said. “It was inspiring how passionate boththe firm and the credit union staff were about running a businessso continually focused on how to better serve their members. It wassomething I could get on board with.”

She added that she had always known of credit unions and thegood they do from personal experience. Her father was a teacher andlongtime credit union member. In the 1970s, when his schooldistrict went through a long strike and the teachers didn't getpaid for months on end, it was the credit union that kept herfamily and all those teachers' families afloat. 

“I know the gratitude our family had and it's why my dad hasalways encouraged my sister and I to always keep an account with acredit union,” said Langton, who landed a job at a fairly largeWisconsin credit union before making a move to the Raleigh-basedCoastal FCU as controller. “It was a lateral move at a largercredit union in a different region of the country, and turned outto be a perfect fit at the right time.”

Drawing inspiration and energy from being a part of the CoastalFCU team, she added there's simply no greater feeling than helpingto make a difference for members and the credit union alike. In hercurrent role, she led an extensive search for a new core processingsystem and went through a request-for-proposal process that wouldaddress the organization's strategic objectives and core processingneeds. She now oversees the implementation of the new system, whichalso includes a document imaging, new loan originination accountopening system, reporting system and a member relationship system.She said the effort to produce, implement and drivetransformational programs across the organization will helpstreamline the credit union's operational infrastructure andprocesses. 

“At the beginning of the core conversion we got together anddefined our strategic objectives. One key objective was that wewere going to allow the conversion to change us and not make thenew system match our old system,” Langton said. “I think ofinnovation as idea generation with no boundaries, and collaborationis one of the more powerful tools in generating ideas, refining itto deliver a unique customized solution.”

One of the challenges for any leader today continues to be thefast pace of technology, staying informed and determining which newtechnology is needed to stay competitive.

“No one wants to be the next Blockbuster Video,” Langton said.“We have to be relevant not just in products and services, but inthe delivery channels we provide. We still watch movies but notfrom the local video store. It's important to identify the painpoints and develop solutions that address them.”

In addition, she said the constantly growing number ofcompetitive pressures go beyond what the bank down the street isdoing and now  includes everything from technology andsecurity risks to consumer confidence, regulatory challenges andplayers outside the financial industry. 

“I think credit unions have to remain vigilant in the fightagainst taxation and continue to find ways to band together inareas requiring resources that may not otherwise be possiblewithout economy of scale. We've got to publicize the credit uniondifference and the importance of consumer choice,” Langton said. “Alarge number of consumers still don't know what credit unions areand how we are different. We've got to have a voice, promote thevalue of being a cooperative, and continue to get our message outthere.”

She added that complacency is another challenge.

“If we don't recognize and confront complacency, it can start toundo some of the good done when we were driving hard,” she said.“Our CEO gave me the best career advice by encouraging me to bewilling to step outside my comfort zone. It's how I ended up in mycurrent role. After being on the accounting and finance side for 17years, I ventured into business transformation, getting intooperational and technical issues were outside my expertise and mycomfort zone, but the opportunity has made me a well roundedprofessional. It's one of the best choices I ever made and it was arisk worth taking.” 

She added that it's important to never miss an opportunity tohave a voice and always look forward.

“I think it's important to articulate and explain your point ofview while staying willing and open to being persuaded by differentperspectives,” Langton said. “Every leader should be training theperson who will take over for them. I think it not only keeps yourtop talent motivated but it also ensures the organization isprepared for change, whether planned or unplanned.”