Lindsay Land packed her bags, loaded her car and said goodbye to her husband and two children. She was headed for a week-long cross-country drive with no plan in sight, except one of adventure.

Land, vice president of operations at the $682 million Consumers Credit Union in Kalamazoo, Mich., had just completed a core conversion, and she viewed the trip as a great way for her to reflect and relax after the accomplishment. She knew she would likely never make the drive again, so she used the time to sing along with the music in the car and enjoy all the unique people she met along the way.

“It was one of the best experiences I've had in my life. I knew I couldn't really get lost because I didn't know where I was going. I didn't have any hotel reservations or anything. I winged it,” the most recent Trailblazers 40 Below honoree said.

Land has applied this same sense of curiosity and possibility to her career. Her degree is in human resources, and for more than five years she served as the chief human resources officer at the $476 million Kellogg Community Federal Credit Union in Battle Creek, Mich. After getting exposure to operations, Land saw how much she enjoyed that aspect of the credit union.

The wheels started turning for her and she made it known to Kellogg Community's leadership that she was interested in transitioning to operations.

“I was very nervous because my whole world was human resources. I wasn't as entrenched in the credit union industry as someone normally going into an operations role,” she recalled.

The risk paid off. She transitioned to COO at Kellogg Community and later to her current position of vice president of operations at Consumers. Land said there was a ton to learn, but the transition ended up being positive.

“The result of it is I learned that it's OK to push yourself to try new things, and if it doesn't work out there's always a Plan B,” she emphasized. “If I hadn't taken that step to operations, I probably wouldn't have the opportunity to transition to Consumers Credit Union.”

As vice president of operations, Land manages and oversees the credit union's card department, ATMs, operations, project management and facilities. But, she said, a huge part of her job is to create a supportive environment for team members and foster innovation, empowerment and leadership. She also said she encourages her team to not be afraid of risk and tells them while it's OK to fail, the failing should be done quickly.

Every year, Land completes an individual development plan for each team member. She discusses their growth plan for the next year, the next two to five years and then for the long-term. She said she wants her team to have the same opportunities she had.

“We talk a lot about thinking big, thinking outside of your current role and thinking outside of operations,” she said. “There's a lot of encouragement when we're talking about team member growth.”

This emphasis on employee culture and empowerment appears to be working. A 2015 survey of all Consumers employees revealed satisfaction was high – 4.35 out of five. Land said members are also highly satisfied. In 2015, 98.16% of members surveyed said they were satisfied or very satisfied.

“These figures really show pride within the team,” Land said. “We focus on that throughout the year and talk about member engagement and member satisfaction.”

Consumers is also focusing on providing personalized service through digital channels. In 2015, the credit union implemented interactive tellers that allow members, at the touch of a screen, to see and talk with a teller by video link. In the first month of use, interactive teller transactions grew 60%. Members seem comfortable using the technology – Land joked that her mom was even willing to try it.

Right now, the interactive tellers are in select drive-thru locations and branches, but the credit union is working on deploying a standalone location.

This year the credit union is also preparing to implement online membership, which would allow new members to sign up without visiting a branch.

Land said the credit union has consistently grown 18% annually for the last 20-plus years.

“It's really spearheaded by our growth and our focus on our team members. Just growth through culture and performance, and it's achieved by collaboration throughout the organization,” she emphasized.

But all this success isn't keeping Land stagnant. The credit union welcomes the opportunity to try new technology and products while acknowledging the risks that need to be calculated.

“It has to be a win for the credit union and the member,” Land said.

She said she is pushed by companies outside of the financial space to think differently, adding that the sheer volume of start-up companies is staggering.

“They're offering solutions that fill the same need that credit unions do in a different way, and it's forcing us to rethink how we're approaching our services,” Land said. “I think it's really important for our industry to evolve and evolve quickly so we don't follow paths like Blockbuster. We're also looking at the taxi cab industry and how Uber has changed that.”

As the credit union continues to grow, Land said she still never misses an opportunity to invest in others, just as someone invested in her. She said she continues to empower her team so they feel trusted enough to make decisions and know they'll have support if they fail.

Instant Insights /

Risks Reap Rewards for Consumers Credit Union's Land

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