Profile: Josh Roels, Me-Dian Credit Union
Josh Roels
Manager of Operations, Me-Dian Credit Union
Career:
Start in the credit union system: 2006
Josh entered college with the goal of becoming an accountant. However, a summer job at a credit union sparked a new interest, inspiring him to shift his second-year studies toward financial services.
After gaining experience as a Member Service Representative (MSR), Josh progressed through various roles from Loans Clerk, Loans Officer, Commercial Credit Officer, Branch Manager, Senior Commercial Manager, Manager of Lending and into his current role as Manager of Operations at Me-Dian Credit Union.
A typical day:
As the Manager of Operations, Josh has a range of shifting priorities and he adapts to the demands of each day. He oversees all member-facing activities, manages third party relationships, and works on strategic operational initiatives, planning any required system changes for banking systems, online banking platforms, or CRM systems. Josh also collaborates with operational managers to remove barriers and identify opportunities to create processes and procedures to help ensure consistent member service and employee satisfaction.
Continuous learning and improvement:
Personal and professional growth is an important priority for Josh. Each year, he creates a plan for his development, setting specific goals and seeking out books, courses, and workshops to help him achieve them. He takes advantage of mentorship opportunities, learning from others with industry experience and leveraging their insights to navigate challenges. Over the years, Josh has received excellent coaching that strengthened his problem-solving skills and empowered him to think critically and independently.
Keys to success:
Josh says the biggest contributing factor to his success is that he’s self-motivated and seeks out opportunities for growth. Though making time for learning can be challenging, he believes in pushing yourself, and that people are often capable of more than they realize.
Recommended reading (or other resources) for young leaders:
For self-development, Josh is a regular listener of The Mindset Mentor podcast by Rob Dial. For credit union industry knowledge, he listens to the Grow Your Credit Union podcast. Two books Josh recently found to be insightful were Good to Great by Jim Collins and Winning on Purpose by Fred Reichheld.
Guiding principles:
Josh's leadership approach is shaped by the following core values, which he applies in his role:
Honesty - being honest in his interactions
Respect - giving respect to everyone
Wisdom - sharing and receiving wisdom from others
CUYLM participation:
As a former member of the CUYLM Executive Committee, Josh gained valuable opportunities to connect with credit union peers, expand his network, and strengthen his leadership skills. The experience also enabled him to navigate shared challenges and work collaboratively toward overcoming them.