NAFCU Journal September October 2021

16 THE NAFCU JOURNAL September–October 2021 F or Tom DeWitt, NAFCU’s board chair and president/CEO of State Farm Federal Credit Union, the solution is simple: just listen. “People are in different places emotionally, physically and financially than they were before,” he said of the pandemic. “Some are ready to be around people again, and others aren’t as anxious to do that. We need to be in a position to listen to our members and staff, understand what’s important to them, and provide that assistance when we can.” DeWitt has made a career of listening to what people need and finding a way to deliver. From an early career in sales, to leading a 26-way merger of State Farm-sponsored credit unions, to now leading NAFCU’s board as Chair, DeWitt credits listening—listening to understand rather than to reply—as his most valuable skill. “Looking back at what we’ve all been through, listening is even more important than before,” he explained. “For 15-plus months we haven’t been face to face, which means we’re missing out on a lot of nonverbal communication. We can’t see the other person’s body language, stress indicators or what their environment is like, what might be interfering with their ability to work that’s beyond their control. Maybe you could hear it in their voices but maybe you don’t.” In some ways, DeWitt added, navigating members and employees back to a new normal will be an even greater challenge than leading in a crisis, during the first months of the pandemic. Listening is such a cornerstone of servant leadership, DeWitt actually uses the phrase “safe space” in his credit union when leading meetings, a phrase often mocked by baby boomer and Gen X leaders who were raised on a tougher form of love. “I designate all meetings and workplaces as a safe space,” he asserted. “It encour- ages people to speak their minds and it gets all the voices in the room to talk.” The goal isn’t group therapy; DeWitt didn’t double the size of his credit union to $5.4 billion by coddling his team. Instead, State Farm’s safe space supports two goals: trust and unity. These are the same goals he is aiming to achieve on the NAFCU board when he lis- tens to member credit unions and fellow board members. “When I say a meeting is a safe space, those in attendance need to trust that I mean that. They need to trust that I won’t use it against them later if I disagree. The minute you violate that trust on your team, it’s very difficult to gain it back. That’s true in life with anyone: your team, your kids, your partner.”