I love learning about people. I go out of my way, at times, to ask questions in an attempt to discover new information. For example, did you know that Janie in Accounting collects camel figurines? Or that Justin in Training used to break dance outside of class in high school. Or when our Relationship Manager, Paul, was five years old he thought he heard Santa’s sleigh bells on his roof and got so excited he puked?

That’s good stuff. I thought I’d turn the radar on our President and CEO, Bill Hayes. I recently asked him some questions to learn a little bit more about the guy behind the glasses. Here’s what he said…

Tina: Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.

Bill: Two things: I once made 86 consecutive free throws (during basketball practice) in high school while I had a cast on my left leg due to a broken ankle.

I am a distant relative to the Dalton Gang, the guys that robbed trains and banks in an around Kansas in the late 1800’s.

Tina: You’ve been with Verity Credit Union for over 27 years. What has been one of your proudest accomplishments to date?

Bill: The proudest accomplishment is navigating all of the changes and challenges that have occurred since 1979 while strengthening the credit union in every way. At some points, it has seemed that the challenges were overwhelming, but I have learned that by listening to smart people and applying equal amounts of patience, intelligence, and energy to a situation, that almost any challenge can be overcome.

Tina: What are you looking forward to accomplishing in the next 3-5 years?

Bill: I believe that Verity is on the cusp of some great opportunities. Over the next several years, I look forward to helping the credit union evolve into the type of organization that has the flexibility to adapt to any situation and still be an aggressive competitor for our members’ business. I also look forward to watching the staff develop their talents into more responsible positions either at Verity or elsewhere.

Tina: What is one of the hardest things about being a CEO?

Bill: The toughest thing is to strike a continual balance between the interests of all of the stakeholders in the credit union, including members, the Board of Directors, the EMT, employees, regulators, vendors, trade associations, the community, and the media. While trying to achieve both long-term and short-term goals, you are almost always letting one of those groups down.

Tina: Let’s take it to the next level with this last interview question. Be honest. Who is your favorite employee?

Bill: My favorite employees are those that take their jobs as seriously as I do. I think those that understand their role and focus on doing their jobs are more successful and enjoy their jobs more. We have had a lot of people like that in the last 28 years.

You can see why he’s the CEO. Even if he comes from bank robber lineage.