Darius Wise, CEO of Red Rocks Credit Union
Leader to Learn From: May 2022
May 3, 2022
Darius Wise (Denver, CO) serves as the president and chief operating officer at Red Rocks Credit Union, a not-for-profit financial cooperative with more than 16,000 members and $360 million in assets.
Darius has a deep passion for helping both organizations and leaders thrive and reach their maximum potential. With over 15 years of executive leadership experience, he is deemed by his peers a “Leader of Leaders” and was promoted and named President of Red Rocks Credit Union in December 2021.
Outside of work, Darius loves spending quality time with his wife and four children, and staying active in the beautiful state of Colorado.
In sharing about Darius, Thirlby Company founder, Margie Thirlby, remarked: “I was first introduced to Darius through a mutual friend in my Leadership Denver class. Within minutes of meeting him, I knew that he was someone I wanted to work for and that he would have a big impact on my life and career. Darius has a really special leadership presence. He makes others feel cared for and heard, while holding them accountable to be their best selves. Darius is one of those leaders who is changing the lives of those he works with, in and outside of the office.”
OUR INTERVIEW WITH DARIUS
If you had to pick three essential qualities of a great leader, what would they be, and why?
It’s difficult to narrow great leadership down to just three qualities because there are so many that help to form great leaders. But if I had to choose three, it would be competence, emotional intelligence, and resilience.
Why competence? Competence equals credibility, and credibility leads to trust. And the foundation of leadership is trust. I like to call leadership a trust stewardship.
I believe that emotional intelligence is what delineates good vs. great leadership. In his book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman writes that E.I. consist of five skills that enable the best leaders to maximize their performance: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill. While this one attribute is inclusive of several, the point still stands that E.I. is one of the key differentiators between good and great leadership. Great leaders practice developing their E.I. muscles.
And last, but certainly not least, one of the more under-rated qualities of great leadership is resilience. The longer I lead, the more I learn that If I want to lead at a high level, I must increase my appetite for adversity. Resilience speaks to our ability to navigate and withstand life’s toughest challenges. Greatness requires resilience.
What is the most challenging part of being a president and chief operating officer? Most rewarding?
The most challenging part of my job is having to make decisions that impact people’s livelihood. It is a weight that I’ve learned to manage, but it never gets easy. Along similar lines, the most rewarding part of my job is knowing that most of my work and the decisions I make positively impact the life of our company. I get to work alongside some of the best humans I’ve ever known, who I both respect and admire. We also get to help our members achieve their financial goals and dreams. That is by far the most rewarding part of my job.
As you reflect on the ‘Great Resignation’ and managing a team during the pandemic, what have you learned is essential for employee retention and engagement?
In many ways the pandemic was the great level-set. It desegregated the pre-pandemic “work-life” delineation. And it demanded that employers normalize work-life integration by way of allowing employees to WFH by leveraging Zoom, Teams, and other platforms. What I’m seeing more than anything, is people caring more about company culture, values, and mission, than compensation, title, and authority. We’ve learned (and are continuing to learn and adapt to) the new norm - I see this as a healthy shift in the workforce.
Understanding that our people are our greatest asset, we put their needs first in our decision-making. Since the pandemic we've instituted things like a hybrid work policy and unlimited PTO. We’ve implemented a more competitive and equitable comp structure, and expanded our ancillary benefit offerings like providing subscriptions to the Calm app to encourage down-time, rest, and recovery during high-paced periods. We provide mental-health resources for our employees. We’ve also provided a budget and created a structure for our managers to host quarterly in-person gatherings (breakfast, lunch, Top-Golf, or Dave & Buster’s with their teams).
At the end of the day, we are figuring it out alongside everyone else. Some of our approaches have failed, while others have succeeded. The aim isn’t to be perfect or to attempt to get it all right, but rather to evolve and journey towards building a people-first culture, which I see as more of a process, and less of an event.
How would you define your mission or purpose in life?
My mission in life is two-fold and I would describe them as internally and externally focused. From an external perspective, my mission is to help as many people and mission-driven organizations as possible thrive, succeed, and achieve their maximum potential. At my core, I desire to bring out the best in others by coming alongside them and challenging them to be their best.
My more internally focused purpose is to one day be an active and engaged great grandfather. Here’s why: the past four generations of men in my family have died fairly young, with the average age of 56. Most reasoning is tied to poor stewardship of their health. For this reason I’ve long since taken my mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health seriously. Family is of very high-value to me, but more importantly I believe that healthy families are the cornerstone of healthy communities.
What is your greatest superpower as a leader?
I believe that my effectiveness as a leader is rooted in my ability to care for others. It’s not a sexy attribute, but it’s who I am at my core. Since I can remember, I’ve always cared deeply for people. I care about the intricate details of the human experience. This shows up in the employee development, the boardroom, having tough-conversations, saying I’m sorry when I screw things up, picking up the paper off the floor in the hallway, and telling a colleague his fly is open [laughs]. This is what I believe sets me apart as a leader.
What is something that might surprise people about you?
That I like to have mini concerts in my car mostly on my commute to the office!
What have you learned about vulnerability, in the context of leadership?
Vulnerability is a prerequisite for effective leadership, and a bi-product of humility and authenticity. It demonstrates our ability to be human, honest, courageous, and brave as leaders. When we choose it, we’re choosing to un-mask and take a risk that most often results in deeper trust, respect, and admiration of the people we lead. It is also important to understand the nuances and appropriate levels of vulnerability depending on your audience.
What advice would you have for someone who is struggling or feeling stuck right now in their life or career?
A few things come to mind…
First, ruthlessly investigate your struggle. Why and what are you struggling with about your career? Get specific, and seek to gain a deep level of understanding prior to making any decisions. We have a tendency to be hasty in our true diagnosis due to the pain or tension we’re experiencing. Learning to sit in the tension is hard, but often necessary in order to solve the root cause.
Second, solve the root problem. Once you’ve identified the root cause of your frustration or struggle - try to solve toward it. Maybe your problem is fixed by taking courage and having a tough conversation with your boss. Maybe you actually need to quit your job and start the business you’ve dreamed of. Whatever it is, be honest with yourself.
Third, seek an outside unbiased perspective. Resist the temptation to look for an ‘Amen’ corner. Talk to people who will be candid with you. It sounds harsh, but what you need is grace, objectivity, and truth.
Last - take courage. Put your big kid pants on and make the move. I’ve said this a lot to members of my team, everyone deserves to enjoy what they do. We spend more hours at work than anywhere else. Don’t tolerate your job, love it.
What advice you would give to your younger self?
Develop your character above all else. An old mentor of mine use to say, “D - don’t let your talent take you where your character can’t keep you.” It was valuable for me to learn this in my twenties. Choose to develop your character rather than your reputation.
Don’t spend a lot of time or energy worrying about what others think of you.
Slow down and don’t rush - you’ll get there in due time. Enjoy the journey of becoming. The journey is much more important than the destination.
The quality of your decisions will dictate the trajectory of your life - learn the art of making good decisions.
Spend lots of time developing habits that lead toward the outcomes you desire. Your habits are the leading indicator to your success.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If you’re reading this article you care about leading well, and the reason that matters is that more now than ever our world is craving strong and capable leadership. I want to encourage you to continue answering the bell and stepping up to the plate to lead - it matters, and you’re making a difference.
About Darius Wise
Leading at the highest organizational and leadership levels, Darius has a deep passion for helping both organizations and leaders thrive and reach their maximum potential. He serves as the President & COO at Red Rocks Credit Union and is deemed by his peers a “Leader of Leaders.” Darius has over 15 years of executive leadership experience and excels in all aspects of organizational and people leadership. He has a track record of building healthy cultures, driving results, leading through change, maximizing both people and processes, and managing diverse leadership teams toward success. He has also served several nonprofit organizations as a member of their board of directors, including Denver Institute for Faith and Work, and Denver Metro Young Life.
Darius received his bachelor’s degree from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, GA, pursued Theological Studies at Denver Seminary, and is an alum of MIT’s Sloan Leadership Program. Darius is a sought-out communicator and consultant around the country. In his spare time, Darius enjoys reading, biking, running, and ultra-competitive family corn hole tournaments. He lives in Aurora, CO with his wife, Chajay, and their four children - Chelsey, Daniel, Darius III & Chloey.
About Leaders to Learn From
Leaders to Learn From is a standing feature in The Thirlby Company’s monthly newsletter that recognizes leaders in our community who embody our company’s core values. You can learn about our other honorees here, or subscribe to our newsletter to receive this feature and more inspiring content in the future.
