Fresh off a recent strategic planning session with the board of directors, Financial Partners Credit Union President/CEO Nader Moghaddam walked into a meeting involving every manager in the organization.

He witnessed something enviable: Philosophical, cultural, and financial alignment.

“Everybody’s aligned in the correct way so we can all row in the same direction,” Moghaddam tells the CUNA News Podcast. “That alignment is key—as in any endeavor—if we’re going to be successful in delivering on our mission or vision, which is building lifetime financial partnerships with our members.

“That means making sure our vision is aligned with our strategy, which is aligned with our business plans, which is aligned with our budgets, which is aligned with individual goals,” adds Moghaddam, chair of the CUNA CEO Council. “We need to have a clear line from our vision to what a teller, phone center representative, or mortgage consultant is doing.”

For the last two decades, the former banker has immersed himself in many aspects of credit unions, serving in leadership roles for the CUNA Councils, the California and Nevada leagues, Credit Unions for Kids, and CU Direct, an auto lending network.

In this episode of the CUNA News Podcast, Moghaddam looks ahead to October’s inaugural CUNA CEO Council Conference, explains his leadership principles, explores the future of auto lending, and reflects on his family’s emigration from Iran and his appreciation of the opportunities America offers.

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