The David R. Sage Award honors TCU employees who demonstrate the leadership and values of former board chairman David R. Sage, who served in TCU leadership for nearly four decades. The recipient of this year’s Leadership in Core Values Award is Jeff Sobieralski, Director of Member Financial Wellness.
Sobieralski exemplifies servant leadership and truly demonstrates the core values of the credit union each day he is at TCU. He leads by example in every facet of his role; he is the first to volunteer, the first to jump in and help solve other employee issues, and he has taken every challenge presented to him in stride to analyze, strategize and accomplish his objectives. Furthermore, he has been instrumental as a champion for financial wellness and wellbeing, as well as assessing how TCU can better serve its members.
Tell us a little bit about your TCU journey and what led to you accepting your current role as Director of Member Financial Wellness.
I left my previous job of 13 years to go back to school and earn a degree. I started at TCU as a part-time teller, and the credit union helped pay for my degree. I had originally planned to go into teaching, but after some time realized that I enjoyed educating members regarding finances. Additionally, TCU’s core values align with my personal convictions, so it made it easy to stay at TCU. I went on to take a full-time teller position, then moved into member service, which led me to my current role, and I couldn’t be happier!
TCU’s Core Values are: We Serve. We Commit. We Innovate. We Are Accountable to Each Other. Tell us how that resonates with you.
That’s easy.
We Serve: I have always loved being a servant leader. It brings me joy to help others and see the fruit of that assistance when members remember the impact you have on them.
We Commit: Being fair, kind, and respectful are values that align with my personal convictions. It’s about treating others the way THEY want to be treated and trying to see life through their eyes. I am certainly committed to accepting people for who they are and finding ways to help them get to a better place financially.
We Innovate: I love learning, so embracing change, new technologies, and different perspectives, again, aligns well with who I am.
We are Accountable to Each Other: Accountability to some has a negative connotation, but accountability is really a good thing. I have a drive for inner excellence, almost to a fault. Accountability helps people grow.
How do you apply these values in your role each day?
These values apply at home and at work. At work, my role allows me to be the voice for others, serving through listening via surveys and other means. Sharing common themes of those responses and collaborating with other leaders to help find innovative ways to make positive change is truly rewarding. I get the opportunity to work with many different people in multiple areas at TCU.
Has there been a significant time where helping a member has made an impact on you?
I try to leave a lasting impression with every member I assist. In fact, I remember working with one member who had lost her husband. He took care of their finances throughout their marriage, so she never felt the need to review them. The member needed help with something that most people in our line of work would think trivial, but to her it was overwhelming. In fact, instead of waiting until the next day to speak to me at work, she looked up my home phone number and spoke to my wife. This was a moment that reminded me about how stressful finances can be to people, which emphasized the importance of trying to see life through other peoples’ eyes.
How do you deal with challenging situations such as a frustrated member or employee in need?
Generally, I will approach a challenging situation remembering that whatever the situation is, it is personal to whoever has the frustration, but not personal for me. So, my first goal is to avoid making assumptions, listen to understand, and ask clarifying questions to ensure that I appreciate the true problem. Then either offer reasonable solutions or figure out what the next best steps are. It is important, regardless of whether it is a member or employee, to keep in communication and make that person know that he or she is my priority. Also, I try to figure out if there is a way to prevent whatever the challenge is from happening again while being a future advocate for the person having the challenge.
What are your proudest moments at TCU?
Although I am very proud to receive this award, the moments that really impact me are when someone comes to me and says that I made a difference in their life. Especially, when I didn’t even know that I was impacting them. I love seeing others grow and do things that they didn’t think that they would be able to do. Working with many people over the years, seeing their potential and the changes that they make really drives me.
What do you hope to accomplish in your career?
I want to continue in my current role, defining and refining it to grow with the organization! I recognize that a healthy credit union is only obtained by a healthy community. So, not only do I want to continue learning and growing myself, I want to see employees and members in our community continue to learn and grow to be more financially healthy.