Over my career, I’ve had the honor of interviewing all sorts of fascinating people — from religious leaders to scientists, artists to engineers, survivors of horrible tragedies to those celebrating the biggest wins of their lives.
In the last three years since I’ve been with Insight, that list has grown to include a large number of business leaders, many of whom are expertly media-trained and have participated in hundreds of interviews. Polished, pressed and professional? Absolutely. Authentic, candid and spontaneous? Sometimes, not so much.
Don’t get me wrong, I get it. Being a human billboard — for a company, a brand, an entire industry — comes with a lot of pressure, to put it lightly. Your words are scrutinized in a way others’ aren’t. This can lead to interviews that sound rehearsed, guarded and overly corporate.
The interview with Capital Credit Union CEO Laurie Butz for this month’s cover story was anything but that.
Laurie was incredibly forthcoming about the struggles she has faced and what it has taken to overcome them. And she would be the first to tell you this kind of candor did not come naturally to her. It has taken eight years of deep personal reflection and a lot of hard work and mentorship to come to a place of authenticity in the way she leads and lives.
I bow to any CEO who asks her team to anonymously describe her as a leader in three words and lives to tell the tale. But Laurie didn’t just survive — she made a damn word cloud with the responses. “It wasn’t the words that were there that bothered me,” she says. “It’s the words that weren’t.”
Words like “caring” and “empowering” were absent, and it sparked a revolution inside Laurie. Turn to page 24 to read how Laurie transformed her approach to leadership and the massive impact it’s had on Capital Credit Union.
There’s so much good inside this issue of Insight. You will find stories of innovation within the region’s digital infrastructure (page 60), small business success (page 64‑65) and economic development updates in Shawano and Waupaca counties (page 20).
Please make sure to read this month’s Insight Insider on page 55 by Associate Editor Kate Bruns. It takes a deep dive into the endlessly complex topic of health care costs and what businesses need to know when navigating the evolving landscape.
On page 30, you’ll also find our special 40 Under 40 section, celebrating 40 young professionals holding their own. This annual section never ceases to amaze and inspire me.
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