The CUInsight Experience podcast: Next with Sarah Wainscott (#242)

“Sometimes, you just need someone to say, ‘You’ve got this.’” - Sarah Wainscott Welcome to episode 242 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your hosts, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight, and Jill Nowacki, co-founder, president and CEO of Zealyst. This episode is sponsored by Trellance. Trellance is a leading technology partner for credit unions, delivering innovative technology solutions to help credit unions achieve more. With a comprehensive suite of analytics, cloud and talent solutions, the Trellance team ensures credit unions increase efficiency, manage risk, and improve member experience. Learn more here! In this 2026 season, Jill and I will have conversations centered around leadership, credit unions, and living our best lives. We will have some of the most respected leaders from around credit unions who we are grateful to call friends join us in the discussion from time to time too. For this episode, we are joined by Sarah Wainscott, President and CEO at The Wisconsin Credit Union League. Join us as we discuss what it really means to lead for what comes next, with Sarah talking about one of the responsibilities of leadership that doesn’t always get enough attention: creating the conditions for other people to lead. She shares the experiences which helped shape her own leadership journey, including mentors who invited her into rooms before she even saw herself as someone who belonged there. We discuss the value of saying yes to unfamiliar opportunities, learning by watching other leaders, and recognizing that you don’t have to know everything before stepping forward. Sarah also reflects on the moments when she had to acknowledge her own limitations, build expertise where she needed it, and trust other people to bring strengths that she didn’t have. From there, we turn the conversation toward developing the next generation of leaders, not simply people who are younger but anyone who is stepping into something new. Sarah explains what she looks for in people with leadership potential, why curiosity and a willingness to ask for feedback are so important, and how leaders can avoid making decisions about someone else’s capabilities or ambitions for them. We also explore what it looks like to hand over responsibility, establish clear expectations, and give people enough room to discover what they can do. We also talk about the importance of creating a workplace where people can try new things, honestly debrief what happened, and learn from both successes and mistakes. Sarah then shares her perspective on communication, managing expectations, collaboration, and understanding the unique value each person brings to a larger mission! Finally, we look at leadership as something that extends beyond any individual tenure. Via Sarah’s experience with the Tri-State Collaborative and her own vision for the Wisconsin Credit Union League, we consider what it means to inherit someone else’s vision while still giving it room to evolve, and Sarah leaves us with a simple challenge for every leader: don’t say no for someone else. Sometimes, all someone needs is an opportunity and someone willing to say, “I have confidence in you. You’ve got this.” Enjoy our conversation with Sarah Wainscott!