By: Cutler Dawson
For 14 years, I have been proud to serve the men and women of the U.S. military and their families as president/CEO of the world’s largest credit union, Navy Federal. During my time at Navy Federal, our organization has experienced tremendous growth in every area of measurement. I believe the key to our success is simple: leadership and an empowered team.
My Leadership History
I am a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and I served in the Navy for more than 35 years, retiring as a vice admiral.
At age 27, I was given command of the USS Molala, an ocean-going tug manned by a crew of 85 men. Our mission included deployments to the western Pacific Ocean. The most important lesson I learned donning command was the guiding philosophy of leadership at sea: “Unless otherwise directed” — or UNODIR. You see, the Navy empowers the commander with the responsibility to make hard decisions on how to achieve the Navy’s objectives.
From the September-October 2018 edition of The NAFCU Journal magazine.