The Choices We Make

My mom used to always say, “everything happens for a reason”. Man that used to bug me. I mean, it’s a good way to look at life, but it sure isn’t easy to just sit back with a la-de-da attitude when life is crashing down around you. In that moment, it’s very hard to see the purpose or the “big picture”. You can think of so many things that happen and ask yourself; Why does this happen? What possible good is there in this? I can’t answer that. No one can really. Maybe it isn’t even about finding a reason. Perhaps it’s more about believing, trusting, that some greater good will come, that there is a method to the madness. It’s a way to stay sane.

Here’s the thing though. Whether it be big issues or something smaller, we can make a difference in the effect they have on us and others. Seriously. It’s completely possible for humans to have a positive impact on each other and the world around us. We just don’t. We make the choice to do or not do. We can give $10 to charity or buy a pizza. We can save energy or waste it. We can help or ignore. We can forgive or hold a grudge. It’s all about choices. Now nobody is saying you have to be perfect all the time. That you have to give every penny you have to charity or donate all your food to a shelter. What I’m saying is, just make a difference some times. Of course, it goes beyond those tangible things we think about when we are trying to do good or help others. It can be how we treat people or what we say. It can come from out of the blue and have an impact you may never see. After all, it’s not about the recognition or the tax write-off, it’s the why behind it all.

This past July I went to visit my daughter and on a whim I decided to take her to the Magic Kingdom for a day. I was in Florida, Mickey was only two hours away; how could I not. What was I thinking! Disney, in July, 100 degrees and wall to wall people. Anyway, we were waiting in line for a ride and I noticed this guy appear in various places. When I first noticed him he was several people behind me, then he was ahead, further and further, in different spots. He had a backpack that looked empty and was constantly looking around. There were a couple things that went through my mind and as the line moved, ever so slowly, I kept an eye on him. Finally, the line wrapped in such a way (you know how they do) that even though he was well ahead of me in line he was close in proximity and I had an unobstructed view. He looked around nervously as he approached a trash can. It was next to him, but ahead in the line with a chain dividing the two. He pretended to throw something away and stepped over the chain cutting ahead, once again, of a number of people who had been sweltering in the line for almost an hour. Don’t ask me why, but I started making my way over, leaned up against the wall next to him and said, “Whatcha doin?” He was surprised. Huh?”, he said. I said, “Why are you jumping line?” He said. “I’m not. I’m just holding a place for family.” “Dude”, I said, “you were behind me and I watched you cut the line 5 times. Do you think that’s fair to all these people, all these kids? It’s the Little Mermaid ride!” He said, “People have been doing it to me all day.” I leaned in, looked him in the eye and said, “So? Be better than them. You can be better than them.” His head dropped and he said, “Yea, you’re right.” Well I don’t know if he meant it, but his demeanor changed and I didn’t see him cut the rest of the time. It may have made no difference to him, but it made a difference to me, my daughter, and to a few people around me that were surprised I didn’t get killed.

Taking action, any action, to improve the world around us is everyone’s responsibility. This is why Freedom has chosen to have a community outreach initiative. The littlest thing, the smallest amount of money, the simplest act of kindness, the right word at the right time can make a difference both big and small. You won’t necessarily see buildings erected in our name, we probably won’t be on the cover of Time magazine, we won’t be cutting a check for a million dollar donation, but we will always do what we can, where we can because it’s not about the what, it’s about the why. I may never approach a stranger in line again, but I will find ways to make a difference or stand up for others. You may not be able to give money to a cause, but you can spend a couple hours cleaning a park or take a couple cans of soup to a food bank. You never know who the action will help, what child you will feed or how it will be paid forward in the future.

You can be the voice, you can make a difference; at your job, in your home, in your community. That’s what we mean by our Mission Statement that reads: “Freedom’s mission is to be a trusted partner by creating a culture of people helping people that meets the needs of our members and the communities we serve.” Join us. Be part of it. Belong to something special.

Mike

It’s All In How You Look At It.

I should have been in Ireland today. Had it all planned out; flights, accommodations, itinerary, pocket full of euros. I was even packed days before departure. Nature, however, had other plans. Hurricane Irma developed and started on a collision course with Florida. My daughter, who is a TV Reporter for WPEC in West Palm Beach, got the news that her vacation was cancelled. It’s an all hands on deck situation. I could not leave her behind. There goes Ireland. I knew this was a possibility; I bought flight insurance, booked as many places as possible that I could cancel without penalty. All the preparations were made to go and not to go.

Yet all the provisions and planning, all the lengths to account for almost every possibility, none changed the emotional response as the maybes became definites and the inevitable began to unfold. Anxiety, uncertainty, led to disappointment and a little anger, but those feelings quickly passed and turned into concern and fear. While I was focused on a trip, an adventure, I forgot what was really at stake. There is a category 5 hurricane, a hurricane being called “potentially catastrophic”, heading straight toward my little girl and her job is to report on the impact of this historic storm; to be in it. Trip? What trip? There are bigger things at play and if a canceled trip is the worst thing that comes from this then I will consider myself blessed. That’s called perspective.

Knock on wood, cross your fingers, light a candle, we won’t have to deal with a similar situation or other form of hardship, but it makes you stop and think about the ones we do experience and how we react to them. We have a tendency to get worked up about lesser matters. We get anxious about change (almost any kind); we lose patience when systems are on the fritz or don’t respond fast enough; we get frustrated by a hectic day or offended by a misspoken word or email. We forget to put things in perspective. This is not to say we should accept mediocrity or allow things to inhibit our ability to serve our members or each other. We should, instead, recognize that life will have its share of disappointments and inconveniences and that they can be viewed in a different light. Think about it. We’ve all found ourselves in unexpected situations. Things happen, perhaps outside our control, and that’s the time to ask yourself; is this a problem to be dealt with or an opportunity to be embraced? Something you’ve been wanting or waiting for with anticipation or excitement is easy. The stuff that tests what we’re made of comes from circumstances we didn’t foresee or thought might come about, but didn’t give much thought. No matter what changes come, what opportunity or setback, no matter what preparation is done, success or failure ultimately comes down to the individual’s ability to take a breath, put things into context, focus on what’s important and change things for the better. This requires we embrace the possibilities, even if they are small in nature, short in duration, or come with an extra burden, because each one builds on the foundation that ultimately creates a person’s character or the culture of an organization.

I’m not foolish (no really), but I do believe in the power of positivity and if you focus on what matters, things will eventually work out as they should even if we can’t recognize it immediately. Life is a culmination of experiences; failures and successes, chances and misses. You persevere, keep negativity to a minimum, avoid excuses or placing blame and find solutions; you adapt and move on. I guess you could say I’m an optimist; which is not always easy. I believe there is good in most people, positives in most situations and opportunities around every corner; we just have to look for them (sometimes really hard). And yes, opportunities can seem few and far between, but the right ones will come if we have the desire, focus on the good and, whenever possible, strive to change the things that hold us back. We are trying to build something better at Freedom. A better place to work; a better place to bank. This takes time. Not everyone will share the vision, not everyone will succeed, not every step will be easy, but good things can happen just from being the best we can be each day regardless of our assigned role. Support your team, be open to learning and sharing your knowledge, seek and find how to serve, listen and build relationships with members and each other, find solutions and, most importantly, remember that “people helping people” is not just a credit union philosophy; it’s a way of life.

Mike

Freedom Philosophy—CEO Blog

The “Why” of Freedom

A couple days ago I was posed with a question; why do we do what we do? No doubt we’ve all asked that question either of ourselves or of others. The answer, of course, is as varied as the individual asking. Certainly I’m not the one to explain the meaning of life, but what answer can I provide that will speak to you as it pertains to Freedom. First, and in a very CEO-like way, I can refer to our mission and vision statement. They are, by their very nature, written to answer the question why. Our Mission Statement: Freedom’s mission is to be a trusted partner by creating a culture of “people helping people” that meets the needs of our members and the communities we serve. Our Vision Statement: Offer financial opportunity, choice and value while building relationships that provide a memorable experience in the lives of our members and the community we serve. These are a clear and concise representation of who we are, what we want to be and what we want to accomplish. Do they answer your particular why? Ah, if only it were that simple.

Your “why” may be very specific to you. Why did we change this? Why do we do that? Why don’t we have what everyone else does? So on and so on. The answers to these questions can be complex based on detailed financial analytics or the migration of member transactions and usage over varying delivery channels. It can also be more simplistic based on a conversation with a member or a need in the community. Regardless of the particular why, it is important to know that nothing we do is based on a whim. Sure we’ll make gut calls after some analysis or switch gears if something isn’t working, but we do what we do for one simple reason; to serve. We are here to serve our members, to serve each other, to serve our community and, hopefully in the process, make a difference that has a lasting impact on each. This is an extraordinarily utopian concept and it rarely comes without its share of struggle and disappointment, but consider the alternative. If we don’t believe in something more, strive for something better, then this is just a job that means nothing, that does nothing for anyone. It’s a daily activity with no worth. I sure don’t want that and I’ll fight every day for that utopian ideal before I’ll accept the alternative.

Remember, we are not just an employer or a financial institution. We are a credit union. We generate income like most business, but we do it to pay our bills and give back; to members with better rates and fewer fees, by investing in Freedom for stability and longevity, to the community with time and resources. Individually, we can look at this “job” as just that; a way to pay the bills, keep a roof over our head, feed the family. Or we can embrace the mission and vision of Freedom and, in turn, answer the question “why do we do what we do?” with the answer “if not us, then who?”

Mike MacPherson, Freedom CEO