The Freedom Way

The last time I wrote one of these philosophies it referenced change.
At that time, my focus was on the never-changing aspect of our culture; how the core of who we are and why we do what we do is, and will be, a necessary constant.

Of course, change in some form or fashion is inevitable.

But you know what I love about Freedom? It’s that when change does come, we adapt, and we thrive. Pandemic, economy, technology, staffing, no matter the impetus, we trust one another, we rely on each other, and we succeed.

That’s not an opinion, not wishful thinking. That’s a fact.

There is an evolution to everything and when we embrace that, use that as fuel to move us forward, we can accomplish great things.

This is the Way

We’re told change is good, and while I believe that’s true in many cases, I also believe some things shouldn’t change.
…like the culture at Freedom.

Now, culture has become a bit of buzz word these days, but I go back to October 2015 when I made my first address to Freedom as the CEO. On that day I quoted Maya Angelou by saying, “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

From that day our culture was set and our focus has been on the member and employee experience; to make people feel something positive. I never heard that quote before then and never really heard people talk about culture much, but nowadays, I hear that quote and the word ‘culture’ tossed around a lot in business. I won’t lie, it makes me feel like a bit of a trailblazer and it reinforces my commitment to the “Freedom way”.

I don’t care what outside pressure comes, what competition surfaces, what hurdles are placed before us. We will not abandon doing what is right for our members, our community and each other.

People helping people has long been a catch phrase of the credit union movement so it’s not unique to Freedom, but how we put that into practice, how we make that real as best we can every day, is where we distinguish ourselves. I know that isn’t easy, I know we may have limitations at times, but I also know what we are building together is right.

I hear it from members, from you, and I see it in the community. Of course, though we can feel good about what we’ve accomplished so far, we must also continue to achieve the results that support our culture.

That’s why it is important to tell our story, so people understand that the more business they do with Freedom, the more it benefits themselves and their community. Normal everyday “banking”, the same stuff so many financial institutions offer, can have a more positive impact at Freedom because of the “Freedom way” and how we put that into practice.

Simply put, ours is a symbiotic relationship between Freedom, its members and the communities we serve and support.

This is the way.

One Man’s Trash

At what point in our evolution as a society was the decision made to discard trash anywhere you like: out the window of a car, gum spat on a sidewalk, cans/bottles left wherever they were emptied down a gullet? Was there a vote?

The other day I was walking with my son through the neighborhood. There was an empty box of candy in the grass and without a word, he bent down and picked it up. Before we got back home where he threw it in the trash can, I said, as if he was still a child, “why’d you pick that up? You don’t know where it’s been.” He held it up and said, “if everyone just did one little thing, the world would be a better place”. I found that moment very profound. A lesson learned somewhere along the way and an attitude that can inspire.

So, when I talk about how Freedom is built to put people first, to improve our community, to do good, it’s in the hope others might be motivated to act in kind and, in turn, do business with us so we can continue that mission. After all, one person can make a difference, why shouldn’t Freedom.