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.

Favorite Things

You know what some of my favorite things are? When two people are walking down the sidewalk side by side and another couple approaches also walking side by side, I like when someone from each pair goes in front or behind the other, single file, so passing is easy. I like it when I see people walking through a parking lot, picking up trash and properly disposing of it even though it isn’t their trash.

Know what else? I like it when you hold a door for someone, and they say thank you or when you let someone in in front of you while driving and they give you a wave of appreciation. I think I like these things more than ever because they seem to be getting rarer and rarer. They shouldn’t be rare. They should be commonplace, common courtesy, common sense, whatever you want to label it.

It sometimes seems human beings have become an entitled bunch. Can’t get to the front fast enough, can’t wait, can’t understand, can’t talk, can’t empathize. As the Beatles song goes, “All through the day, I, me, mine. I, me, mine, I, me, mine”. I realize that doesn’t apply to everyone, but it sure seems more frequent than ever.

That’s why, at Freedom, we emphasize the little things. A greeting, a smile, a pleasant tone, a commitment to help, to serve and deliver a positive experience even if the face of difficult times. We can’t change the world, but we can do our part, and by our example, we encourage others to do the same.