As a community banker or credit union, I know that you’ll understand the meaning of this story. In the office or out in the “real world,” if we all do just what we can, the world will be a better place.
Where the Bank of Americas, Wells Fargos, Chases and Citis of the world would collect the starfish, let them die and dry, then sell them in town to a chain-owned gift shop … we understand the power of helping who we can.
I hope you’ll want to share this with your entire staff.
One day an old man was walking along the beach. It was low tide, and the sand was littered with thousands of stranded starfish that the water had carried in and then left behind.
The man began walking very carefully so as not to step on any of the beautiful creatures. Since the animals still seemed to be alive, he considered picking some of them up and putting them back in the water, where they could resume their lives.
The man knew the starfish would die if left on the beach’s dry sand but he reasoned that he could not possibly help them all, so he chose to do nothing and continued walking.
Soon afterward, the man came upon a small child on the beach who was frantically throwing one starfish after another back into the sea. The old man stopped and asked the child, “What are you doing?”
“I’m saving the starfish,” the child replied.
“Why waste your time?… There are so many you can’t save them all so what does is matter?” argued the man.
Without hesitation, the child picked up another starfish and tossed the starfish back into the water…
“It matters to this one,” the child explained.
As a community banker or credit union, I know that you understand the meaning of this story. In the office or out in the “real world,” if we all do just what we can, the world will be a better place.
Where the Bank of Americas, Wells Fargos, Chases and Citis of the world would collect the starfish, let them die and dry, then sell them in town to a chain-owned gift shop … we understand the power of helping who we can.
At work:
- Blur some lines in loan approval flexibility in certain cases (a woman needs a car so she can stop taking the bus and open up a larger world of job possibilities)
- Give a firm “NO,” in other instances (when they are having trouble paying their mortgage, do they really need a motorcycle?)
- Soften the touch and approach of your collections folks
- Give your entire team the autonomy to put the customer/member first within well defined limits
In life:
- Volunteer to help feed the homeless once or twice a year
- Give blood
- Make an effort to educate yourself on politics rather than letting Facebook memes guide your opinion
- Take random days off work to spend with your family … electronics-free
How many starfish will you save TODAY?
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