Growing hope
© Pete Longworth
I recently spoke to a group of leaders within community banks. A few other speakers came after me, so I decided to hang around and see what I could learn from them. I’m so glad I did.
One of the speakers, who was also a banker, talked about the recession of 2007-2009 and how hard it was on banks and, of course, on everyone. Times were hard. Hope was diminishing. At banks, customers were afraid of losing their homes. Bankers often had to be in the difficult position of delivering bad news. Banks weren’t meeting internal financial goals. Everyone felt scared and defeated. So one particular banker (a woman who was in the room as well) thought, “What can I do to help? How can I give our people and our customers a little slice of hope?”
Her bank was on a large plot of land, and there was a space next to the building that had been taken over by weeds. She had an idea: She could use the space to start a garden and grow fruits and vegetables. Next thing she knew, everyone who worked at the bank was out there gardening during their breaks. They were picking the food they grew for snacks. Customers would tend to the garden as they came in to make deposits, and the bank would leave out fresh produce for them to snack on. It became the community’s first urban garden, and they built it together.
From what I understand, the bank’s numbers skyrocketed (they quadrupled), and the story was featured in The Wall Street Journal, among other places. All because of this woman’s idea to think differently when faced with adversity.
The reason I shared this story is that I’ve been thinking about the coronavirus. I mean, how could you not? It’s on every news channel and app you click on. There’s a lot that’s unknown about it, and uncertainty creates fear. In my businesses, I’m worried that speeches may get postponed and a downturn in the economy may reduce spending, which might mean people can’t afford to get their houses cleaned. Maybe none of these things will happen; I hope not. But no matter what, we will always face challenges that are out of our control. But how do we find the opportunities? How do we provide hope? How do we take care of one another? These are the things that are within our control.
I’m not saying to go start a garden (but hey, if you want to, that sounds pretty freaking cool!). What I’m saying is to challenge yourself to think differently about how you can create hope and light. Here are some thoughts swirling in my own mind: What if I could offer virtual sessions? What if I could offer an online retreat experience to those who can’t come in person because of a travel ban? What if I could create a resource for how to keep culture intact for people who work remotely for those companies that have to temporarily close their physical offices and have their people work from home? I’m still noodling on all of this, but this bank’s story has inspired me to think outside the box.
No matter what, there will always be challenges. What matters most is that we serve and care for those around us. That is something we can always control, no matter what!
Hope this gets you thinking.
Big hugs,
Kristen
