“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Last week, I had the honor of being in Hawaii with a group of credit union executives from around the country. The warmth of the gathering didn’t minimize the depth and passion these folks had for their business – it magnified it.
Among the group were probably a dozen or more mentors, predecessors and successors (in a multitude of combinations) who still lean on one another in order to make each other better. In business. In commerce. In life.
In one case, a nearly-40-year-veteran CEO was there. With his predecessor. And his board chairman. And a former competitor. Another chairman was there with his CEO and his CEO’s successor / President. There were other “trees,” multiple combinations of “yesterday, today, and tomorrow” leadership teams.
Every one of the “trees” bore really good fruit, and has, over the long haul. What kind of fruit? Growth. Happy members. Balanced businesses with robust balance sheets.
But they bore more complex fruit, too.
Relationships. Fellowship. Mentorship.
The fifty or so folks with an industry in common had some other things in common, too. A desire to make one another better. A commitment to laugh and have fun while making one another better. A complete lack of paranoia about the size or strategy of competitors – and many of them are direct competitors.
Another thing they all shared? An understanding that a rising tide raises all boats. And a great way to “raise the tide” is to commit – really commit – to relationships, fellowship and mentorship.
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