Independent Banker - February 2020 - 59

pay them any attention, which is a fascinating thing to
me because so many people get wrapped up in what other
people think of them. "
Workplace heroes
Brown envisions a workplace where exceptional behavior
takes precedence over the ordinary, where a compelling
vision aims to make life better for the whole community.
He says that starts with how bank leaders treat their
employees, because a healthy workplace translates to how
those employees treat customers.
" When we think about building that culture, " he says,
" we think about building people, we think about helping
them become the best version of themselves, so they can
pour that into the customers and clients that walk through
the door. "
Brown believes every single touchpoint in a community
bank, from the drive-thru to the tellers to the back office,
reflects the culture that leadership is committed to. He
even extends this to the grocery store and the movie
theater. " You don't get to stop being an ambassador of
the organizations that you serve, " he says. " A lot of times,
people forget that. "
This means taking the time to look past day-to-day
transactions to something deeper. " We're all just a
collection of stories, " Brown says. " People aren't coming
to the bank to make a deposit, to withdraw money, to get
a loan. People are coming to the bank to write another
chapter in the story of their lives. 'I'm coming to the bank
not to get a loan, but to finance the education of my son
or daughter.' 'I'm coming to the bank to get a short-term
loan because my mom just passed away unexpectedly.' The
question is, what are you going to do? What are you going
to do to add to that narrative? "
Heroes see what everybody else sees, according to
Brown, but differently.
" They have this uncanny ability to show up larger than
life. I don't mean flamboyant and wearing blue tights
and a cape, " he adds. " Larger than life means bigger than
life's problems, bigger than the storyline that life gave us,
bigger than the challenges that our clients and employees
are facing.
" People want to be safe and secure and know that you've
shown up to serve today at a high level, that you've got
ways to help them through the storm that they're in, " he
adds. " We just want somebody who can help us make
life better. "
Roshan McArthur is a writer in California.
independentbanker.org Q 59
How Kevin Brown
defines a H.E.R.O.
Kevin Brown, author of The
Hero Effect and general session
speaker at ICBA LIVE 2020, says
that heroes:
H: Help people without strings
attached. " Most of us talk about
service and going the extra
mile, but most people only talk
about it to the extent that it's a
return on investment for how
helpful they are, " Brown says.
" Heroes understand what the
extra mile actually looks like,
and they're willing to make
the trip. "
E: Create an exceptional
experience for the people they
serve. " Not ordinary with the
occasional burst of exceptional;
[they do it] every single time, "
he says. " Heroes say, 'Look, if
I'm going to put my name on
this, it's going to be done to a
level of excellence that most
people don't even aspire to.' "
R: Take responsibility for
their attitude, actions and
results. " Heroes are always
accountable. Accountability
is about self. What can we do
to perform at a higher level? "
he says.
O: See life through the lens of
optimism. " Optimists see the
world as it is, but they don't
accept it as it is, " he says. " They
say, 'Listen, it doesn't have to
be this way. I have the capacity
to change this.' "
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