Adrian Breen played college football for the Morehead State Eagles and went on to play for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1987. Now, he’s CEO at The Bank of Missouri.
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Cooler temperatures roll in, the leaves change to vibrant colors of red and golden yellows. For me, fall is a season of transition. We reflect on our accomplishments, things we have done and memories we have made all to start preparing for a new and exciting year ahead.
Kenny Chesney’s “The Boys of Fall” hit song sums up my feelings about football pretty well…
When I feel that chill, smell that fresh cut grass
I’m back in my helmet, cleats and shoulder pads
Standing in the huddle, listening to the call
Fans going crazy for the boys of fall…
Lessons for life
Football lessons stay with you in life, and I’ve found they relate well to what we do at The Bank of Missouri, always preparing for what may lie ahead. They also relate well to other challenges in life, and can come in handy in hard times, like we’ve endured in 2020. No matter what turn the game takes, we must always look toward our end game, hold on tight to our love of the game and we can’t just show up expecting to win.
Football teams compete to win games, just like we compete in business and in life. If the team wins enough games, they will move on to the playoffs. If the bank wins in our customer relationships, we will reap the benefits of a successful bank. Let’s take that a bit further; if the bank wins in their customer relationships, the whole community wins.
Strong community bonds
This year, particularly, has shown us how important a strong community bank is when tough times hit. Because The Bank of Missouri is a winning, strong community bank, we were able to meet the challenge of record loan volume and applications to help hold up small businesses in each of our communities across more than 30 branches. That’s winning, not just for the bank, but for our entire family of customers and employees. When we win, our communities win.
Football taught me a lot about coaching. Coaches walk through life with their players, and that’s what we strive to do at The Bank of Missouri. We open our doors each and every day to assist our customers with financial services, but we should also be helping them through life events. This is a strategy we can each employ, no matter what our role in a community is. We can walk alongside whomever our teammates are, and coach each other through to a win.
Building through teamwork
It’s rare that championship teams win without an overall strategy. I could not show up to a game without knowing the pre-game strategy. None of us can show up to work, or to any life challenge, and expect to be successful without strategy. We can’t wish or fumble our way through. As we approach the end game of 2020, we should all ask ourselves: Will we just show up in this last quarter to see what will happen? Or, will we each show up realizing we have a strong community that has come together and will continue to do so? As a team, our community has the resources to help everyone win in these times. Like football, and banking, life is a team sport and it takes effort from each and every player to win.
Lastly, recognize a win, even when – especially when – the game is hard-fought. This year may seem like a loss to some. We’ve faced challenges we could not have foreseen. In football, even when the score is tight, a win is a win. Life is the same way. So, recognize your wins, no matter how small. Small wins add up in the long term.
So, to wrap up this football-themed pep talk for our much loved community, here’s to a solid strategy for the next win, to coaching whomever is next to you, and all of us reaching the end zone together. See you in the game!