Credit unions in the Twilight Zone 2: A dying place for dying people

An elderly gentleman walks with a spring in his step as he thinks he’s leaving a rest home filled with “old” people.  His son drives up with the news the man won’t be going with him. Dejected, he leaves the car, picks up a rusty tin and sits in the shade.  That’s when Rod Serling emerges from behind the trees with his opening monologue for the “Kick the Can” episode:

Sunnyvale Rest, a home for the aged – a dying place and a common children’s game called kick-the-can, that will shortly become a refuge for a man who knows he will die in this world, if he doesn’t escape into.

Take age out of the picture, instead insert business mindset in its place and I think it’s fair to say many of us end up mentally at Sunnyvale Rest. We’ve gotten so comfortable that we’re dying in place. Disagree? Tony Robbins once said “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” Take a look at your membership numbers, your loan to share numbers, or any other of your key metrics. It’s not based on opinion, those numbers are a fact and they tell a story. They can certainly tell if you’re growing or dying.

In this particular episode of the Twilight Zone, the character Charles Whitley, a retiree at Sunnyvale, thinks he has discovered the secret of youth. He is convinced that if he just acts young, he will be youthful again. His best friend and roommate at the rest home, Ben Conroy thinks he is going crazy. One night, Charles convinces a number of residents to play a game of kick the can with him. As hard as he tries, he can’t talk Ben into playing,

Isn’t that always the case? Those who come up with ideas not supported by the mainstream are labeled “crazy.” Remember this speech Steve Jobs once gave to students? Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

The episode goes on as the game of kick the can transforms Charles and his other friends back into children. Ben and the home’s superintendent, Mr. Cox, go out to the street where they find the kids playing kick the can in the night. Mr. Cox chases them away except for one, who stops for a look at his still elderly friend. Ben, now seeing the miracle, begs for a second chance to go with the youthful Charles. But it is too late: he is left behind. Mr. Cox expects help to search for the missing retirees. Ben however, knows they won’t be found. He trudges up the front steps of Sunnyvale and sits there with the can…alone.

At some point, if you don’t reinvent your brand and keep up with the needs of today’s consumers, you’re going to end up at your very own Sunnyvale.   Just like Ben, you’d be sitting alone on the steps with an empty tin can looking for your friends. And like him, you’ll be left behind begging for a second chance.

It’s time to find your own fountain of youth and begin your game of kick the can. In fact, the sage advice of Serling as he closes the program is something we should all take heed of: Sunnyvale Rest, a dying place for ancient people, who have forgotten the fragile magic of youth. A dying place for those who have forgotten that childhood, maturity, and old age are curiously intertwined and not separate. A dying place for those who have grown too stiff in their thinking – to visit.

A lot of organizations have become a dying place for ancient people. Not necessarily based on age, but of mindset. Countless brands have forgotten the magic of youth. Do you remember decades ago when there was so much passion for your credit union? You had a purpose, a mission to help those you served. Somewhere along the way many have been left sitting in a dying place, a result of growing too stiff in their thinking.