There’s a well-known story about baseball legend Harmon Killebrew that’s always stuck with me. He and his wife were watching their boys playing ball in the yard, and she said, “They’re tearing up the grass.” Harmon replied, “We’re not raising grass—we’re raising boys.”
That moment shaped how I approached fatherhood. I learned to look past the cleat marks in the grass from endless hours of soccer. And when my son Robert blasted a soccer ball through the garage window, I took a breath and said, “Good shot.”
As parents—and as leaders—it’s easy to get hung up on the surface: the mess, the mistakes, the moment. But our real job is to focus on the impact. The bigger picture.
I carry that mindset into my business. In 2020, my college roommate and I co-founded an eco-friendly herbicide company. From the beginning, we knew we weren’t just mixing chemicals—we were building something that mattered.
If you ask any of our team in the plant, “what do you do?”, I hope none of them say, “I drive a forklift” or “I fill barrels.” I want them to say, “I help grow a business.” That kind of ownership only happens when people feel connected to something bigger than their job description.
So we involve them in marketing conversations. We bring them to tradeshows. We invite them into the “why” behind the work. Because when they see how their efforts impact the end user, it fuels pride, purpose, and performance.
The same is true for credit unions.
Does your team feel connected to your mission—or just their role?
Are you giving them opportunities to see the difference they make?
Here are three ways to bridge that gap:
1. Share member impact stories often
Don’t just track deposits and loans—celebrate the stories. The single mom who got her first car. The family who climbed out of debt. These are the moments that connect heart to mission.
2. Invite employees into purpose-driven work
Let them experience your values in action. Whether it’s volunteering in the community or helping teach financial literacy, hands-on participation creates lasting belief in the mission.
3. Reinforce the mission through leadership
Every meeting, every coaching moment, every recognition opportunity is a chance to connect the dots between tasks and purpose. Don’t let your mission live on the wall—bring it into the conversation.
