Dr. Seuss for Credit Unions 3: Stubborn Egos Make Credit Unions Stand Still

by: Bo McDonald, President, Your Marketing Co

A lesser known work from the great Dr. Seuss, The Zax seems like it was written just for credit unions. It features a North-Going Zax and a South-Going Zax who meet face to face. Because they stubbornly refuse to move east, west, or any direction except their respective headings around each other, the two Zax become stuck. They stand so long that eventually a highway overpass is built around them. The story ends with the Zax still standing there “unbudged in their tracks.”

As he puffed up his chest, the North-Going Zax said “I never take a step to one side. And I’ll prove to you that I won’t change my ways if I have to keep standing here for fifty-nine days.” Not to be outdone, the South-Going Zax said “I can stand here in the Prairie of Praz for fifty-nine years!” Never budge. That is my rule.” said the South-Going Zax. “Never budge in the least. Not an inch to the west! Not an inch to the east! I’ll stay here not budging, I can and I will. Even if it makes you and me and the whole world stand still!”

The Sneetches and Other StoriesThe Zax is a tale with fictional characters spun from the awesome imagination of Dr. Seuss. But the story holds so much truth. Think about one of the major reasons your credit union isn’t innovative. If you say “lack of money” or “we’re too small,” I say BS. With service organizations and CUSO aplenty, there’s only one thing holding your credit union from its potential—a North-Going Zax and a South-Going Zax who are unwilling to budge.

Dr. Seuss ends The Zax noting that the world did in fact stand still, just like the two Zax promised it would. “In a couple of years, the new highway came through and the built it right over those two stubborn Zax and left them there, standing un-budged in their tracks.”

The longer we let stubborn egos stand in the way of originality in our industry and our individual credit unions, the closer we get to a highway overpass being built right over us. The world doesn’t stand still, and the highway is coming. With the Zax unable to solve their issue, the world progresses without them. And so to, if we don’t find ways to solve the issues within our industry, the world will pass credit unions by.

What a shame that would be.

Bo McDonald

Bo McDonald

Bo McDonald is president of Your Marketing Co. A marketing firm that started serving credit unions nearly a decade ago, offering a wide range of services including web design, branding, ... Web: yourmarketing.co Details