Every turkey has its day
Each year, just before Thanksgiving, our government has a tradition of giving one lucky turkey a presidential pardon. Actually, each year a turkey and its alternate (there is an alternate in case the first turkey can’t behave in front of the cameras) are pardoned by the President of the United States. This turkey and its alternate are then allowed to live out their remaining days, in peace and without fear of being eaten, on a secret, undisclosed farm not far from the White House.
In the world of community banking, there is no shortage of turkeys. Some have certainly earned the title with their destructive influence in your bank and some may be your personal turkey, in that you just don’t quite see eye to eye with them.
Forgiven Turkeys
In any organization it’s important to understand that we are all different. We have different personality types, backgrounds and experiences. As a result we may not always get along. During the course of the year there are going to be times when we disagree, when we have conflict, and when some may have treated you unfairly, or at least you think that’s the case. Regardless, now is the time to Pardon the Turkey! You owe it to your bank and to yourself. Employees who can’t work together are unproductive and not very happy. The bank suffers, the customers suffer and the employees suffer. Oddly enough, there’s actually a good chance that the employee you have a problem with doesn’t even realize it.
Here’s the point, let it go. Whatever it is that this person did to you, or you think he did to you, let it go and forgive. Life’s too short and you spend far too much time at work to continue with this through another year. Take this Thanksgiving holiday to pardon the turkey and move on. Keep this in mind… It’s very likely you’re someone else’s turkey, so maybe you’ll be pardoned too!
Furloughed Turkeys
Some people in your bank make it difficult to be thankful. These are the employees that don’t support the bank’s culture, they have their own agenda, and they have no intention of changing. When an employee gets to that point, it’s time to pardon them from your bank and send them off to someone else’s farm. If you happen to work for one of these turkeys, forward this post to your 
boss’s boss and see what happens. Here are a few of the turkeys that every community bank needs to permanently furlough.
- The Lazy, Crazy, and Stupid Turkey – We recently wrote about this turkey. He can’t be fixed and the sooner you get rid of him the sooner you can have reasons to be thankful at your bank. Keep in mind that this turkey is very contagious and the longer he is allowed in the doors of your bank the more he will infect others.
- The Pirate Turkey – This turkey has an agenda that doesn’t match your bank’s agenda. She gossips, she is critical of other employees success, and she offers complaints with no solutions. This list could go on. This turkey will ruin any bank’s reason for thanksgiving.
- The Subculture Turkey – This turkey is leading the subculture in your bank that is competing with and tearing down the stated culture of the bank. He thinks he has a better way which is usually a way that protects the status quo. This turkey is often the reason your bank just can’t seem to move initiatives forward.
Act now
Never forget the old saying, “birds of a feather flock together”. If you do nothing about the turkeys in your bank they will attract more to their flock. So whether your turkeys need to be permanently furloughed or forgiven, take action now so that you can have a great Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
