My Credit Union Zoo!

When you were a child, where was your favourite place?

The park?
The ice cream shop?
The toy store?

Mine.... Was the zoo! To be honest, I'm 24 and the zoo is still one of my favourite places. So diverse, so much fun and still a place where you can go and learn something new every time you visit! A place filled with wonder. A place filled with excitement.

Now, you're going to have to bear with me for this... But I'm going to introduce you to my 'credit union zoo'.

My credit union is diverse, fun and still a place where I learn something new every day. I'm surrounded by wonder and in an office full of excitement. And what does my credit union have over the Zoo?! They pay me to visit and if it rains, I stay dry!

Now I'm going to try and break this down a little further for you. The variety of animals in a zoo, I feel directly equate to those in my office.

You have your Orang-Utans, Giant Tortoises, Lions, and Meerkats.

Now, you're Orang-Utans; they're the strong, intelligent, quiet types. We all have these in our office, right? The people that don't speak very often, but when they do. Everyone sits up to listen (or at least should sit up!). They always have something worth saying and we should take heed of what they have to say. But these guys aren't the rockstars of the Zoo and sometimes get ignored because of that fact. But trust me, do this at your peril. You will miss out on your next 'big thing' if you ignore your Orang-Utan.

The Giant Tortoise. You already know who this one is, don't you? The person who has been in the office since the start of time. Will do things at their own pace and usually slower than what's happening around them. This doesn't mean their experience is worthless. No, no. This just means you have to work with them differently. Adapt. Be flexible. These people might need much more convincing to try something new. But when they are convinced, they will be the largest advocate for whatever project they are on. The immovable object. Just learn that you might need to slow yourself down in order to have this chap on your side.

Our Lions. Here are our rockstars. Our heroes of our zoo. These are the guys that everyone wants to see. Who's your Lion? They might be the CEO, the leader of the pride. Or they might be the teller who your members can't get enough of. All we know is that they are the main attraction. No matter where they are in the CU hierarchy.

Finally your Meerkats. These are your million miles per minute people. Always have something to do. Never stop thinking. Never stop burrowing. Always something going on. Always working hard. And definitely your team player. They'll be your first guys in the office and the last to leave. They're committed and loyal. Your Meerkats won't let you down.

Thanks for bearing with me on that one! A bit abstract for a Tuesday morning. I know! But think about it, how is your credit union like the zoo of your childhood? What can you learn each and everyday?

Which credit union animal are you? Which animals are the people around you? Don't limit yourself to the ones I listed... be creative! I just didn't have time to get through the entire zoo.

If this is your first visit to my blog, thanks for checking it out! If you have come back, then thanks for wanting more! Keep an eye out for new posts and why not sign up for email notifications? Or follow me on Twitter?

Thanks for visiting my Credit Union Zoo!