As a kid, we tossed rocks (often big ones) in my Dad’s or my uncle’s ponds. We wanted to see how big a splash we could make and try to spray water on a cousin standing next to the water. After the big splash, sometimes your attention turned to the ripples spreading across the water. While the splash had the energy, the ripples held the beauty with small waves and glittering sunlight while swaying plants at the pond’s edges.

In banking the big splashes can come with multi-million loans or big advertising campaigns that tout the company. But the beauty comes in more subtle ways.

At a recent College Foundation Board meeting I chaired, I had a young professor come up to me after the meeting. After a few pleasantries, he said he wanted to thank me. I thought it was for running a good and productive meeting – it wasn’t for that. He wanted to thank me and the Bank for promoting the Workforce Housing initiative that was able to get him $15,000.00 to buy a home, which we financed. He didn’t know if he would ever be able to get this house and we had made a dream come true for him and his family.

I told him we were happy to help, thanked him for his comments, and let him know I would pass his comments along. In the moments after our conversation, I was reminded of the “beauty” of being a community bank. That direct connection with a person (who some call customers).

Maybe what we do doesn’t make big splashes. However, what we do does matter and changes people’s lives. So, enjoy the big “splashes”, but keep looking for the ripples.

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“Letters From Leton” is a blog series comprised of the weekly updates that Leton Harding – President, Chairman, and CEO of Powell Valley National Bank, shares with the Bank’s team members. These newsletters are full of uplifting anecdotes and intriguing insights that are applicable beyond the Bank, so we want to share them with you.