by Robert W. Steiner

Over the years during which we have worked with many organizing groups, we are constantly amazed at how much in common they all have. The basic group profile never seems to vary measurably from city to city or state to state. We often share with each new group we meet the "rumor" within the industry regarding organizing directors. The rumor suggests that every organizing group consists of the same 15 or so individuals who merely change their names and slip on disguises as they move from one board meeting to the next.

Admittedly that is an over simplified and somewhat outrageous canard. However, the spirit behind the parody rests in the fact that there are really only three distinct and prevalent factors driving the members of every group. The factors are PRIDE, PERFORMANCE and PRICE. Yet interestingly enough, individuals interpret these factors differently.

For some:

PRIDE means doing the best job possible and accepting responsibility for their decisions and actions.

PERFORMANCE means the measure by which the organizers are willing to be held accountable during the bank’s formation period as well as after it opens for business.

PRICE is the total cost necessary to engage the best resources, exercise the best judgment, and expend the necessary energy to effect the best outcome. In a word, professionalism drives many people to willingly invest the energy and resources necessary to produce first class results regardless of the character or scope of the task.

For others, however:

PRIDE is only a reflection of their egos. An opportunity to build a stage for self-perpetuation, which in turn, clouds their view of the original mission.

PERFORMANCE is that action which they can direct and thereby control to match their own style, even though “their way” may be based on little or no understanding of the process necessary to successfully organize and lead a community bank. This is not to say that strong willed individuals who are successful in their own right are incapable of forming a bank, because they certainly can be. Rather the key issue is to be able to draw on the personal and professional strengths that strong personalities bring to the table and effectively integrate those straits into a team environment.

PRICE is that which the organizing bank ends up paying to support the policies set by a group with limited vision.

Price of course is the operative word here. If the project is not orchestrated carefully, then the Price to the group and the community is extremely high as expressed by:

• time and lost opportunity
• mounting organizational costs
• loss of faith by the community in the organizers

Launching a well-structured community bank can be rewarding for the organizers, the other shareholders and the community at large. Yet the exercise is costly and entails a measure of risk. So each group should be confident that the Pride involved, the Price paid, and the level of Performance delivered reflects only the positive connotations of these elements.