From our President and CEO


United We Stand United we stand. Divided we fall.


Max Cook, President and CEO Missouri Bankers Association


Those words, in various forms, have been noted since the first recorded history of mankind. Tey appear in the New Testament of the Bible: “And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Te first use in modern times was in “Te Liberty Song,” a pre-Revolutionary War song by Founding Father John Dickinson: “Ten join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!” And of course, the most recognized version was in a speech from Patrick Henry: “Let us trust God, and our better judgment to set us right hereaſter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.”


Te events that occurred in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere over the last several weeks have awakened our collective minds and


conscience to the destructive forces of a divided country. We have been reminded that words do matter, and the tone and tenor in which those words are delivered matter as well.


When individuals serve as leaders, be it the president, a member of Congress or in the business community, they must realize there are followers who are listening and who will act on their words. Toughtful and tempered words are a must. Otherwise, a flashpoint can be created, and chaos can ensue. Motivation is one thing; inciting bad behavior is another.


Unfortunately, that didn’t occur, and now we are paying the price. And, we will continue to pay the price for some time.


So where do we go from here? It starts with all of us, the citizens of this country.


We must expect more and better from our elected leadership and ourselves. We must all learn to accept our differences … differences in ideology, religion, race, politics and a thousand other things. We must understand that debate, civil debate, is healthy and good. It is one of the foundations of our government. We should encourage it and, when possible, find middle ground. We also must understand that sometimes there are winners and losers on issues, in elections and much more. As such, we must be willing to accept those outcomes and move on and work in a civil way to bring about change. Above all else, we must be good winners and losers — just like we teach our children as they grow up. Not everyone gets a trophy!


As we move into President Biden’s administration, we must all look for common ground from which to work


and benefit our country. If we can’t find it, then we must have healthy debates. Our primary role as bankers is to help our communities and customers prosper. Tat means we must be leaders who carry them forward and bring positive influence on the political process.


Te next few years are likely to be different for us on the regulatory and legislative front, so healthy interaction with our elected officials and regulators will be imperative!


As we move forward and attempt to heal, we must be united — as an industry, as a community, as a state, as a country — or we will surely fail.


God bless this great country!


THE MISSOURI BANKER 5


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32