Visible & Accessible

With a couple hours’ notice, I was asked to be a guest speaker for an undergraduate course last night. It was for a Financial Institutions undergraduate course at Alvernia University, so it was a topic I am comfortable with and I was asked to talk about community banking and the changes during a pandemic. As I started speaking on the Zoom call, I realized I was displaying some of concepts that I was talking about by just showing up on the call on short notice.

The first major concept that I referenced was whatever job they find themselves in, there will also always be a sales element to their role, whether it be with prospects or internal partners. I talked about being visible and accessible, just showing up, in relation to going to events (whether in person or on Zoom), working digital communication strategies, and being active in the community (nonprofits, etc.), but in that moment, I realized that I agreed to speak to a group at 6 pm without much question under short notice. Thankfully, I am demonstrating my own advice. I missed dinner with my family eating in the next room, and made that sacrifice to be visible and engaged in the community, even it was with undergraduate class.

It is possible that a student in the class could be a business owner one day or be affiliated with someone I could work with professionally, but overall, it’s the right thing to do to help people when they ask for help. Who am I to say no? Giving 40 minutes of my time was a small sacrifice, as I am big believer in karma. When you surround yourself with good people, good things happen. In a way, that is less about karma and more of a formula to create a supportive environment for success. I made sure to give that advice on the Zoom call too.

Jason Hornberger is a 30-something year old commercial lender at Orrstown Bank in Berks County. He would likely be considered a dinosaur by his Millennial peers, but he tries to regularly put together engaging content to show his brand and thought process. Social media is an online billboard and his goal is to establish himself as an ethical thought leader and someone that other people want to engage with (hopefully in business and in the community).