Taking charge of the moment

A lifelong student of human behavior, Farrar works as the greeter at MECU Credit Union’s Commerce Center branch in Baltimore. The position caps a career of more than 40 years in the security field, including 28 years in law enforcement and a simultaneous 25 years in secondary security employment at a highly respected mental health facility.

Farrar sees every opportunity to greet people as a “take-charge moment” in MECU’s interaction with members and “hope-to-be members.” It starts with welcoming people sincerely to signal the credit union cares about them.

“People pick up on that,” he says. That’s why Farrar never asks, “What do you want?” Instead, he always asks, “How may I help you?”
“That makes people start to feel there’s an order to this,” he says. 

He saves a special greeting for co-workers, who must pass him to enter the branch. “When they come in, I say, ‘good morning, family,’” Farrar explains. “That creates positivity in them.”

At day’s end, he often escorts staff to their cars.

Farrar learned about MECU when he gave a ride to a family member and entered a credit union for the first time. The greeter was a friend who praised MECU and told him about the job opening. Impressed by what he saw and heard, Farrar applied and interviewed the manager.

“They called it my interview, but I really interviewed her,” Farrar says. He learned the $1.2 billion asset credit union is “mission-oriented,” just like he is. Now he’s devoted to protecting its members and staff, who he admires for using their expertise to make a difference in people’s lives.

Farrar continually uses his observational skills to recognize a change in the demeanor of branch visitors that can signal “something is about to go down.”

“I am conflict-resolution minded,” Farrar says. “It doesn’t mean you jump in when things reach crisis proportions. It means you look at things and head off what could be adverse conditions.”

A self-described optimist whose glass is always half-full, Farrar believes life is fulfilling when it’s based on seeking out what is good, honest, and true. Every interaction with members and staff is an opportunity to offer a kind word that can make a difference in how they feel and act.

“I see all people with the potential to be great, and I approach it that way—not sometimes, but on a day-to-day basis,” Farrar says. “My strongest motivation is my faith and my belief in God.”