Compensation: Keeping With Regulations
More than ever in our industry, we need to be careful that our compensation structures are meeting the most current regulations. In many industries, compensation isn't a regulatory issue. It's merely a...
View ArticleCompensation: Finding the Sweet Spot
When determining how to compensate your LOs, it can be tricky to set a structure that gets the best results. First, you've got to make sure you're setting a structure that is in accordance with...
View ArticleBeyond Compensation: An Attractive Culture
Appropriately compensating your LOs plays an important strategic role in growing your business. Regardless of how intrinsically motivated your people are too succeed, they have their own lives, dreams,...
View ArticlePeople Want to Know That You Care
There's a misconception that plagues the world of commerce; and it comes from both businesses and customers. Businesses tend to think that success is merely a matter of providing a better product or...
View ArticleThe Importance of Consistent Communication With Customers
People are forgetful. Even if they have positive experience, it is quickly forgotten--lost in all of the hustle and bustle of life. Did you respond promptly to an inquiry about a loan? Were you kind...
View ArticleAn Open Door Policy: The Secret to Effective Leadership
There is one quality in a leader that doesn't tend to get a lot of attention. I have spoken a lot about the importance of integrity, the importance of conviction, the importance of education, and so...
View ArticleClear Communication: The Secret to Efficient Management
I am a big fan of being approachable as a leader. If employees have questions they need answer, they should feel free to ask you directly. Having an open door for your employees can minimize the risk...
View ArticleVendor Education: Providing Your Partners with What They Need
When we think of education in the mortgage industry, we often think of internal education. That is, we think of providing education for our employees so that they may better serve our customers. We...
View ArticleCustomer Education: For Your Company and for the Industry
When we talk about education in the mortgage industry, we are often referring to educating employees. We want to make sure our team is equipped with the appropriate qualifications and credentials to...
View ArticleDo Millenials Know the Value of Homeownership?
With millenials now being the most populous generation inhabiting the planet, we as mortgage professionals face a peculiar challenge in keeping our industry alive. The general idea about millenials,...
View ArticleRegulating From Within: The Key to Restoring Confidence
If there is one hot topic that has been circulating the industry press in the recent years, it would have to be regulation. Since the financial crisis of 2008, new regulations have flooded into our...
View ArticleSuccessful in Any Climate: The Importance of Adapting
Last week during the Labor Day Holiday, I had the opportunity to visit the lake region of Minnesota. The weather could not have been more perfect. The sun was shining brightly in the clear blue skies...
View ArticleSuccessful Behavior: It All Boils Down to Focus
I spend a lot of time thinking and studying about what makes people successful. My very livelihood centers around how mortgage leaders can steer their companies toward success, so it's a very important...
View ArticleEvery Event is a Networking Event
I was recently reminded of the fascinating story of Joe Girard. Decades ago, Joe was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the greatest car salesman in the world. What was the secret of Joe's...
View ArticleEvery Company is a Marketing Company
Management guru Peter Drucker is famous for dividing every business into two essential functions: Innovation and marketing.First, there is innovation. That is what the company makes, and how and why it...
View ArticleIs All Conflict Bad?
We typically see conflict as a bad thing. When employees are fighting with one another, whether it's about a personal disagreement or something to do with their work, it can be quite an obstacle....
View ArticleAccountability in Leadership
I speak and write a lot about the "softer" side of leadership—developing the right characteristics and attitudes that make you a better leader in the mortgage industry. And, as I shift more of my focus...
View ArticleGreat Leaders Need Great Coaches
The quest to become a better leader never ends. Those who want to be at the top of their game will never stop improving. We often think of leaders as the people who teach us and serve as a model for us...
View ArticleFight Uncertainty With Clarification
The future of the mortgage industry, as with many others, has never been more uncertain. I always liked the story about the guy looking for his lost car keys in the dark. He heads out of the darkness...
View ArticleChasing Lions: Leadership and Risk-Taking
In our industry, risk is often perceived as a bad thing. Indeed, the misapplication of risk in our industry has caused a lot of problems for the economy in recent years. But risk isn't just about...
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