I've never met a leader who didn’t want to achieve some level of greatness. We all want to lead our organizations to a place that sets us apart as different from all the other organizations in the marketplace. We want people to see us as, not just another company to choose from, but an organization that operates on a higher plane. In an industry full of typical fairs and carnivals, we all want to be the Disney World.
The problem, I think, is not with our ambition. Granted, some of us simply don't aspire to anything greater than average. Most of us, however, at least have the audacity to dream of something better for our organizations. The problem, I think, is with our willingness to take the necessary risks for our dreams to come true. When we try to differentiate ourselves from competitors, we might end up looking special to customers—but we also run the risk of simply looking weird. For every company that tries something unique and ends up becoming wildly successful, there are handful of companies that try something unique and end up with a flop that simply wastes precious resources.
Here's the thing though … I think we're better off trying something different. Is there a risk of failure? Absolutely. That's the nature of the beast. But if we stick with the status quo and simply blend in with everything else, we will almost certainly fail. Our only opportunity lies in the risks we are willing to take. You cannot be better unless you are willing to be different. What risks have you taken to help your organization along the path to greatness? How are your efforts working out for you?
David Lykken, a 43-year veteran of the mortgage industry, is president of Transformational Mortgage Solutions (TMS), a management consulting firm that provides transformative business strategies to owners and “C-Level” executives via consulting, executive coaching and various communications strategies. He is a frequent guest on FOX Business News and hosts his own weekly podcast called “Lykken On Lending” heard Monday’s at 1:00 p.m. ET at LykkenOnLending.com. David’s phone number is (512) 759-0999 and his e-mail is [email protected].
