In our hyper, always-on culture, moving with speed always seems to get the spotlight when it comes to attributes people look for in leaders. We want someone who is quick and nimble, someone who can get things done quickly and get them done right. To stay ahead of the competition, our leaders have to be fast. Our leaders must always be in motion. Otherwise, our organizations are likely to get left behind.
But there's a flip-side to this attribute. While enthusiasm and being "fast-moving" can be a strength, it can also be a weakness. Acting rashly can help you to beat the competition, but it can also cause you to make mistakes or miss opportunities because you don't take the time to reflect. Speed is, without a doubt, an important thing for leaders to focus on; but, we would be gravely mistaken if we believed it was the only thing.
Great leaders must also have the ability to be patient when the situation calls for it. The 24-hour news cycle and the constant alerts popping up on our smart phones may provoke us to want to do something, but sometimes all we really need to do is wait. Timing is everything. Sometimes, we miss opportunities simply because we change direction before we can capitalize on them. As leaders in the mortgage industry, we've got to learn to temper our desire for motion with a reflective patience that allows us to move, not just with speed, but also with purpose.
David Lykken is 40-year mortgage industry veteran who has been an owner operator in three mortgage banking companies and a software company. As a former business owner/operator, today David loves helping C-Level executives and business owners achieve extraordinary results via consulting, coaching and communications, with the objective of eliminating corporate dysfunction, establishing and communicating a clear corporate strategy while focusing on process improvement and operational efficiencies resulting in increased profitability. David has been a regular contributor on CNBC and Fox Business News and currently hosts a successful weekly radio program, “Lykken on Lending,” that is heard each Monday at noon (Central Standard Time) by thousands of mortgage professionals. He produces a daily one-minute video called “Today’s Mortgage Minute” that appears on hundreds of television, radio and newspaper Web sites across America. He may be reached by phone at (512) 501-2810 or by e-mail at [email protected].
