There's a lot to be set for starting things. Innovation sets things into motion. If you don't have someone who takes that initial risk, go out on a limb, and test out new ideas, you will be complacent and fall behind in a competitive marketplace. But, let's be honest—there is no shortage of ideas. Starting is the easy part—or at least the fun part. Getting a project off the ground is one thing, but seeing it through to completion is quite another.
As a leader in the mortgage industry, you will have many opportunities to innovate. You'll be able to start new initiatives in recruitment, training, technology, compliance, sales and so on. It's exciting to be on the front end of such projects—when they're just beginning. That's when you're really passionate about the idea and you haven't really run into any issues yet. But, as time goes by, there will inevitably be problems and you might even begin to lose interest as something else catches your attention.
Great leaders see things through to completion. Amateurs start; leaders finish. In the end, it's all about discipline. Everyone has big ideas, but only the best of us will have the discipline to stick it out and execute those ideas. And the market doesn't run merely on ideas; it runs on finished products. So, what about you? Are you only interested in projects when they are just getting started? Or, do you see things through to the finish? If you want to be competitive in today's environment, you can't just be a starter—you've got to have the discipline to be a finisher.
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].
