Successful 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 and the temperature hovered in the mid-70s. For a Minnesotan, I would imagine that such weather was paradise. But, I'm from Texas. I'm used to it being a bit warmer and, to me, the Minnesota air over the Labor Day Holiday seemed a bit chilly.

Working in the mortgage industry, it can feel a lot like traveling from one climate to another. One moment, the weather can feel just fine and the next it could be quite uncomfortable. It's the nature of the market—it's constantly changing and we're often just caught in the middle of it. So, what can we do about it? We can't change the weather, right?

You can't change the weather; but you can change your mindset. Great leaders thrive despite difficult times, because they are able to adapt to any situation. The mortgage industry years ago experienced a high like we never had in history. For many, the long fall to the place we are now came as quite a shock. The ones who are still slugging it out, though, are the ones who have adapted.

The environment is going to fluctuate continually between better or worse. The question is, "Can you roll with the punches?" If you can develop the ability to adapt, there is nothing you won't be able to face down.

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].