What to Look for in Leadership: Results

When you're building a leadership team, one of the most important things to consider is whether or not the candidate is results-oriented.

Of course, almost everyone is going to put "results-oriented" on their resumes, but that's not what I mean. I mean people who have actually done things and improved their organizations. Does the resume talk about what they "can do" or what they "have done?"

Sure, you do want your leaders to have a vision for the future. But the best way to tell whether or not they'll back up their talk with action is to look at what they've done so far. When you're interviewing leaders for your organization, look at the track record. Look at the results.

David Lykken is 40-year industry veteran who has been an owner operator of three mortgage banking companies and a software company. As co-founder and managing partner of Mortgage Banking Solutions, David consults on virtually all aspects of mortgage banking with special emphasis executive leadership development, corporate strategic direction and implementation, as well as mergers and acquisitions. A regular contributor on CNBC and Fox Business News, David also hosts a successful weekly radio program, “Lykken on Lending,” that is heard each Monday at noon (Central Standard Time) by thousands of mortgage professionals. Recently, he started producing one-minute videos called “Today’s Mortgage Minute” that appears on hundreds of television, radio and newspaper Web sites daily across America. He may be reached by phone at (512) 977-9900, ext. 10, or e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].