Like quarterbacks, leaders can’t concentrate on just one specialty. They need to see the whole field
If you've ever watched football, you'll notice that there's something different about the quarterback and every other player on the team. Each player must focus on his own position. Blocking. Running. Catching. They have their individual tasks, and they concentrate on carrying them out. The quarterback, on the other hand, has to see everything. He has to know how well the players are blocking, the routes the receivers are running, and how the defense is moving. Quarterbacks see the whole field.
Leaders are a lot like that. They don't have the luxury of focusing on one area. They have to see everything. They need to have a developed sense of awareness that enables them to understand how different aspects of the game are unfolding at the same. If not, they might just end up blindsided.
On the August 29 episode of my Lykken on Lending podcast, Toni Moss, president of the “Americatalyst 2016: Fast Forward” conference, discussed all that is happening with globalization and how it affects the mortgage industry. According to Toni, globalization is more than economics; it's also social and cultural. And these things impact the mortgage industry in a myriad of ways. As a leader in the mortgage industry, how well do you follow what's going on with these macro trends in the world?
Sometimes, global news may not seem all that relevant. It may seem like it's all the way on the other side of the field. But remember, it's often from the direction that you aren't looking in that you end up getting blindsided. Leaders see the whole field. Don't close your eyes to what's going on in the world!
