Building and leading your team to success

Surrounding yourself with the best of the best is the key to achieving and maintaining success. By hiring and retaining people with mindsets and goals that mirror your own, you’re already one step ahead. Having a team to help you produce loans is like being the CEO of a company. You need a team that understands and believes in your message. You need a team that wants to see your business thrive. But like any organization, you cannot leave your team to fend for themselves. To set your team up for success, you need time, commitment and training.

Training your team to serve the mission of your business is a crucial first step. If you want something done a certain way, you need to tell them. Be as specific as possible. Write it down if you need to. Define your process as clearly as you can. Tom Brady didn’t become one of the greatest by sitting on the sidelines. He got his hands dirty and learned on the fly. Coaching your team like Bill Belichick will position you for Super Bowl-sized results.

Hiring the wrong people won’t lead you to glory. The focal point of building out your team is finding people who understand and are aligned with your goals. If they don’t agree, don’t hire them. When it comes to your business, you need everyone on board. If your team members don’t agree with your mission, no one will succeed.

Utilize your network to find like-minded people to hire. Need an underwriter? Ask your real estate partners for a recommendation. Don’t simply wait for your company to drop the perfect person in your lap. Be proactive. Go forward and find these people yourself. By hiring someone within your network, you’ll have more perspective on their values, attitude and work ethic than you would by reading a resume.

If you want your business to be the best, you need to hire the best. In any industry — especially the mortgage industry — your work will only be as great as the people who make up your business. Investing in your team is investing in success.