"I let the men be men, which is why I think I work well with them"
Navigating power structures while bucking gender norms can be difficult barriers to overcome for female mortgage professionals climbing the leadership ladder. But inspiring stories of women in the industry prove it’s not impossible. Katherine Campbell, chief digital officer of Assurance Financial, offers one of those stories.
“Power is a funny word,” Campbell told Mortgage Professional America. “It means very different things to different people. If you accomplish a goal by yourself, you realize you have power. If you accomplish it with a team, you’re empowering. However, the goal itself is the value of power. Do you value power over people or enabling people? What is it that you’re trying to accomplish?
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“Navigating power structures means having a very clear goal of what you’re trying to achieve. That way, all decisions are not emotional at the moment. They are based on moving towards the goal. Often, we have to take a step back to make a leap forward. Buy-in is more critical than being right. Patience and persistence. Every. Day.”
Campbell is one of this year’s MPA Elite Women awardees. In the 2022 special report, she talked candidly about her leadership style and shared a mantra that has helped her grow as a person and advance her career.
“I let the men be men, which is why I think I work well with them,” Campbell said. “I am in awe at times with their ability to be more black and white and less gray. I greatly admire that strength, particularly when difficult decisions need to be made. I can’t imagine a workplace where men and women don’t co-exist, co-influence, and co-lead.
“I wrote a personal mantra a couple of years ago: Today, you have nothing to prove. But, every day, there is something to improve. I say it to myself frequently, but I remind my team to think this way, too. I like it because it opens with confidence and ends with humility. Great leaders recognize that it takes guts to grow a career, and no-one is ever going to be a bigger advocate for you than you, so find your voice. But with every single accomplishment, show gratitude and grace.”
You can find out more about the other winners and their views on unconscious biases and gender inequality by reading the full Elite Women 2022 special here: Charting a different path.
