Andy Harris, owner and president of Lake Oswego, Ore.-based Vantage Mortgage Group Inc., believes that mortgage professionals can show even greater leadership through their involvement in industry trade groups. “There is a lack of leadership in the industry–and not necessarily in certain companies,” said Harris, who serves as treasurer of NAMB–The Association of Mortgage Professionals and was the 2010-2011 president of the Oregon Association of Mortgage Professionals. “A lot of people are paying attention to what’s right in front of them, but they are not involved in the industry as a whole. If you are not being a leader in the industry, it can be a challenge to lead people to work at your company.” Harris adds that a failure for mortgage professionals to advocate on behalf of their wider industry could
have serious consequences. “We will wind up relying on others to make decisions for us,” said Harris. “That can be a dangerous place to be.”
The ability to encourage new leaders Ultimately, mortgage industry leadership is not static–successful companies are always on the lookout for new leaders to fill managerial and executive roles. “We’re always recruiting,” said Perez. “If you’re not recruiting, you’re dying. You always have to be looking for opportunities and looking for growth.” “Our business has grown tremendously over last five to six years, and we’ve brought in a lot of people from outside of our organization,” said Stuckey. “This is a small industry–we knew them or knew of them before we brought them on.” Middleman also favors external
recruitment, albeit with a significant caveat. “I don’t like to bring in people who are going to leave,” noted Middleman. “I want to get people that I can invest in. We have seen people advance in their career and grow in the context of the business. I don’t want a flash in the pan. I want to have cumulative success. People anxious to grow quickly and rise fast are not the type of people I want.” There is also the question of internal promotions to leadership positions. Stuckey acknowledges that his current position is the result of promotions over the course of seven years at DocuTech, while FGMC’s Peters notes that his company’s chief information officer worked his way up through the ranks over the past 15 years. Of course, not every person within a company is the right candidate for a leadership role. For Middleman, identifying
potential leaders within the corporate ranks requires patience and careful study. “You need to look for honesty, integrity, skill-set and intellect,” said Middleman. “There should also be a certain level of humility–people who learn selfless behavior encourage people to follow them.” For Roque, a high level of employee retention offers evidence that excellent work is properly rewarded. “Are you keeping your employees?” asked Roque. “It is amazing how leaders tend to lie to themselves as to why people leave. A good leader will have a very humble approach–that person will look at himself or herself and say, ‘I need to make these changes.’” Phil Hall is senior editor of National Mortgage Professional Magazine. He may be reached by e-mail at philh@nmpmediacorp.com. 67
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n Alabama Mortgage Professional Magazine n APRIL 2014
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