During my career as a loan officer, I had multiple leaders. Most were good, but one was amazing. Why was he amazing? He believed in me. I wanted to prove to him that he was right to have so much faith in my potential. The encouragement and trust of this leader is one of the main factors that pushed me to become a top producing loan officer and a leader in our industry.
Leaders, if you’re looking to influence the performance of an associate, begin by asking yourself, “What do I believe about this person?” Your team will fall right in line with what you believe they will achieve. When you think poorly of your employees, they will perform in a way that reflects your judgement. Contrarily, when you believe a loan officer has the ability to do incredible things, you might be amazed by just how much they are capable of.
Many times, our underperformers aren’t reaching their full potential because no one has ever told them they are capable of achieving more. Talk to them about their specific strengths you have observed. Use what I like to call “being” words. These are the words that speak directly to what the loan officer is doing right. For example, have you seen them being dedicated to landing a customer? Let them know! Saying, “I love how much dedication you’ve been showing to converting this lead” is much more powerful than saying, “You’re doing a good job.” By calling out the specific traits that you’ve seen in action, you’re helping your LO to recognize these traits in themselves.
The best motivation is having faith that someone is capable. Really, the truth boils down to this: if you want your loan officers to become top producers, believe they will become top producers.
Casey Cunningham
XINNIX CEO and Founder
