I haven’t worked with a Mortgage Professional yet who didn’t have a relatively high degree of, “control freak” in them.

Sometimes this affliction stems from the simple fact that the vast majority of Mortgage Professionals come into the Industry as lone rangers, responsible for everything from their own marketing and sales to administrative, accounting and processing duties.

Other times, it’s a simple matter of having never worked in a team environment or ever being responsible for recruiting, hiring and managing a support team.

Being “in control” of it ALL sounds, to many, like a great place to be. However, owning all of the moving pieces that have to do with a mortgage career will inevitably keep you from the growth you desire. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto!!

The first and most important skill anyone must hone-in on in an effort to abolish the “freak” from one’s control, is the skill of DELEGATION.

Here are 5 helpful steps to practice and keep in mind, as you begin to share your responsibilities with team members:

Step One
Before you can delegate, you have to know WHAT you’re going to delegate. Having a very clear, “Not Doing List” can be a great place to start. Jot down all those activities which you vow never to do again. Rank these tasks in order of importance to the success of your business.

Step Two
Next, you must compare the nature of the tasks to the skills and abilities of your team members. It is essential that you delegate the task to someone who you confidently believe can complete the task satisfactorily. 

Step Three
Communicate exactly what you expect from your employee. Be specific. Assume nothing. Most importantly, take the time to share best ways to accomplish the tasks. It’s likely that what you are delegating was long ago mastered by you, so put some time into giving your employee tips on how best to succeed and meet your expectations. Remember, nobody wants to fail at a task.

 Step Four
Step four is generally the one step that gets overlooked, but is the most important step in the art of delegation. You must establish systems of accountability. Set up a recurring appointment with your employee to report on progress.

Communicate deadlines on individual tasks. If there are several tasks that are being handed over, then set a priority to the task list to ensure that your “hottest” tasks are tended to first.

Step Five

YOU are still responsible at the end of the day. What? Yep, delegation does not mean you step out entirely. If the task is important to the growth of your business, then it’s important that YOU stay on top of it. It’s your business, your baby, so to speak and you know the old saying, “Nobody is going to love your baby more than you do.”

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