In the past 30 years in this company I have seen many loan officials come and go. I have seen managers promoted, relegated and disappear. I have seen companies rising, falling, rebrand and recycling their value prophets such as timepiece.
But the only thing that does not seem to change – the thing that our industry can cost the most – is how we keep hiring the same kind of people, using the same logic, with the same expectations … And then we are shocked when the outcome does not change.
We call that recruitment. But really, it’s just madness with a business card.
When leaders confuse action with progress
A loan officer leaves. Maybe they didn’t produce. Maybe they didn’t fit in culture. Maybe they just bounced because someone else dangled a shinier compples plan. Whatever the reason, the branch is now ‘short’. The pressure to fill the chair starts quickly.
So what happens?
The manager goes looking for a replacement – but not with clarity. With urgency. We fall back on the usual suspects:
- The well -known name.
- The person who is ‘in the neighborhood’.
- The LO that swears this next step is the one who is going to change everything. They say the right things:
“I just didn’t get the support I needed.”
“The last place too promoted.”
“I have prepared deals – I just need a better platform.”
And my personal favorite “If I had your platform, I know I could double my production!”
And we nod. We convince ourselves: “Well, we have the systems. We have the prices. We have the culture. This will be the right fit for them.”
And then we bring them up.
And 90 days later we have the same conversation with our Ops that we had the last time:
- “Why is this file a mess?”
- “Why don’t they update the CRM?”
- “Why do they ask for an almost on any file?”
And we act surprised.
But here is the truth
If the behavior does not change, the results will not. And that is the part that we, as leaders, do not like to admit.
We want to believe that our environment will repair them. That we will finally be the ones to make them perform.
But leadership can not only be hopeful. At some point the distinction will require.
Let me tell you about someone I know
There is an MLO that I know. In the past 10 years they have worked for 14 different mortgage companies.
And for the record, some of those 14 … were mine.
Now that type of CV is not only accidentally happening. It is not the market. It’s not bad luck. And it is definitely not that they “just didn’t find the right fit.”
This person is struggling with two things:
- Accountability, and
- A resistance to any structure that can uncover their weaknesses.
They don’t want leadership – they want to save.
They want freedom without trial.
And when that does not appear as they imagined, they will continue … again.
It is not that they are a bad person. But when someone’s go-to relocation leaves, you will never get consistency. You will never build a momentum. And you know for sure that hell will not affect your P&L goals.
Why do we keep hiring this person?
Because we think this time will be different.
We tell ourselves that we are the exception. That our platform, prices and culture will finally unlock something that no one else could.
We rationalize their past by saying things like:
“They failed somewhere else because they didn’t have what we have.”
But here is the reality:
It is never about what the company offers.
It is always about what the loan officer chooses to use – and how they appear when nobody looks.
- The best tools in the world will not change anyone who does not want to change. ï‚· The best technical pile does not help someone who ignores training.
- The best prices do not save someone who will not pick up the phone.
And no … the last four companies did not come together and have worked together to lie against this one. The common denominator in all failed situations – is the LO.
For the record, the last time a recruiter brought this person to me again – I passed. Since then they have been with three more companies.
The downside: Loan officers must also hear this
Let us not put all the weight on leadership.
If you are a loan officer reading this and you have experienced several companies, and the story is always the same – that they have lied, that they have not delivered, that they have abandoned you – it might be time to ask yourself a better question:
What if the thing doesn’t change … Am I?
If you keep walking in the same conversation, it may not be because the industry is broken. Perhaps it is because you do not delay enough to possess your role in the outcome.
And that is not an excavation. That is an invitation to grow.
Leadership requires pattern recognition
The company does not sell one of the most underrated skills in recruiting – it sees the pattern before it becomes a problem.
- If someone in five years had five logos on his LinkedIn …
- If every story starts with “they didn’t support me …”
- If every goal sounds like a fantasy, but the discipline is not there …
Then we have to fool ourselves by thinking that we are the ones they change.
You do not build a strong branch by collecting bodies. You build it by putting together a team that a rhythm, a mentality and a willingness to be coached shares.
Because as I said in leadership cases – leadership is not about playing the loudest note. The point is to hold down the rhythm, connect the team and keep the song ahead.
Last thought: stop the cycle
If you are a manager, stop hiring in circles.
If you are a loan officer, stop join Cirkels.
Insurance is not always loud.
Sometimes it looks like the silent, repeated decision to do the same and expects something magical to happen.
So let’s stop hoping. Let’s start to lead.
Let’s start with better conversations on both sides of the recruitment table. And maybe next time … it will be really different – because we have chosen to be chosen.
Fobby Naghmi is the SVP of Anniemac Home Mortgage.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial department of Housingwire and the owners. To contact the editor who is responsible for this piece: [email protected].
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