If you feel that you are the only one in your office to make sure a file gets from application to closing, then it's a sign that you are a micromanager.
In the mortgage business, attention to detail is hugely important. In fact, it can cost you and the company a lot of money (and maybe even your license) if you screw up.
However, there is a point where micromanaging your files can also damage your productivity and your happiness in this business.
Here are the five signs to look out for:
1. You are never quite satisfied with anything, and even "perfect" is not good enough.
2. You are constantly frustrated because "that's not the way you would have done it."
3. You take great pride in "correcting" things.
4. You constantly want to know what the processor (underwriter, closer) is working on all the time.
5. You "insist" on being copied on all emails, regardless of how trivial they might be.
So, if you hit yourself on the forehead (like the "I could have had a V-8" commercial), here's what Muriel Maigan Wilkins, who is the
· Get over yourself: Saying to yourself "It will save me time if I do it myself" is actually an excuse for believing that the people you work with "won't get it done the right way anyway." A little trust goes a long way.
· Let it go:You don't add value or increase your business if all you do is micro-manage the small tasks. You make a difference by looking at the big picture and creating strategies that will continue to make you money or save you time.
· The end result is what counts: It's not about how your team/processor gets their job done, because each person has their own way of doing things. Letting them use their own creativity allows them to find their own way to the end result that you are in charge of.
· Expect to win:Micromanagers are extremely afraid of failure. By focusing on avoiding failure, they lose sight of the fact that the goal is to "win." The staff learns "helplessness" (because the micro-manager will do it for them), which makes failure a bigger possibility.
Wilkins goes on to say that while stepping back may result in some failures, in the long term you will build a stronger team, who will help you win most of the time.
