When professionals look for ways to improve, they often look to hard skills and specific areas of their work. While these are certainly valuable places to focus, they’re not the only ways loan officers can support their success. The importance of gratitude has been getting more and more attention in the last few years, and for good reason. Connecting to feelings of gratitude can certainly have a positive influence in our personal lives, but it can also have the same effect in the office. This isn’t about mastering a new skill or learning the latest software. Gratitude is a practice you can work to incorporate into your daily life. Whether it’s simply bringing your attention to the things you appreciate or making a gratitude list at the end of every day, how you incorporate it is up to you. Personally, I like to start my day over morning coffee with 5-10 minutes of solitude where I can reflect on all of the things I am grateful for in my life, both personally and professionally. This exercise focuses and energizes my mindset to take on each new day. Here’s why I believe practicing gratitude is so valuable for mortgage professionals:
Strengthen Client Relationships
Showing our clients that we appreciate them is a great way to strengthen the connection. When you express gratitude for your clients, you show that you value them, you make them feel like a priority, and you quickly elevate their experience. Even on a more subtle level, when you cultivate a sense of gratitude for your clients in your mind, it can help you manage the stresses and challenges that can go along with the mortgage process.
Improve Teamwork
As loan officers, we need to be able to work with the other professionals on our teams. When we express gratitude for our teammates, we remind ourselves that we’re in this together, that we all want what’s best for the team. When we appreciate the hard work of our fellow employees, we help them to connect to the meaning in their role. We show them that their efforts are recognized. This works to build stronger relationships among employees, thus decreasing misunderstandings, conflicts, and stress. Teamwork is how we get the job done for our clients. The better we work with our coworkers, the better experience we’re able to provide.
Foster Innovation
When you make a point of expressing gratitude regularly, you’re often more willing to try new things. You look at the risks you’ve taken so far for your business and are grateful for the positive results you’ve achieved and the lessons you’ve learned. You build confidence in your ability to be innovative. Rather than being so attached to one highly specific outcome, you know that you’ll be able to find value no matter how the situation turns out. Even if an idea doesn’t pan out how you’d hoped, you find a way to appreciate what that experience can teach you.
Promote a Positive Mindset
A positive mindset is a valuable tool for any professional, especially those in demanding roles. It’s a great way to counteract rising stress levels, anxiety, and burnout, and it helps us take on a motivating perspective when we encounter different challenges along the way. It keeps us connected to our purpose and helps us find meaning in our work. Gratitude is a choice to focus on the positive, and the more we do it, the stronger that mindset will become.
What are the things you most appreciate in your work life? It’s worth asking yourself this question often, even daily. You’ll probably have different answers depending on when you ask yourself. Perhaps on a particularly busy day, you’re grateful for the help of a coworker. Maybe you’re grateful for a client you really connect with. Whatever your answers are, paying attention to the things you’re grateful for can certainly lay a foundation for success.
Kirk Brewer
Branch Manager | Loan Geek | NMLS #150287