Innovation and courage

Innovation takes courage, because there's always an element of risk involved

Innovation and courage
As leaders in the mortgage industry, our people are looking to us to set the pace for moving forward and tackling new challenges. Of the man directions in which we can take our organizations, of the many technologies we can adopt, and of the many different strategic decisions we can make, it can be difficult to know what to do. In order for us to succeed as leaders in our industry, we've got to have courage.

On the August 2nd episode of my Lykken on Lending radio show, we had the opportunity to interview Terry Wakefield of The Wakefield Company on the subject of innovation. In our conversation, Terry said something that really stuck out to me: "Innovation does take courage, because there's always an element of risk involved." In other words, by its very nature, innovation involves dabbling in the unknown. And when you don't know exactly what you're getting into, you've got to be brave in order to try it out.

We've got to be more courageous. It's not something we talk about much in the mortgage industry, or any other industry for that matter. But, when you really think about it, that's what reaching new horizons all boils down to you. When the options are between playing it safe but staying in the same place, or taking a risk and becoming an innovative organization, courage is the spark that gets us going. As you're sharpening your leadership characteristics, be sure to throw courage into the mix. Courage is the father of innovation.