I would be surprised if you could not imagine a manager explaining to someone how they should be doing their job, only to find it laughable because the manager never actually did that job! So I am still looking for an expert in any field who has yet to do the work in that field personally.

One of the biggest separators in the professional world is the difference between “talkers and do-ers.” Talkers sound great when they speak about what they say that they know. They may give a great representation of successful outcomes following the guidance that they have provided. However, I have found a profound difference between listening to people who talk versus listening to people who have done the work talk about the work that they have done. Therefore, I require everyone at Mortgage Workflow Partners Inc. involved with client project management to be directly responsible for client projects.

Although I carry the title of CEO, I am primarily a client, project manager and workshop leader, and part-time marketer. Over the last 30 years in mortgage banking, I have found that anytime I am removed from doing the work directly; I start to gather a sense of discomfort and a sense of being disconnected. The change in feeling is natural for anyone who enjoys doing their job but changes their focus to managing others who do that job. If you have ever played a sport, for example, and then you become a coach for that sport due to circumstances, there is always a twinge of wanting to jump back out into the game to relive what you love most.

It is why it is essential to continue to do the work so that you can stay related to what you do and speak firsthand while helping others understand new or updated information that will help them with their work.