Texas Marine and Broker/Owner Tyler Hodgson is a leader. He knows what he wants and he knows how to do it, but by no means does he consider himself a drill sergeant. “I’m a businessman in a t-shirt and jeans.” Before he became a Broker/Owner, his old brokerage practiced an old school approach. Wanting to go out on his own, Tyler slowly started to build up his business to twenty five sales and operations staff. But Tyler doesn’t just have staff, he has a team. A group of people with a common goal who always try to remain on the same page. In this episode of Broker To Broker, Tyler shares his insight into building and sustaining a successful team mentality. 

Tyler’s first piece of advice he advises all Brokers follow is to hire before you need to. You need to have the foresight to realize your true potential. You can be the best LO in the world, taking in referrals left and right, but if your hiring numbers don’t match the number of incoming clients, you will become overwhelmed and your client experience will suffer. If you don’t hire to grow, you will drown. And this isn’t just about adding additional Loan Officer’s either. You have to give them a support staff of administrators they can rely on everyday. In fact, Tyler suggests you prioritize support staff above sales. Tyler considers this the first big step that elevated him from Mortgage Broker to Broker/Owner. If your staff thinks they can just rely on you for everything, you won’t have time to focus on the countless other aspects required of a growing business. 

Tyler considers team fit the hallmark of his hiring process, and in-turn his company culture. He makes sure everyone is real and authentic. They can’t be afraid to communicate with each other, but they also need to be able to loosen up and have fun. Tyler likes to host what he calls “working interviews” where he brings in potential hires and pays them for a full day of work. He has them complete simple tasks, focusing on their communication skills and general team interaction. He doesn’t believe that a résumé, or even a one-on-one interview is enough to get to know somebody, and hiring in 30 or 60-day trial periods can end up being a huge waste of time and money. 

Tyler also makes sure to recognize hard work. A typical calendar year is full of retreats, award opportunities, movie nights, free lunches, gift cards, and thank you’s. “When you recognize that someone’s doing something difficult, they feel a lot better about it,” Tyler explains. It makes what could be a frustrating and stressful work environment into a place where people actually want to wake up and walk into. A place where a group of friends can get paid to help out the American homeowner. 

Tyler Hodgson is a true leader. He puts his team first, addresses issues quickly, and is always on the lookout to expand his team. Tyler’s biggest leadership advice? Listen. 

Show Notes:

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