Have you ever had someone say something so relatable you’re surprised by it? Well, when it comes to Sales and Operations in the mortgage industry and how we relate to one another, it can be even more shocking.

Having been in a variety of operational positions over the years, I have carried the weight of being the bearer of bad news at times (more often that I would have preferred frankly). But who hasn’t – right? If you’re going to work in underwriting, compliance or qc, you must be prepared to know you’re probably not getting voted as prom king or queen. I’ve been called the “Grim Reaper of Loan Files”, the “Black Queen of Death” and of course, the other more standard, less creative names. As such, it is easy to anticipate a battle when delivering bad news. To say that I’ve had some GOT worthy interactions over the years is an understatement.

I recently found myself in a situation that put me into this mindset. There was the standard tennis match of emails, inclusion of others within the organization, etc., so the fight or flight instinct was high for both sides. And that’s when it happened…a shocking interaction.

When an email comes to us ops folks from sales, we anticipate either great appreciation or great disapproval (this industry is not always known for its subtly or moderate reactions). The email that hit my inbox was no different. As I read, I realized there were two avenues I could go down. I could take everything out of context and proceed by “wordsmithing” my way into battle OR I could choose to approach this with diplomacy.

I crafted my response but in doing so I tried to do what many have taught me over the years (and that I still work on daily – admittedly, there are times where it’s a struggle) – putting myself in the other person’s shoes. I delivered the facts, but also supplied a possible future solution and – wait for it – some actual understanding and compassion. Here’s the kicker – this solution will not help this person’s current problem. There was no “band-aid” option available. I completed my typical operations protocol…review, edit, re-write, review, ponder, read, re-read, stress about how it will be received, use the backspace key so much it nearly falls off the keyboard, read again and then – pause for effect – SEND.

I did not anticipate any response, never mind the one that fell into my inbox. As I underwrote a loan, I let my ADD take me back to my inbox and read the memo. The first sentence said it all – it was a thank you for responding and making them feel like a “human being”. Additional details were then provided to attempt to mitigate the problematic loan situation that sparked this entire conversation, but the bottom line is that I did two things worth sharing:

1.     Changed the course of the conversation by simply trying to see something from sales’ side (though I am the “enemy”),

AND

2.     Communicated AT ALL.

By now you may be asking yourself why am I going on and on w/ this story. It’s simple. Sometimes sales are feeling the same way we are in operations; stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed by the weight of bearing bad news to others. Regardless of our positions in this crazy mortgage world, we must remember that there is a person on the other side of the computer and frankly behind the entire transaction (we are ALL here to help our borrowers and referral partners!). Communication these days is as easy as it has ever been and yet used too little or so poorly that we often turn ourselves into keyboard warriors and miss the point of the entire exercise.

With that, I ask that we in operations try to remember, while the pen (i.e., keyboard) is mightier than the sword, when it comes to how we treat our partners in this profession, perhaps there is no need to pick up a weapon at all. Respect and compassion are as important as the exchange of ideas itself. Communication, done in the right way, goes a long way to building a bridge and when we work together effectively, we all win.