The Work Behind an Industry Voice

When I think about David Stevens, I think about what happened after he offered an opinion. He was willing to get in the room, work through any disagreement and help find a solution. That is the part of his leadership I miss most.

Dave had strong convictions, and he brought them into conversations with people who had strong convictions of their own. He could bring together knowledgeable people who saw an issue very differently and create an environment where they could respectfully work through it. When he had criticism, he also brought ideas about what to do next. The objective was to improve the industry. His reputation grew out of that commitment. His legacy remains strong from it as well. 

The loss of Dave left a considerable void. Since then, more voices have emerged, many with good intentions and something worthwhile to contribute. Heck, mine might be one of them. I would never put my impact anywhere close to Dave’s, but I do have a platform. That means the expectations I have of others need to apply to me, too.

Social media has given many of us a stage. Used well, it allows someone with real expertise to reach people who would otherwise never hear from them. A useful post can help a loan officer, challenge a lender’s assumptions or get an overlooked issue the attention it deserves. I believe in that value, and I spend time trying to contribute to it.

What frustrates me is how often the conversation seems to end there. We hear a strong opinion about what the industry needs to fix, followed by another strong opinion about something else. I find myself wondering who is willing to stay with the first issue once the comments slow down. It is reasonable to ask that of anyone who wants to be regarded as an industry leader.

Consider the problems we keep discussing, from the cost of originating a mortgage to responsible use of AI. Working on those issues requires time with people whose businesses operate differently from our own. It requires understanding why a seemingly obvious solution might create a new problem somewhere else. Sometimes it means accepting changes to an idea we were pretty pleased with when we first posted it.

Some of that work happens quietly, and I cannot judge someone’s contribution by whether I see them at a particular meeting. The point is to connect our public positions to a willingness to help. For those of us with an audience, that also means making room for knowledgeable operators whose experience deserves more attention than it receives.

For those of us fortunate enough to have an audience, here is a practical place to start. Choose an issue you keep talking about and commit some time to the people working on it. Bring a proposed solution and be willing to revise it. Stay involved when the conversation gets difficult and the work becomes less interesting to post about.

Dave gave us a clear example of what that commitment looks like. We honor it by making ourselves useful to the people doing the work.

#VieauxPoint