It’s at times like this the strength of the people around you give you the ability to keep on going – that and really good partners. Our ‘counter party’ team supporting our lending plans are absolutely first class which gives us a tremendous amount of confidence when discussing our future plans with intermediaries and the market.
So how are things going this week?
A couple of twitchy moments of system testing, together with a few heart in mouth moments around data collection, but deep breaths, rational thinking and late nights have resolved (most) of the issues – we’ve still got two weeks to iron out the other problems. And we will.
On a positive note, another two experienced mortgage people joined us this week and we’ve some great experienced recruits still to come on board. If surrounding yourself with really good people is part of anyone’s story of success (and I’d argue strongly it is) we’re doing well in this regard.
Every Monday morning we have a ‘team Fleet’ catch up. Why? Because we’re building a Cathedral (see the story below):
One day a traveller, walking along a lane, came across three stonecutters working in a quarry. Each was busy cutting a block of stone. Interested to find out what they were working on, he asked the first stonecutter what he was doing. “I am cutting a stone,” he replied.
Still no wiser the traveller turned to the second stonecutter and asked him what he was doing. “I am cutting this block of stone to make sure that its square and its dimensions are uniform, so that it will fit exactly in its place in a wall,” came his answer.
A bit closer to finding out what the stonecutters were working on but still unclear, the traveller turned to the third stonecutter. He seemed to be the happiest of the three and when asked what he was doing replied: “I am building a cathedral.”
Ok so we’re not really building a Cathedral but if everyone knows what we’re doing, how far we’ve got and what work is left to be done they can feel proud of their achievement. And that’s the moral of the story.
Bob Young is chief executive officer of Fleet Mortgages
