Talking about our ESOP always gets me excited. Connecting people to relationships that solve problems is what makes me tick and being part of Axia’s dynamic team exemplifies these kinds of relationships – both inside the company and in our communities. Working with everyone and building on those connections gets the blood pumping. Here are 5 BIG ESOP takeaways that get me flying out of bed and ready to work every morning.
- An Ownership Mentality
Strip away the stiffness and complexity of an ESOP ownership model, and you have people. People all pointed in the same direction, focused on generating value through our relationships, ensuring the business is run responsibly, and providing a reliable and stable retirement platform for everyone down the road.
The ESOP offers all of us a simple yet real way for every Axian to get behind each other and our communities. Every loan we help take across the finish line represents an LO fulfilling a promise to their clients, and it represents the borrower buying a house that will help them move along their personal journey. All of us take pride and own the accomplishment of making each of those promises a reality.
- Collaboration – Better Together
When you share in the wins (and losses) you learn to take off the blinders and ask questions. “How can we be better? What will make this easier? I bet if we tried THIS, we could do it faster.” Those questions lead to collaboration, clarity, and better execution. In a nutshell, when we execute better together, we solve problems and add value.
- The Power of WE, US, OUR
When you embrace the idea of serving others, good things happen. You stop toggling between the “you” and “them” trap and focus on the “we, us, our” mindset.
Embracing the fact that I’m not simply an employee, nor a single owner, but part of something bigger amplifies things. Once I was able to get settled, build real relationships, be creative, and help add more value – it was mind-blowing to see how the momentum behind our efforts built up and continues to build today. WE are making this happen.
- Generational Thinking
ESOPs are all about going long and thinking big. It’s delivering on a vision that will extend beyond me – beyond us. We drop the drama of “end of quarter” number gymnastics and start thinking in terms of decades. Lining up our actions today with the benefit of the future in mind increases our odds of getting a Thank You card from the future us. That’s a hard feeling to beat.
- Community – We Live Here
Leaning into the idea of responsible and representative lending makes an enormous imprint on our communities. We are bringing people from all walks of life together to build strong ties with their neighbors, jobs, and towns. My house is my home. It’s where my family is growing, learning, and living every day. Dropping my kids off and picking them up from school affords me the opportunity to talk with my neighbors. Hear their stories, their struggles, and their triumphs. When I’m home I celebrate the fact that my wife and I own this slice of life, and revel in the fact that we have (even in the smallest way) helped others realize this aspect of their being.
Onward and upward!
Axia Home Loans Guest Author:
Juanpablo Wright
Director of Growth & Strategic Planning
Axia Home Loans
Equal Housing Opportunity. Axia Home Loans is a registered tradename of Axia Financial, LLC. NMLS 27830.