No appraiser has said, “It’s okay if I get this wrong.” Hiring that next person, implementing tech, stepping into leadership.
Appraisers are elite overthinkers. We literally get paid to think twice. Excel spreadsheet thinking: decisions reduced to columns of pros and cons. Clean. Rational. Safe. And sometimes blind to productivity, efficiency and the fun of achieving your goals.
We meet with our peers, our appraisers, our staff. Maybe you attend meeting for the Appraisal Foundation IAC, LDAC, CART or local chapters of the Appraisal Institute. Meetings feel productive but do we execute on specific outcomes?
Being wrong has consequences in our industry. But what’s the true cost of feeling safe?
Firm owners are you intentionally building something with transferable value or are you operating a lifestyle business? If you step away for 60 days, does it grow or stop? Enterprise value is built on systems, talent, data and durability. Lifestyle income is built on you. Those are not the same asset.
Fee appraisers are you widening your capability or just deepening your comfort zone? The market is changing. Clients expect speed, clarity and insight. Are you learning new tools, tightening your processes, increasing output per hour? Or are you defending yesterday’s workflow because it feels safe?
Chief Appraisers are you influencing strategy at the executive level, or are you living in the weeds of order flow and revision requests? Are you shaping policy, technology adoption and portfolio insight? Is your success defined by keeping your head down and a quiet inbox? Risk management is table stakes. Strategic leadership is value creation.
What employee firing are you avoiding? What new system are you postponing? What new initiative are you kicking the can down the road?
It’s simple: if you just start doing it, you’ll get feedback fast. Start doing, tweak along the way.
What actions are you not taking?
Take your shot.