“Hard work isn’t enough, and more work is never the real answer.”  

So how do fee and bank appraisers get off the hamster wheel of work? 

Appraiser are all so busy. We tend to be in chronic work mode, rarely looking up to set goals. 

What’s the solution? It’s the need for speed. 

Speed to productivity.
Speed to achieve your financial goals.
Speed to a meaningful career. 

Advantage, you 

Reid Hoffman is a co-founder of LinkedIn, billionaire and podcaster of Masters of Scale. Reid mentions OODA loops, a jetfighter acronym that means observe–orient–decide–act. It works for other fields beyond military, like business. The goal is to observe and react to unfolding events to gain an advantage on your opponent, like Maverick in Top Gun. 

Who’s our opponent in the valuation world? Resistance to change, adoption of new processes and a resistance to implement new software. Just like Maverick, the bad guys are on your tail. Our “bad guys” are shorter deadlines, doing more with less, doing the job of two people with increasing scrutiny.   

Reid appraiser quotes 

  1. “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.” 
  1. “Ironically, in a changing world, playing it safe is one of the riskiest things you can do.” 
  1. “People who take risk intelligently can usually actually make a lot more progress than people who don’t.”

Aligned team mission 

Reid takes a measured intellectual approach to risk, but also recognizes the failure of halfhearted efforts. He feels that, “All human beings are entrepreneurs. You have to be constantly reinventing yourself and investing in the future. The fastest way to change yourself is to hang out with people who are already the way you want to be.” 

An appraisal ordering platform for your bank like YouConnect should check all the boxes: excellent customer service, highly configured to your department, reporting for the C-Suite, transparency for the lenders and data privacy.  

For commercial fee appraisers, software like DataComp Suite should provide the stuff you need: great comp management, professional comp write-ups, detailed Excel adjustment grids, comp maps and automated reports that look exactly the way they do now. Move from a Cessna to a jet fighter. 

Cleared for takeoff 

The constant course correction of OODA loops involved making and breaking plans, but the point is to be open to changing your appraisal department or firm. “The will to create is encoded in human DNA.” Create a better more productive work environment for your team. 

Would you rather be the Maverick that’s still flying or grounded? 

Observe. Orient. Decide. Act. 

Have a need for speed.