In most sports an athlete’s skill is judged based on what they individually accomplish: who can throw the farthest, run the fastest, or jump the highest.

In rowing (often called crew) skill is demonstrated by how well the members of the team work together in unison. One person rowing too hard or too fast can throw off the entire rhythm, or even worse, cause the entire boat to flip over. To be successful a rowing team is assembled based on a careful balance of both speed and strength.

The force that holds the team together is synergy, an interaction between two or more parties which creates a combined effort greater than their individual abilities. At Service First we use synergy to tie together speed and service, a role that makes it the third (and most important) pillar in The Power of S3.

Business Today

In our previous articles on speed and service we looked at how we create amazing results for our borrowers accurately and on time. Synergy is how we keep both processes moving forward in an organized fashion.

The power of speed motivates each and every person involved in the loan process to work together in moving the loan forward. Each loan isn’t a competition to see who can get to the finish line first; it’s a singular effort that requires everyone to pull equally in one direction.

The power of service unites us in our message and the experience we offer. We’re not debating over who has the best system in communicating with borrowers; the emphasis is on providing an experience that is consistent and reliable.

Service and speed only work because synergy is there to unite them. Take synergy away from either one and we don’t row together in rhythm. Our teamwork falls apart.

How We Do It

Promoting Synergy means more than simply saying it. It means reinforcing the idea that we’re not completely separate branches but a united group working together to close loans for our borrowers. Each and every team member has an important role they play in this process.

One way we do this is by bringing everyone together to strategize. SAW Groups, Sales Summits, and think tanks aren’t social gatherings or white noise; they’re opportunities to explore best practices we can all agree on and implement.

Nobody rows in silence, which means synergy demands openness and communication. Our loan officers on the front lines have access not just to processing, closing, and underwriting but to executive leadership as well.  Everyone has a say when it comes to moving our work forward.

Finally, synergy means all of us rowing in the same direction. That’s done through using a consistent message we all take to market, reliable loan scenario policies with Zen Desk, and regular updates from leadership as to where we’re headed as a company.

Rowing Together

Our company is much larger than a crew boat but that doesn’t mean we can’t move together in unison. We each have skills and talents we bring to the table that are impressive in their own right; combine them and there’s no limit to what we can achieve.

Therein lies the true power of synergy; contributing your talents to a task and producing a result much greater than what we could do on our own. This multiplying effect is the heart of what drives The Power of S3 and who we are here at Service First.