David Currie | Province Mortgage Associates Inc. president
I founded Province Mortgage Associates Inc. in 2005 with a vision and passion to create something special in the mortgage industry.
I knew that I would have to be the “know-it-all” person for just about everything at first. But the benefit of having to be the answer man is that it gives you the opportunity to lead by example with work ethic, embracing change and handling adversity. At the same time, you can’t be afraid to hire people smarter than you.
I believe that many small-business owners or CEOs fail or never reach their full potential due to their ego and/or a mindset that hiring someone smarter than them could be a bad idea. The successful evolution of a company is connected directly to a leader’s ability to align with people who possess special abilities and skill sets beyond their own.
I’ve never been intimidated by this concept, and I’ve watched my company grow tenfold as a result. And not only do I understand the value of aligning with brilliant professionals, I embrace learning from them as time goes on.
I also make sure that everyone in the organization recognizes and understands the value of their peers and how our success as a team is linked to our collective talents. Not being afraid to hire people smarter than me has been the best decision I have ever made.
In the words of the great Lee Iacocca, “I hire people brighter than me, and then I get out of their way!”