Welcome to The 6 a.m. CFO, where finance chiefs share how they jump-start their days and engage with the tasks that are in front of them.
Today, Delmar Mortgage’s CFO, Austin Loeffler, shares how he structures his mornings, how he uses lists to stay organized and how he is a big sports fan.
Be sure to check out the entire 6 a.m. CFO series, and if you’d like to be featured in a future post, please email us here.
Delmar Mortgage
- Originates mortgage loans in 42 states across the U.S.
- Year founded: 1966
- Number of employees: 160
- Growth: Since things have normalized after the COVID-19 pandemic, it has averaged 5% growth year-over-year.
MORNING ROUTINE
Walk us through your normal workday morning routine. Any morning pick-me-ups? A typical morning for me starts with my alarm going off at 5:50 a.m. and heading downstairs to the home gym in our basement. I start with a slow walk on the treadmill while checking emails and drinking coffee.
After warming up I will do some sort of workout — whether it’s weights, HIIT or a run that is followed by some stretching. As I get older the stretching gets longer and the workouts get shorter. I then shower, take my daughter to school and head into the office. I’m usually one of the first ones there so I make coffee for everyone, walk around the office and make sure everyone has what they need when they arrive.
What was a recent morning that didn’t go as planned, and how did you adjust? We recently had some winter weather hit that caused a lot of problems not only with people making it into the office but also the ability for some to work at home. After talking with everyone on my team and making sure everyone had what they needed to work remotely, I went into the office to make sure everything went smoothly. I live closer to the office than most of my team members, and I don’t mind driving in the snow, so it made much more sense for me to drive in than anyone else.
How do you structure your first few hours after you log on at work? I’m a big list guy, so I go over the items that need to be accomplished for the day, week and month. I then make sure all of my staff have what they need to get their work done. I never want them to be waiting on me for an answer, information, etc. So I will check my email and calendar to see if there are any outstanding items or upcoming meetings. Next, I move on to the reminder app on my phone, which is usually a list of items I thought about since I left the office the previous day. It’s amazing how many things I think of while I am on the treadmill, in the shower or stuck in traffic!
INSPIRATION AND LEADERSHIP
Favorite quote or mantra: Work hard and have fun. I tell my daughter every time I drop her off to “Work hard and have fun.” It started when she was little and as I would drop her off at practice I would always make sure to tell her before she ran inside or closed the car door. It has since evolved into a sign we had made for our home that hangs above our stairwell. So now everyone in our family who is coming down the stairs to our main floor sees it and hopefully reminds them to work hard and have fun each day.
Favorite leadership lesson: I was lucky enough to work with a few great leaders early in my career who focused on servant leadership and helped me develop into a servant leader. The idea of servant leadership is to put others in front of you and prioritize your employees and their needs. As you start to listen to and value your employees’ ideas and input, helping them to be better at their jobs, you start to holistically build a team of strong and knowledgeable workers.
Throughout my career I’ve never set out for recognition or awards, but as I became more dedicated to being a servant leader the compliments, accolades, and production kept increasing. It made me open my eyes that not everything is debits and credits and focusing on the people can have a bigger impact.
Something important to know about me that you wouldn’t know from my business bio: I was a multi-sport athlete in college and was inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
The last job you did at your company that fell outside your traditional scope of work: Chef — on a few different occasions I have cooked pancakes in our break room as a surprise for our employees. It’s fun to watch their mood change and face light up as they come into the office in the morning and smell the breakfast. It’s also fun flipping pancakes across the break room to see if they catch them on their plate!
One way you have learned to manage work-induced stress: I’ve found the best way for me to reduce stress is exercise. I try to start my day each morning with a workout. This helps keep my mind at ease and come into the office with a fresh outlook on the day. In addition to exercise, if the day is a little more stressful than usual I’ll try to get in a little more activity after work. I like to play golf, so going to the driving range or playing nine holes after work helps put me in a good place mentally.
Favorite number: 5 — I played soccer in college and this was my number.
Most noteworthy items in my workspace: My favorite items are probably a picture with my daughter as well as a few of her drawings and pictures. I also have a few fun gifts from some of my staff which include a [BS] button, a toy gun and a “WTF” notepad. Lastly, even though you can’t see them, I have a handful of mini plastic babies in my office — there were 50 of them hidden in my office when I got back from a week of vacation and I’ve only been able to find around 45!
Do you have a pet sitting in your office right now? Not at the moment, but we have an employee who fosters dogs and she regularly brings them into the office. She knows to stop by my office if she brings in a puppy, so if I’m lucky there might be one in here soon!
Favorite phone app that is unrelated to work: It would probably be ESPN. I’m a big sports fan so I’m constantly checking scores and getting news and alerts. I’ll also use it to watch or listen to games if I’m traveling.
The most important thing you’ve recently read: Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek. This book ties into the aspect of servant leadership and discusses the human element of leadership.It talks about the idea of putting your employees first and the science behind how that makes them feel and perform.
