Identifying your unfair advantage

One of the main aims of Barclays Mortgage Insider podcast is to share current trends, success stories and to offer a platform to voices from inside and outside of the industry who can offer unique insight into how firms can build their business, their brands, how to find their niche and to identify their unfair advantage.

In the latest Mortgage Insider Podcast, Barclays BDM Claire MacPhail delivers a fascinating interview with Ash Ali and Hasan Kubba - authors of the 2021 business book of the year and best start-up/scale up book award 2021, The Unfair Advantage.

During the podcast, the pair outline how the world doesn’t offer a level playing field, that meritocracy is a myth and that behind every success story is an Unfair Advantage. When asked for one tip they could offer to brokers, it was suggested that they should think more long term and to visit the Eisenhower Matrix, also referred to as Urgent-Important Matrix. This helps to decide on and prioritise tasks by urgency and importance, sorting out less urgent and important tasks which should either be delegated or not done at all.

And here are 5 time management tips when working with the Eisenhower Matrix:

1. Putting things to-do on a list frees your mind. But always question what is worth doing first.
2. Try limiting yourself to no more than eight tasks per quadrant. Before adding another one, complete the most important one first. Remember: It is not about collecting but finishing tasks.
3. You should always maintain only one list for both business and private tasks. That way you will never be able to complain about not having done anything for your family or yourself at the end of the day.
4. Do not let you or others distract you. Do not let others define your priority. Plan in the morning, then work on your stuff. And in the end, enjoy the feeling of completion.
5. Finally, try not to procrastinate that much. Not even by over-managing your to-dos.

The podcast also explores the importance of money, intelligence, insight, location, education, expertise, status and luck in the journey to success and focuses on how brokers can apply their unfair advantage by building human connections and rapport. It also touches on the value of referrals, building a personal story and using the right language to demonstrate expertise and knowledge.

It proves to be a fascinating insight into the minds of two highly successful entrepreneurs, strategists and mentors and will hopefully help more brokers to identify their own unfair advantage going forward.

You can listen to the Barclays podcast directly on Financial Reporter.