MIAMI—Darius Mirshahzadeh, CEO of Endeavor America Loan services, knows the mortgage industry. In fact, he was recently named among the highest-rated CEOs by Glassdoor in a list that included Nike, Apple and Google.

GlobeSt.com caught up with Mirshahzadeh to get his thoughts on creating an innovative company culture in the mortgage industry. We also asked him for ways to increase employee engagement and how to create a strong corporate culture.

GlobeSt.com: What is some advice you can give for creating an innovative company culture in the mortgage industry?

Mirshahzadeh: In product-driven companies, entire departments are set up to research, develop, test and refine products. But in the mortgage industry, many companies don't give the same care to developing service and culture. This is a mistake. In service industries, culture is the innovation you bring to your customers. You can't expect it to evolve and adapt on its own. You have to invest in a company culture to deliver superior service, retain top talent and generate repeat business.

GlobeSt.com: What are some ways you increase employee engagement and satisfaction in the workplace?

Mirshahzadeh: In order to increase employee engagement and satisfaction in the workplace you must first work towards understanding  them to the best of your ability. When employee engagement data is collected regularly, it reveals trends and can help pinpoint problems within the company before they balloon into full-fledged crises. It can signal that a certain department of the company needs more resources, training or manpower.

I approach employee engagement like a CFO tracks financials, with an eagle eye on trends and data. This means using software and survey platforms that help me keep a proverbial finger on the pulse of everyone that works at The Money Source. Some of the platforms we use include ENPS (Employee Net Promoter Score), Q12 by Gallup, 15Five and YouEarnedIt. All of which provide us with critical information needed to gain both a better understanding of how our employees feel about and are recognized for their work. 

GlobeSt.com: How did you create a company culture that receives approval ratings higher than Apple and equal to Facebook on Glassdoor?

Mirshahzadeh: Think like those companies do. They are innovative and on the cutting-edge of workplace and technological trends. So, we take their approach, and adapt it to the mortgage industry. It's as simple as creating welcoming and engaging environments, rewarding teams for a multitude of performances and accomplishments, and creating reward systems that offer incentives outside of the box.

Really, it's all about thinking outside the traditional corporate structure box, and more along the lines of the companies ranked in the same realm as The Money Source. Our unique formula combines culture, gentle competitiveness, and peer-to-peer rewards to foster an environment that retains happy and engaged employees.