Archive for Team building
Do You Have a Group or a Team?
Posted by: | CommentsThis January and February, I’m featuring the topic ‘leadership’. Why? Because it’s one of the biggest real estate industry trends (and probably world trends) of 2012 and beyond. Look for leadership strategies and trends (not just in the real estate industry), plus ready-to-use documents to go from ‘maintenance management’ to leadership. And, check out my complimentary recorded webinar for leadership. See more below, too.
A Group is Not a Team
So, you’ve got a group of people together in an office. They’re a team, right? Wrong. Until the leader orchestrates teaming, the group is just a group. Can’t associates start teams without the support of the manager? Sure, but the leader (who, I assume thinks he/she is the leader) can’t be assured that the team is going in the direction that’s best for everyone. (Prima donnas, anyone?) Reminds me of the saying, “Where are they going? How many of them were there? I must find them. I’m their leader….”
When a group of musicians gathers to play together, we first have to decide where we’re going–the tune we’ll play. We must decide what key it will be in, and what rhythm we’ll use. To make these decisions, we find ourselves starting to cooperate and compromise, to share the talents of each player. I’ve played in musical groups that obviously weren’t teaming–just getting through the tune. That’s no fun, and actually takes more energy than it’s worth. I’ve played in other groups that were so attuned to each other, that it the joy in creating became so infectious that we all played better than we knew we could. That’s when a team starts happening.
Creating Team Synergy
Without the synergy of the team feeling in an office, agents (and manager) spend too much energy just fighting to stay in business. Managers spend too much time with crisis management, constantly handling internal and external conflict. Working together toward common, inspiring goals, crisis management shrinks, while inspiring leadership blossoms. With teaming, agents and manager perform to higher standards than they thought they could. With consumer expectations so high today, it’s much safer, and a better way to reduce risk, to orchestrate methods where agents are working together for the best interests of the consumer. That takes teaming.
Taking another look at ‘teams’ in the real estate office. There are three reasons why the industry should redefine teams–and use them:
1. The public is pressuring real estate companies to be accountable to them. When they call a manager, they want to know “who is supervising that agent?” Risks could be reduced greatly by agents working more closely together for the good of the consumer–and much more return business, at low cost, could be generated.
2. The industry is changing too quickly for managers or agents to keep up ‘on their own’. Too much information too fast– on our own, we simply can’t process and prioritize this information sufficiently well to compete in the future. Agents who have been extremely independent are finding out that the isolation they thought they treasured is leaving them behind the learning curve.
3. The business world internationally is using new combinations of teams to manage their new work force–the values of Generation X and Y. With more workers staying home to work, or working in a ‘mobile office, the most successful businesses in the world are finding that innovative teams solve the problems of ‘culturizing’ and sharing vision. As real estate offices hire more of these people, they must change their management strategies to fit the style of the Generation X and Yers, who value education, information, and teamwork.
Translating teams to the real estate office. One of the biggest concerns of real estate companies today is raising the productivity of their agents. Those of us in performance fields know that raising performance comes from associating–working with–the best. Creatively orchestrating people working together is the best way to enhance performance.
What’s your take on teamwork and the real estate industry? Have you had success creating a team?
Teamwork: Is the Team Concept Up to Date or Obsolete?
Posted by: | CommentsThis January and February, I’m featuring the topic ‘leadership’. Why? Because it’s one of the biggest real estate industry trends (and probably world trends) of 2012 and beyond. Look for leadership strategies and trends (not just in the real estate industry), plus ready-to-use documents to go from ‘maintenance management’ to leadership. And, check out my complimentary recorded webinar for leadership. See more below, too.
Yes, we real estate professionals are independent. We go into real estate to “be our own bosses”. We love to be “on our own”. In fact, in some offices, it’s become fashionable to say “we don’t need a team. We’re all entirely independent.” This shift to ‘on your own’ correlates to a shift in management from the autocratic style of twenty years ago (I’m the boss–follow the rules here), to the “operations” manager of today–providing the physical needs to work, and leaving the responsibility for the emotional needs of associates to someone else.
Which Way is the Shift Going Now?
Is the shift continuing? Is it good for the industry? Is it good for you, the individual salesperson? Should you isolate yourself from others to get the job done? Or, are we, by rejecting the idea of teamwork, working ourselves toward extinction? Perhaps successful businesses internationally have some value to us when it comes to this question. They see innovative ‘teaming’ as critical to their success in the twenty-first century. Lest we real estate professionals miss what may be a critical strategy for us, let’s take another look at ‘teamwork’.
Owners Reject the ‘Team’ Concept
What do owners think about the ‘teamwork’ concept: When I was teaching a CRB (Certified Real Estate Broker) course on teamwork, I had some very interesting reactions and comments from students. About an hour into the course, a woman drew me aside, and told me that her company didn’t believe in teamwork. It was against the “culture”. She told me she hated teams. I was stunned at her vehemence, and found it hard to concentrate on the rest of the day’s curriculum. In addition, I had just rebuilt an office from “failing miserably” to spectacular, using teaming concepts.
What Did She Really Mean?
I asked myself, “Why did she have some an adverse reaction to that word?” Then, I remembered what she looked like, and had one of those ‘ahas’–those blinding flashes of the obvious. Remember when, in grade school, you picked sides for Red Rover Come Over? The good-looking athletic kids got picked first. The others shyly waited, anxiously hoping they wouldn’t be last, or worse yet, be the one the teacher ‘helped’: “Put Johnny on your side, please.” As I thought about those situations, all those depressive feelings came flooding back. No wonder that manager hated teams! In this time of lightning fast change, our emotions can stop us from investigating ideas that frighten us. Yet, it may be the very idea that you need for your business. As you continue reading, keep an open mind about this ‘team’ idea. It may be exactly what’s been missing in your moving from “just okay” to spectacular.
What a Team Isn’t
First, in the real estate industry, let’s clarify what we don’t mean today when we say ‘teams’. We don’t mean a bunch of people all being “pumped up”by a manager (or a salespeople, when you’re managing your own team), who resembles the cheerleader of the past. We don’t necessarily mean all the people in the office on one team at once. We don’t mean a lock-step mentality where one loses one’s independence. What we do mean is combining the talents of individuals so that we experience much more meaningful business lives.
A Definition of a Team 
A team is two or more people working on a meaningful task for a commonly shared goal, of common benefit to both or all members of the team. A team works well when the expertise of two or more people are more effective and efficient than each person working on his own. Because I’m a musician, I know the importance of teamwork in a musical ensemble. When I’m playing jazz piano with a bassist and a drummer, I must feel confident that we’re all together in this, that we’ll be sensitive to each other’s strengths and challenges, in harmony to produce the best version of that tune possible. There must be great interdependence on the talents of each of us, when such a goal is at stake. Yet, there’s great independence in the improvisations that we each bring to the tune. In the best team atmosphere, both interdependence and independence is nurtured and appreciated.
Do you have a team? Or, do you just have a group? In the next blog, we’ll explore the differences.
Leadership Strategies By the Month
Do you want to step into a better leadership style? Be more effecctive? Recruit more and better? I’ve created a very special, unique program for managers and owners: Once a month I share a specific leadershp strategy to recruit, choose, train, coach, and retain winners. These are proven strategies to get you out of a rut, take you past crisis management, and energize and inspire your team. See more at 365 Leadership. This new series closes for enrollment March 15. Find out more here.
Turning your Leadership Style Upside Down for more Effectiveness
Posted by: | CommentsThis January and February, I’m featuring the topic ‘leadership’. Why? Because it’s one of the biggest real estate industry trends (and probably world trends) of 2012 and beyond. Look for leadership strategies and trends (not just in the real estate industry), plus ready-to-use documents to go from ‘maintenance management’ to leadership. And, check out my complimentary recorded webinar for leadership. See more below, too.
Is your leadership style ‘tell them what to do and expect them to do it’? It seems so easy. You’re the chairperson or manager. Just take charge, tell people what to do, and they’ll do it. NOT. It’s just not that simple. At least, it’s not that simple unless systems are already in place and people on the committee know what their tasks are.
Seven Truisms about Effective Participative Leadership
It’s not enough today to be good at a traditional leadershp style. In fact, you have to really ‘turn your leadership style’ upside down to become effective. You must become a ‘participative’ leader. Here are seven truisms to help you flex your natural style toward more participation from your team members.
Truism #1: New chairpeople don’t know what’s expected of them
Just because people accept the title it doesn’t mean they know how to proceed with the job. Most people have never chaired a committee, so they don’t have the skills. It’s especially challenging when it’s a new task. They need to have clear direction, a job description, job responsibilities, and exactly who to go to when the job doesn’t get done.
Truism #2: People don’t know HOW to get it done
Even when people know what to do, they don’t usually have checklists, systems, deadlines, and assignments to get it done; it doesn’t work to leave it to a person (95% of the time, the other 5% will figure it out on their own) to decide how to get the job done.
Truism #3: Myth: “Leaders are the “idea people” and aren’t supposed to get into implementation (someone else will figure out how to get the work done)
When leaders say that, they immediately put others into the “secretary” mode. Their mentality is, someone else beneath them should be able to figure out how to get that done. That’s a secretarial or assistant’s job, isn’t it? But, your committee members don’t work for you. They work with you. You can’t expect someone to raise his hand and offer to be your assistant because you came up with the idea.
Truism #4: Verbal-type people resist processes and systems
There is a natural resistance in us (maybe especially in we verbal-type people) to organizing processes and systems. We love to talk about the idea. We don’t like to clarify exactly how that idea gets into process.
Truism #5: We ‘big idea’ people think we can delegate systemization to an assistant
Having worked with assistants for over 15 years, I have found that not true. Assistants need help in systemizing any process that YOU want done. They are good at systemizing their own processes–but not good at all at systemizing ours!
Truism #6: Leaders know committees take most of their time REPORTING to the larger group, not deciding on issues or processes
A mistake that committees make is to try to design processes within the large committee meeting. Instead, create task forces to report back quickly to you.
Truism #7: When accountability factors aren’t built in, things don’t get done.
This is a dicey issue, because you’re working with volunteers. Or, in the case of a real estate company, with independent contractors. At the same time, your association or business also expects the services and programs you promised. There’s a great difference between “do it the way you want” and expecting results and “do it the way you want” and let’s check how it’s going regularly.
Sharpening Your Participative Leadership Skills
What truisms do you want to add from your experiences in leadership? What do you see of yourself in these truisms? How can these help you lead? What needs to be done in your leadership position to gain greater skills? These skills are learned over time, and the pay-off is an association or business that is ‘owned’ by all those involved, with empowerment assured.
Leadership Strategies By the Month
Do you want to step into a better leadership style? Be more effecctive? Recruit more and better? I’ve created a very special, unique program for managers and owners: Once a month I share a specific leadershp strategy to recruit, choose, train, coach, and retain winners. These are proven strategies to get you out of a rut, take you past crisis management, and energize and inspire your team. See more at 365 Leadership. This new series closes for enrollment March 15. Find out more here.
What Leaders Do Differently from Managers
Posted by: | CommentsThis January, I’m featuring the topic ‘leadership’. Why? Because it’s one of the biggest real estate industry trends (and probably world trends) of 2012 and beyond. Look for leadership strategies and trends (not just in the real estate industry), plus ready-to-use documents to go from ‘maintenance management’ to leadership. And, check out my complimentary webinar on Jan. 30 on leadership, trends, and what you should do about it! See more at the end of this blog.
In my last post, we talked about the differences in management–specifically maintenance management–and leadership. Now, let’s look at the specific things leaders do to move offices ahead. After I list them, ask yourself, “Would I describe myself as a leader–or a manager?”
What Leaders Do
It’s easy to say you are a leader. But, how do you know you really are? Here are several actions leaders take. After all, we can’t judge people from what they say. We must judge them from what they do.
1. Leaders initiate new programs that move them closer to their vision.
2. Leaders enlist others prior to starting a new program, to assure the whole team has input, judgement, and ‘buy in’.
3. Leaders look at their planners, and evaluate whether they started something new that week or month. Did they start something that was innovative, creative, fun, and team-enlisting? Was it connected to their vision and goals?
4. Leaders do specific actions that solve problems. For example, in my new series, 365 Leadership, I will provide specific strategies, with all the guidance and documents to implement them–one strategy per month. One of these strategies is the Listing Presentation Play-offs. What problem does this solve? The problem of unskilled agents taking over-priced listings. It also changes the culture of the company from ‘we take anything’ to ‘we are professionals who act in the best interests of sellers’.
5. Leaders don’t rest on their laurels. They don’t believe they ever ‘have it made’.
Look at 365 Leadership to see the topics that we address. There’s still time to become a part of this group. I’m excited to provide 12 new, immediately doable strategies for you. It’s low-cost (both the series and the strategies) and it will move you into leadership and toward profitability.
What do you think the difference between management and leadership is? How do you know you’re a leader?
Complimentary Leadership/Management Webinar
Join me on Jan. 30, from 1-2 PM PST for Leverage the Top Trends for Profits in 2012. We will explore the top real estate business trends for 2012 and beyond–and I will provide you specific strategies to not only manage to those trends, but to thrive because of them. This is a complimentary webinar. Space is limited, so register today.
Jan. 30
Time: 1-2 PM PST
To register: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/306755846
The Changing Face of Real Estate Leadership
Posted by: | CommentsThis January, I’m featuring the topic ‘leadership’. Why? Because it’s one of the biggest real estate industry trends (and probably world trends) of 2012 and beyond. Look for leadership strategies and trends (not just in the real estate industry), plus ready-to-use documents to go from ‘maintenance management’ to leadership. And, check out my complimentary webinar on Jan. 30 on leadership, trends, and what you should do about it! See more at the end of this blog.
Check at the end of these blogs for those ready-to-use documents and checklists to put these ideas to work.
The guidelines of effective leadership have changed dramatically in the last thirty years. Top-down decision-making is out; participative leadership is in. Having no standards is out; standards-driven leadership is in. Everyone doing their own thing is out; mutual accountability and teamwork is in. Yet, as I look at real estate offices nationally, I see most leaders still leading as though it was 1970—or earlier.
In fact, a new book by Morris and Murray, Game Plan: How Real Estate Professionals Can Thrive in Uncertain Times, names Need for Leadership as one of the trends for 2012 and beyond. Get this book. You’ll find some trends predictable–but some are not.
Compare and contrast. Let’s look at four principles of effective leadership today. These principles have been proven effective again and again by huge companies internationally. They should be embraced by the real estate industry, which badly needs effective leadership in this challenging time:
- Vision-lead: Few companies have an articulated vision that’s shared by all in the company. Fewer yet have leaders who have the fortitude to ‘do the right thing’ (as stated in their vision), even if it means turning down a deal.
Example: When is the last time you saw a manager fire a top producer who acted unethically? How do managers treat customer complaints—especially if it’s against a top producer? (Ask agents if they feel managers unfairly favor the top producers. Boy, will you get an earful!) In too many cases, the ‘leader’ isn’t leading. The big loser long term: The company, because agents are de-motivated when they feel there is not a level playing field, and consumers will seek out new companies if they feel their complaints are not handled seriously. (read Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, Porras and Collins, for stunning examples of vision-integrated companies.)
- Everyone is involved in the decisions: This is participative leadership, and it’s the leadership style that is best suited to our real estate industry. After all, with independent contractors, we need strong organizational structures to pull people together. What percent of real estate companies have effective leadership councils, one of the attributes of participative leadership? In my teaching, I’ve found about 2%. What this means it that the vast majority of agents don’t feel it’s ‘their company’, they don’t feel empowered, and they aren’t very loyal. I will be writing blogs about participative leadership in January, so watch for them.
Leaders will be those who empower others. Empowering leadership means
bringing out the energy and capabilities people have and getting them to work
together in a way they wouldn’t do otherwise.
—Bill Gates, fellow Washingtonian, founder of Microsoft
As you read articles and books on leadership, you will find every successful company today has turned its hierarchical leadership upside down and/or flattened it to become inclusive, participative, and as some people term it– ‘spiderweb’. (read The Female Advantage, Sally Helgesen).
3. Standards-driven: During my presentation at a recent National Association of Realtors’ Convention, I asked attendees if they had productivity standards (minimum expectations) in their companies. Out of 200 attendees, three raised their hands. No wonder agents don’t believe they must be ‘on the team’, pulling their own weight in production.
In a recent study by The Ripple Effective of Negativity Leadership IQ, 87% of the 70,305 executives, managers, and employees interviewed said working with a slacker actually made them want to change jobs; 93% said it hampered their development or decreased their productivity. So, without standards, real estate leaders are de-motivating their good performers!
Here’s what Roy Disney says about effective leadership, from the New Leadership Paradigm:
Leadership is the ability to establish standards and manage a creative climate where people are self-motivated toward the mastery of long-term constructive goals in a participatory environment of mutual respect compatible with personal values.
4. Mutual accountability: Creating a participative environment suggests that everyone must be accountable to their goals. It’s just amazing that managers are frustrated by agents’ lack of business plans and accountability. Yet, as I coach managers, I find that many in each organization don’t feel they need to be accountable to their recruiting goals. (In fact, only about 2% have written recruiting plans!). In addition, owners have not hired and coached them to standards, so the managers just want to ‘leave that part out’!
What is the result of this leadership paradigm switch? A real team, a team with a common goal. Why is it in the real estate industry’s best interests to adapt to this participative leadership style? To preserve the industry, maintain commissions, add ‘pride in belonging’ back to the real estate company, and, most important of all, put the consumer first, where he belongs!
Do you have the attributes of a ‘change leader’? Click here.
In an earlier post, I talked about the 3 things change leaders do to impact the industry. See how you stack up here.
Complimentary Leadership/Management Webinar
Join me on Jan. 30, from 1-2 PM PST for Leverage the Top Trends for Profits in 2012. We will explore the top real estate business trends for 2012 and beyond–and I will provide you specific strategies to not only manage to those trends, but to thrive because of them. This is a complimentary webinar. Space is limited, so register today.
Jan. 30
Time: 1-2 PM PST
To register: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/306755846
Leading with these 4 ‘change leadership’ attributes assures a future, thriving business.
Are You a ‘Change’ Leader?
Posted by: | CommentsThis January, I’m featuring the topic ‘leadership’. Why? Because it’s one of the biggest real estate industry trends (and probably world trends) of 2012 and beyond. Look for leadership strategies and trends (not just in the real estate industry), plus ready-to-use documents to go from ‘maintenance management’ to leadership. And, check out my complimentary webinar on Jan. 30 on leadership, trends, and what you should do about it! See more at the end of this blog.
Check at the end of these blogs for those ready-to-use documents and checklists to put these ideas to work.
Leadership: It’s REALLY Big for 2012
According to authors Ian Morris and Steve Murray, leadership is one of the big trends of 2012 and beyond. In fact, to read their take on 10 big trends, grab Game Plan: How Real Estate Professionals Can Thrive in Uncertain Times . In fact, I think leadership is in such a crisis state (think companies, politics, families, etc.) that I created a 12-part subscription series for real estate owners, managers, and team builders. In 365 Leadership, I provide one new leadership strategy per month, with everything subscribers need to put that strategy right to work (low or no cost and workable for the 5 person or the 500 person office). I know how difficult it is to go from maintenance to leadership (and especially so, because the majority of managers and owners now also sell!). So, I want to make it as easy as possible to step into effective leadership.
Needed today: A Special Kind of Leader
I think we would all agree that leadership is desperately needed in the real estate industry. I read a book several years ago titled Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers (I also highly recommend it). In it, authors Kriegel and Brandt show why people resist change, and the kind of leadership it takes to move people off dead-center into new actions. Isn’t that what’s needed in business today? Not ‘maintenance management’ but leadership. (I’ll write more about the differences in another blog). The authors introduced the concept of a ‘change leader’. So, what’s a ‘change leader’?
An individual who leads initiatives that influence others to perform differently–and better.
If you’re an owner or general manager, you need this ‘change manager’ in your organization. If you’re an agent, you’ll want to look for a ‘change leader’ to help you adjust to the rapidly changing real estate industry. How would you identify one? Find a leader who leads the way great leaders of businesses internationally today are leading.
Change Leader Attributes
Commitment to a better way
Personal initiative to go beyond defined boundaries
Stay undercover (stay close to the everyday business)
Sense of humor
Courage to challenge existing power bases
Motivate themselves and others
Care about how people are treated and enabled to perform
Change leaders believe in:
Tough standards of performance
Joint accountability
Democratic principles to tap creative power
Even though the real estate industry cries for ingenuity and creativity, compared to other businesses, it has been slow to change the way it does business. Allowing ‘change leaders’ to come forward and thrive is vital for the very existence of our industry–and, of course, vital for a bright future.
In my next blogs, I’ll be talking about how to implement these attributes of change leadership.
Do you have the attributes and actions of a ‘change leader’? Take the questionnaire I created for you. Click here.
Complimentary Leadership/Management Webinar
join me on Jan. 30, from 1-2 PM PST for Leverage the Top Trends for Profits in 2012. We will explore the top real estate business trends for 2012 and beyond–and I will provide you specific strategies to not only manage to those trends, but to thrive because of them. This is a complimentary webinar. Space is limited, so register today.
Jan. 30
Time: 1-2 PM PST
To register: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/306755846
Three Strategies to Get Your Agents to Create Business Plans
Posted by: | CommentsIn November and December, I’m focusing on business planning, to help you and your agents get a great business plan for next year. Look for checklists, processes, and systems ready to use, too.
I know it’s a lot of work to get your agents to commit to paper on anything. And, from working with thousands of agents on business planning over the years, I know the challenges. But, for us managers, the huge pay-off comes not from what’s on paper, what, what’s in the head. When we use a good business planning process we literally teach agents how to think through their businesses.
Three Huge Stealth Strategies
1. Take Away Commitment Phobia
It’s estimated we are told ‘no’ 148,000 times prior to age eighteen. No wonder we don’t want to commit to try anything! I know from teaching adults to play the piano, that adults are conditioned not to try anything new for fear of not being perfect. To many, writing a business plan means planning to fail—and then getting punished for it.
So, the first time you introduce business planning, take away the old downside of goal setting (not reaching it and getting punished), and help your agents move in incremental steps forward—a step at a time, with lots of positive reinforcement along the way. You have to create a safe haven for first-time planners.
2. Eat the Elephant a Bite at a Time
One of the agents in an office where I just did a small group coaching series told me he put a picture of an elephant on the wall, and then literally divided the elephant into bite-sized pieces, with an action step listed on each bite. What a wonderful visual! For many of your agents, planning is just the most overwhelming process they could envision. So, simply start with one or two areas. Personally, I start with 2-3 areas in the Review. See my next blog for an example of this.
3. Make it Really Easy to Start
Have a great business planning system to provide your agents. (Never just ask them to make a business plan without a system to follow, because you’ll get all kinds of formats). Don’t overwhelm your agents with too many planning pages to start. Customize your package with each agent. If you can get each agent to look at 1-3 areas of his business, and plan change strategies for a better year in that area, you’ll have started the process—a process that will continue, grow, and reap big benefits by year three.
We Do What We See, Not What We are Told
Do you have a business plan? If not, why should your agents be interested ? Making your ‘stealth’ approach work means you must lead by example. Doing so creates a synergy between your plan and all the agents’ plans, and builds a strength that perseveres even in the toughest market.
What should be in an agent’s business planning system? Click here to see a ‘flow chart’.
Complimentary Webinar for Managers
If you’re stumped as to how to get your agents to create business plans, you need to attend this webinar. If you want more teamwork and loyalty, you need to tune in. I’ll show you how I got 100% of my agents to write good business plans, and how I used those plans to coach and consult all year, building my office to #1 in a 19 office company–the strongest company at that time in the Northwest.
Managers: Get Every Agent to Build a Business Plan–and Build a Great office Plan
When: Dec. 1
Time: 1-2 PM, Pacific Standard Time
Space is limited, so register now. Click here to register.
Are You Sure That Agent is Really your Best Producer?
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Are you sure he (or she) is really your best producer?
We managers are frequently asked to ‘quartile’ our team, or evaluate our team members–to somehow rate the salespeople with us. Usually, we just start with the highest producer and work downward. But, is your highest producer your best producer?
‘Weigh’ Your Team Members Using your Values
When I was teaching CRB (Council of Real Estate Brokerage Management) courses nationally, I frequently heard the comment, “My top agent is not a team player.” Brokers complained their top agent didn’t represent the best in the company. So, the question is, “Is that really your top agent? Maybe not.
Your mission should define your rating system. Bring out your vision or your mission statement. What values do you hold dear? Do you say that your salespeople are ‘team players’? Do they provide exceptional customer service? Have they committed to a long-term career? Is one of your values that each member is contributive?
Develop a Weighing System for Accurate Evaluation
Let’s say that your five top values are:
Production
Team player
Customer Service
Longevity
Company contribution
Assign a range of 1 to 4 points to each value (4 is the highest score). Finally, score each agent in each of the five areas. Now, list your agents, starting with the highest cumulative score.
Why Values-Based Ratings are Important
Your values define you and your company, both within and with your clients. When you tout the ‘highest producer’ you are inadvertently endorsing that set of values as the values most important to you. Unfortunately, what we wish for we frequently get! In this day in age where the consumer is wary of ‘salespeople’, it’s time to define, rate, and reward your salespeople with the values you treasure. You’ll change the culture of your company for the better, and start hiring to the profile you really want.
Question: What do you think are the reasons managers ‘elevate’ someone as a top producer, even though he/she doesn’t represent the stated vision and values of the company?
Do you know what your prioritized vision and values really are? It’s a very important component of your business plan. Find out more in Business Planning for the Owner, Manager, and Team Builder. This program is endorsed and recommended by the Council of Real Estate Brokers (CRB). Click here to find out more.
Four Strategies to Build Leadership on your Real Estate Team
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In my last blog, I talked about the importance of building teamwork in a real estate company. It’s back! But, how do we do it? One of the important ways to build teamwork is to build leadership in the team. Why? Because, a great team is more than the sum of its parts. It consists of leaders in practice.
For Owners, Managers, Trainers, and Agents
If you’re an owner, manager, trainer, or agent who wants to build a team, you need these strategies. Otherwise, you’ll only be supervising workers. Here are the truisms about how people work, and the strategies to developing leadership with the people who work with you:
Truism #1: People don’t know what’s expected of them. Just because people accept a position doesn’t mean they know how to proceed with the job.
Strategy: They need to have clear direction, a job description and a firm understanding of the responsibilities–prioritized. Do you have a job description for each of your team positions? Do you provide it prior to hiring? Do you coach to it? Do you help your team members get so good at it that they can start training new team members (move into leadership)?
Truism #2: People don’t know WHAT to do to get the job done. Even if you hire someone who has real estate experience, it doesn’t work to leave it to them to figure what exactly needs to be done—from your point of view. They don’t know your priorities. They don’t know how you work.
Strategy: Provide them the processes and systems they need to succeed. Do you have processes and systems in place to teach them exactly what needs to be done?
Truism #3: Most people will struggle with the ‘how’.
Strategy: It’s your job to teach them HOW. Some people think “leaders” are the “idea people” and aren’t supposed to get into implementation. But if you want your team to excel, you must show them how.
Having worked with assistants for over 15 years, I have found that assistants and team members need help in systemizing any process that you want done. They need help in developing dialogues to deal with affiliates and consumer in the way you expect. They are good at systemizing their own processes–but not good at all at systemizing ours! Help them.
Do you have foundational systems in place from which to improvise? Do you have a solid training program to bring a new team member on board? Do you a method to ‘clone’ yourself to develop someone who can take over your job?
Truism #4: When accountability factors aren’t built in, things don’t get done. There’s a great difference between “do it the way you want” and expecting results and “do it the way you want and let’s check how it’s going regularly”.
Strategy: Hold your team members accountable for each step along the way to completion of a task as well as the end result.
The pay-off for developing competency and leadership skills in all of your team members is a business that is ‘owned’ by all those involved, with empowerment assured.
Vince Lombardi, one of the greatest football coaches of all time, said of teamwork, “Teamwork is the primary ingredient of success.”
Your goals is to develop processes, systems, and training for your team members to bring them into a leadership mentality with you, so you can delegate more responsibilities and finally replace yourself!
Want leadership actions you can put immediately into practice with confidence? Take a look at my subscription series for anyone who wants to step further into leadership: 365 Leadership. You’ll get one leadership action per month that you can put to work in your real estate office. Read what attendees are saying about the program at 365 Leadership. Join us. It’s profitable and it’s fun–and it’s very affordable!
TEAM is No Longer a Four-Letter Word in Real Estate
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TEAM is no longer a four-letter word. The importance and implementation of leadership through teamwork and synergy is back in style in the real estate industry.
You may be a real estate manager, an owner or a team builder—an agent with assistants, buyers’ agents, and sellers’ agents. You may have heard, or believed, in the past, that real estate is an independent business. You don’t need to work with anyone. You’re on your own. Guess again.
In the past few years, the concept of TEAM has come back into vogue. Why? Because we’ve gotten more sophisticated in business. We realize that no one succeeds alone. We understand now that people working together create something more substantial than a sum of the parts.
TEAM Trend in Business and in Real Estate
In addition, with the challenges in the business, we finally get that many minds focused on the same task can accomplish much more than each person working as his own little island. Supporting this trend, strong company cultures have emerged which encourage and reward teamwork instead of solely independent achievement.
Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “People acting together as a group can accomplish things which no individual acting alone could ever hope to bring about.”
Do You Have a Team–or Just a Group?
If you’ve ever played on a sports team, you know the chaos that ensues when every player tries to be the star—to go her own way. That’s not a team. That’s a group. You may also know the joy of playing on a team that shares a common focus and commitment to excellence. What a difference!
Talking About It is a Slam-Dunk
It’s much easier to talk about teamwork than to create a team. One of the reasons is that most of us have never worked as a team before. I certainly can’t say I worked in real estate sales as a team. Rather, my first experiences in great teams, and then leading teams–comes from the world of music. I’ve created and led teams as a jazz musician. I’ve played in exceptional orchestras (I’m a flutist). I’ve seen conductors pull together one hundred disparate, temperamental, independent musicians as an inspiring team. (It’s a lot like managing a real estate office!).
It’s Not Just About Developing YOU as a Leader
You may think that, as a leader, your job is to find team members that will work well together. That’s true, as far as it goes. But, your ultimate job is to train and coach those team members to start doing some of the leadership jobs you’ve done. That way, you can keep moving to higher levels of leadership. You can expand and sell your business.
One of the Differences Between Group and Team
One of the differences between leading a group and leading a team is that, in a successful team, team members also become leaders, and think like leaders, looking out for the good of the team, not just for themselves, In other words,
leaders develop leadership on their team.
Otherwise, leaders are not really leading. They’re managing—or micro-managing. From developing leadership over a couple of decades, I’ve found four major truisms for developing your team with strong internal leadership. In the next blog, we’ll investigate each of these four major truisms. Identifying these helps you create dynamic teams that can operate without our micro-managing them. What freedom!
My question to you now: Do you believe you’re creating and managing a group, or a team? How do you know?
Want leadership actions you can put immediately into practice with confidence? Take a look at my subscription series for anyone who wants to step further into leadership: 365 Leadership. You’ll get one leadership action per month that you can put to work in your real estate office. Read what attendees are saying about the program at 365 Leadership. Join us. It’s profitable and it’s fun–and it’s very affordable!