Leadership
My years in the real estate business, in different brokerages, meeting and studying other high performing agents and leading high performing teams myself has led me to the conclusion that leadership is the major difference between great and exceptional real estate teams. Now that I'm located within Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices - Nevada Properties, I'm exposed to their top leaders regularly. From the CEO to the #1 agent in the company and on down the line. I'm grateful as it's connected some dots for me and cemented many of my own leadership philosophies.
While influence is important, perhaps experience is the best teacher. When I look back at my own leadership journey, I now see so many mistakes! In fact, immature leadership partially cost me one of my best friends. I hired him to join my own real estate team and everything went very well until he hit a slump. Then I proceeded to make mistake after mistake. I isolated him, I rode his butt, and on down the line. A decade later, I understand personality types and what a true leader exudes. A cornerstone of an exceptional leader is the maturity to lead individuals based on their highest needs, strengths, and inhibitions. Not a one size fits all approach. That takes experience and instincts.
Let's take a quick look at some philosophies I believe create exceptional leaders:
The Fast Lane
Exceptional leaders help team members find their lane and stay in it! The truth, most real estate professionals just aren't that proficient in every aspect of running a thriving real estate business or they simply don't have the desire. They are often great administrators, marketers or salespeople, not a jack of all trades. While we all have weaknesses, exceptional leaders have unique awareness within a business and they understand what it takes to keep a business performing at a high level consistently.
If a team member is not within the lines and they often operate where they are not competent or motivated, it will impact the performance of the team and create conflict. Find and help set the guideposts.
A
Exceptional leaders help their team members get an A. Ace the test! Harness and sharpen their strengths and wane or overcome their weaknesses. That can be done through mentorship/coaching, but also filling the gaps and providing support systems.
At the end of the day, exceptional leaders help team members rise towards their true potential. They want what's best for them and if they grow and thrive and fly the nest, that just means the mission is complete.
Strong leadership is an act of service to those you lead. In my early years of leadership, I had the tendency to keep my team members too reliant on me. I didn't share all my knowledge. I quickly learned to invest the absolute best of myself into all I influenced. It led to far greater performance and team synergy. If team members have a place to grow to, they are more likely to stick around and help you grow your business. Team member performance is team performance.
Humble
It's my opinion that exceptional leaders are humble in spirit. They are OK not having all the answers and being vulnerable. While they lead the organization or team, the ego is very much in check. I once heard that it's not far from the penthouse to the outhouse. I believe that!
Exceptional leaders lead by presence over position. Team members look up to, respect, and desire to honor their leader based on the character of the woman or man at the helm. Ultimately, team members trust that their leader truly wants what is best for them.
Accountability
Exceptional leaders expect their team members to play the game at a high level consistently and those expectations are apparent. They guide their team members towards setting ambitious goals with true buy in. There are plans or models in place and the leader keeps the team member accountable. It's important to discuss accountability with team members. Specifically, how they desire to be held accountable. This is a step I take with every coaching client as the wrong approach is counter productive. For example, if you ride a passive aggressive/rebel type personality, they will revolt with too much pressure. Some simply need to be questioned or pushed up. It's back to mature leadership and leading the individual.
We are all humans and every team member will have seasons of difficulty when performance lacks. It's important to support them and help them mend the fence, but there also needs to be boundaries and expectations set to get back on track.
Close
Regardless of how well you lead, team members will come and go. There will be times when it's best for all that you part ways with an employee or team member.
The average resonating level of energy is very high on exceptional teams. Research tells us that the average resonating level of energy on your team is one of the biggest factors for performance and profitability. Where does it originate? With the leader at the helm. If you desire growth, leadership is a key area to focus on consistently.
I feel confident that I can help any leader move up in performance through one on one coaching and the Energy Leadership Index Assessment. With the ELI, we can pinpoint the energy you bring to your team consistently. With the new awareness from the assessment and subsequent sessions, you will discover new opportunities to become a more effective and admirable leader. This is really where the magic exists in many of the exceptional real estate teams in the USA. Exceptional leadership creates exceptional team synergy, performance, and results! A harmonious and high performing team is a joy!