I have had quite a few amazing Mentors in my life from my spectacular parents to Denis Waitley who I just got to meet yesterday. Some were right there in my life and some were in books or on tapes. My first Real Estate Mentor was Mike Kroopkin, in fact he is actually the reason I went into Real Estate in the first place. When I was in 7th grade my parents decided to move to the suburbs and Mike sold them their home. I was not part of that process and yet Mike made his way into my 12 year old world through my stomach and my heart!

After my parents closed on the house we were all there painting and cleaning before we moved in. It was mostly my dad painting my mom cleaning while the 5 of us kids discussed who got which room. Late in the day a brand new Camaro pulled up in front of the house (my heart) and out of it sprang Mike with two large buckets of Chicken (my stomach). In my family in 1972 Fast Food was a treat, a rare coveted meal  savored and devoured. Meals that were not home cooked were something rare. Mike burst in with a big smile and made small talk with us kids, about the park and schools, his cool Camaro he had just bought for his wife and how much we would love it in Homewood.

Then he spent a few minutes with my parents and left. As he pulled away my dad said "did you see that new Camaro he was driving?" We all said yes...well our commission from this house paid for that car! At at the moment it didn't mean a lot to me, yet 12 years later at age 24 when I was ready for a career change, I picked up the phone and called Mike. He told me you would be great in Real Estate, though I was hoping to sell all 5 of you kids homes and if you get into the business I will lose those sales!

During the 19 years we worked in the same office Mike taught me so much, The Golden Rule of Real Estate (same as the Golden Rule of Life), How to create a Win Win, How to settle conflict and make people happy. Mostly what I learned from Mike was that relationships trump everything. He taught me that as an owner or as an agent if you treat people fair and honest and show genuine interest in helping them get what they want you will always win together.

A few years ago I opened my own office in the same town where Mike started his first office. It was interesting that a friend pointed out to me that I even followed in his footsteps in that way! 

Though I didn't work in the same office as Mike at the time of his retirement, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to his retirement party, by some of my friends in my old office. It was interesting to me, even though it was billed as a "roast" one person after the next got up to talk about Mike and not one said an unkind or critical or "roast" kind of word.  Its not that Mike was perfect it was just that when you have lived with a high level of integrity and connection to others its hard for people to criticize or pick on you. I drove home thinking of all the things I would have said and realized that they were all said by person after person.

After 25 years in Real Estate I know I have had many mentors and I have been a mentor to agents all over the country. I realize that without that Bucket of Chicken and his wifes new Camaro, I may never have chosen the path I did. I think about all of my great Real Estate friends, and partners in my Keller Williams office and around the country and I thank goodness that my parents chose Mike to sell them that home and that he was a part of my life for so many years. I hope his retirement is everything he ever wanted!