The Agents You Hire Reflect The Flavor Of Your Office

Barbara,  Very interesting post.  So many leaders lose track of the fact that they are actually there to lead.

Barbara - My big question is this: After all that awesome training, perhaps it may be time for the agent to move on. What would you say to that? This is a huge reason why I do not know if I want to "invest" the time and commitment.

Barbara I have not ventured into recruiting very heavily, but when I do, I plan to be selective.   If it isn't a fit, it just isn't a fit and I won't force it.  I would rather live the rest of days as an operation with a vision that to recruit someone who does not buy into the vision.  No hard feelings. There is a place for everyone and everyone has to find where they fit.

Most agencies are very selective, they only hire agents that are breathing.

I have to say my new Broker is selective in whom he hires. Not everyone that meets with him is hired. If you think about it, a Broker hires someone blindly. Meaning, there are no reference checks like you would have if you work for someone else at 40 hours a week. And most non-real estate companies also do background and credit checks these days. I sat down with him for over 2 hours. In about 10 minutes into it I knew where I wanted to be. Next to having my son and marrying my husband, it's the best decision I've made.

Happy Fourth of July Barbara!  This is great stuff to remember.  And I don't know that most brokerages get this.  Supporting new agents in the first few years is so important and many older agents are not willing to share.  It is up to the brokerage to set the stage that encourages and rewards mentorship.

Barbara, I am on my way to Franklin for an interview. What a great post and I love the comments and your replies. I think that of all the things that have surprised me about the RE industry the training or more to point lack there of is at the top of the list. You are so right about the hiring process. The time to find out about problems is before they ever start. I must admit that in my time in the heavy truck industry I interviewed a lot and generally if the prospective employee did not pass my gut feeling test I did not hire them. My gut always proved to be right. The few times I let credentials override my gut, I always regretted it.

I was thinking about this post today and waited until now to put in my response. Clearly you are talking to broker managers or broker owners, but I'm chiming in because I can't help myself.

I don't know where your next post is heading, but in my opinion, brokers have a tough job finding people who are not only a cultural fit, but also committed to doing the work it takes to have a sustainable career in real estate. The breadth and depth of the work is not suited to where it;s been: a cottage industry of millions of people with personal spheres who skim off a few transactions a year. The struggle away from this model will be interesting.  What other industry makes people PAY to enter the business and PAY for the privilege of being at the brokerage for several years before they really have a sustainable business? Craziness...but I look forward to your next post, because the changing model of the successful real estate business is really interesting to me.

Found this post through Cindy Jones' reblog.  This is a must read for any Broker in the business.  A bad hire, or maintainig a producing agent gone ethically bad, can make or break an office.