We've Lost a Great Leader and Model of REALTOR Ideals
Gus was one of the key players in making Fort Collins what it is today and he did it with style, grace, humor, and kindness, and as Chris points out, he embodied the best qualities of leadership.
This is Chris's first post and I have disabled commenting here, so if you would like to comment - and you should, Chris would appreciate the encouragement - please do so on his original post.
While a tribute blog was not my intended launch into the ActiveRain community, the recent passing of Gus Williams' compels me to share.
For those of you who have never heard of Gus, let this post be a 'best practices' for brokerage leadership. Gus Williams, in partnership with the local developer family of Bob Everitt in Fort Collins, Colorado started a Coldwell Banker franchise over 30 years ago. Gus was a big dude. Over 6 feet tall, broad shoulders, square jaw and dark brown hair- he kind of reminded me of what the comic book version of Superman would look like in his mid-fifties.
Gus created a brokerage that focused primarily on team work and common purpose. He successfully leveraged his connections in the community to build a strong New Construction segment as well as Resale. He took full advantage of the resources that CB provided nationally and a local real estate school established by one of his managers to 'grow his own'. In any given year, Gus would bring on 25-30 brand new eager licensees who would sit new construction projects, hold open houses, and sit in on weekly business meetings and trainings led by his management team. In leaner times, agents outside the brokerage would label the office as a 'puppy mill' and look down their noses at the number of rookies the office put into the marketplace, yet it enjoyed a substantial market share. But here's the genious of Gus' strategy: He created his own army, in his own image, who shared his world view. I'm not saying that it was an office of 150 automotons - but it was an office of like-minded folks who looked at selling real estate in a collaborative and competitive manner and could be counted on to support one another.
Gus's true strength was in his ability to regularly leave his desk and walk the halls, check in on what people were up to and when you had an achievement, regardless of how noteworthy, you'd get a high five, a "good game" pat on the shoulder or smack in the ass. This was his gift. His gift of praise and making you feel like you're the most important person in the world. I'm not saying Gus was without fault, Lord knows we all have them. Yet when we get together to celebrate his life, you can be guaranteed there will be lots of high fives, 'good-games', and genuine fellowship that I hope we will all pay forward to veteran agents and rookies, alike.
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