YOUR TEAM MATTERS TO YOUR OVERALL SUCCESS
Everyone that your clients meet in the transaction reflect on you. A good team leader works with those that share a common goal.
Why would an agent want to work with your brokerage and why would you choose them. Some brokers think that the number of people they have is some type of status symbol. But having the right people is what is important to your success. Just as important you must devote a good deal of time to supporting them and mentoring them. A great example to follow is Barbara Todaro . Read her blog on how she does it.
Unfortunately, I am sometimes contacted by business owners that can’t understand why there are so many bad people and they want me to fix them.
Really? It doesn’t work that way.
Here is an example. I have changed some things so as not identify anyone. I was asked by a family business what I felt needed to be done to “make their people work.” They did not ask me what they could do differently.
For starters, family members disagreed on the operation of the business. Because of this, some key employees chose to align with one family member over the other. The managers in the business complained about lack of leadership and direction. One manager was very hard on her staff and had no tolerance with people of different capabilities. Ownership allowed this continue and ran around putting out fires. Ownership feared confronting abusive managers reasoning that it would be difficult to replace her because they felt that it was difficult to recruit and hire in their geographic area. Fact is, it was difficult to recruit because of the tolerance of an abusive environment. This culture created by the entire leadership team was suppressing applicants and potential customers alike. This example shows how employee disengagement will torpedo the success of the business.
Looking in the mirror and asking what we need to change is never easy. These owners were defensive and made excuses. Pride, however, will not result in a profitable outcome. Embracing change will begin the process of improvement. Here are the starting recommendations to correct this situation:
The owners must agree on a clear vision, values and objectives for their organization. In order to have managers that lead, ownership must first inspire. Be clear and be positive. Owners must convey their goals to everyone but they should start with their managers and leaders. They need to help their managers develop interpersonal skills so that they may apply the business objectives in the conduct of their job.
They should hold the managers accountable for objectives that they have the authority to implement. They should give managers a clear description of duties, authority, and responsibility and not countermand a manager’s directives to staff. Rather disagreements should be discussed with managers privately.
Have detailed job descriptions with regular and ongoing performance feedback. Hold the staff accountable and take proper action to correct errors. And above all have a no tolerance policy for abuse.
Develop easy to follow systems and procedures that will facilitate smooth operations.
Develop a customer loyalty program. Create a process to exceed customer expectations.
What does dealing with employees have to do with real estate teams who are not on payroll? Everything. When your leadership is focused and they inspire the team they will create enthusiasm and performance. The result is that focused owners will empower engaged and focused team and an engaged staff serving loyal customers. See a similar post on our web site titled YOUR EMPLOYEES MATTER TO THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BUSINESS.
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Business Coach - Strategic Plans - Sales and Marketing Coach
Grant Schneider - Leadership and Business Coach Creating Successful Business Outcomes
President Performance Development Strategies
- Business Performance and Strategic Business Plans
- Organizational Effectiveness
- Time Effectiveness and Organization
914-953-4458, Armonk NY 10504 grant@pdstrategies.com
Visit my website www.pdstrategies.com for information on how you can obtain quantum leaps in your business performance.
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