“Would you recommend your company as a great place to work?” the LinkedIn poll recently asked me.

I quickly answered “yes without a doubt” thinking it would be split pretty evenly amongst the results. However, with 23,268 responses the results were a runaway. Seventy percent responded “yes without a doubt” while only 15 percent answered either “no probably not” or “no definitely not”.

The question to you is: How would you have answered that question?

The greatest thing about being in real estate for me is that I’m an independent contractor – I earn my keep every single day. Didn’t make my calls today? Well that’s my problem. I don’t care if Susie in accounting didn’t make her calls – actually in a sick-twisted way, I would prefer she keep it that way.

But one thing that always amazes me is how many people don’t like who they work for. Maybe it’s their nature or maybe it’s the market. A 99% commission split with $1 desk fee would sometimes feel like too much in this economy. But, there are others I know that are generally unhappy with their organization. Why? Reasons I’ll never understand.

I remember walking into my first broker’s office – even took my wife with me as moral support – to tell him I was joining Keller Williams. He didn’t even try to keep me, and basically wished me best-of-luck and we parted ways. It cost me about $70 to change my license with the Ohio Department of Commerce and to transfer within the Delaware County Board of REALTORS® but it was pretty painless.

So why are you working for a brokerage you don’t enjoy, don’t like, or worst of all doesn’t give you the support you need?

That my friend is for you to decide.

Photo by Luis Lopez and used with permission.