If you've been reading our blog for awhile, you know that I'm graduate of 
Annapolis. From July 7, 1981 to May 22, 1985, I went to "college" by the Severn River.
There's lots of naval history on those grounds...naval heroes buried, monuments to past wars and battles, it's never more than a few steps away.
But the most important lessons I learned there had nothing to do with dates and places, but more about hows and whys that still continue into my daily life 25 years later. Here's a few of the tidbits, in no particular order of importance. We'll do a Part 2 another day!
- On time is late! Day 2 of Plebe Summer, the upper classmen training us drilled that into our head, BE THERE EARLY! That lesson pays dividends today. DON'T be late to appointments. It's disrespectful to your clients and your peers. Plan your schedule accordingly.
- There's no such thing as an unimportant team member. From the most junior enlisted guy to the most senior officer, EVERYONE has a role to play. That assignment isn't carried out properly, everything can fall apart. Same applies in real estate, that inspector, appraiser, title person, mortgage loan officer, every one of them has the opportunity to crash the deal if the don't properly perform their jobs.
- Yelling isn't Leadership! If your only way of communicating is via yelling, bullying, intimidation....well it loses it's effect quickly. I got yelled at, A LOT! It was an integral part of our Plebe Summer (boot camp) training. It didn't take long before you've got someone inches from your face yelling at you, you're answering back the obligatory "Yes Sir!", "No Sir!", "No Excuse Sir!" or "I'll Find Out Sir!", but in the back of your mind thinking.... I wish he'd hurry up and finish...I've got stuff to do! That lesson still applies today. Yelling is only effective in very short doses, when it's an EXCEPTION to your normal way of doing business, and even then, raising your voice may have no effect. It depends on the other person. Better to practice the honey than vinegar approach.
- You need to be where you are because YOU want it! My first roommate Harry lasted about three days before he quit. Harry was there because his family wanted him there, not because HE wanted to be there. Day after day, we read about real estate agents who aren't sure they should be in the business. If your head isn't TOTALLY in this business, if you're not SERIOUS about it, you may need to make a tough call. Adapt & get serious to survive and maybe thrive, or you may have no choice but to get out.
- You just MAY not be the smartest person out there! High school was a snap for me, not too much studying to keep up, I was your geek, your nerd, I won't dispute it...there are pictures to prove it..thankfully none of them are digital and I think I'll keep them that way :) But when I got to Annapolis, we're talking the major leagues of sharp people here! I learned I needed help with some assignments, and sometimes others needed help from me. Real estate is the same way, some days you may need to know something from the broker with 30+ years experience, other days it may be the young pup that joined the office who's up on the latest tech gizmo. Know your limitations, know to get help when you need it!
Okay, that's enough for one post! Don't think that's ALL I learned in four years by the Bay! :)
Bill of Liz and Bill aka BLiz
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