CULTURE EATS STRATEGY AND OTHER THINGS FOR BREAKFAST

I know that agents are independent entrepreneurs but if they hang their license with a broker they are concerned with basics such as splits and expenses but an overriding factor is Culture.  I just asked a top producer why he left a large well know brokerage.  He told me it was because of the culture.  I know that some brokers don't believe that. They think is is all about brand and money.

It has been said that culture eats strategy for lunch. What does that mean? It means that everything comes from the culture of the organization.  Every organization has a culture but the question is, "Do you have the culture that creates positive results?"  If you don’t have the culture that you want, you will have no choice but to change it.

Attitudes drive culture.  The fact is that people do not put enough emphasis on how attitude affects performance.  The attitude of the leader filters down through the organization and has a profound effect on engagement and performance.

An organization that has a positive vision and values, and that has leadership that lives and promotes those values is creating a positive culture. But if there is a negative attitude at the top the culture of the organization is doomed.

There is a strong link between attitude and performance. Let’s start with defining what attitude means in this context. An attitude is a pattern of thought. These attitudes have developed over time. Not that this is as easy as turning on a switch. It’s not easy. It will take work to change your outlook and the outlook of your organization. This will take real commitment, discipline and desire to change.

The habits and behavior of the leader has impact on the outcomes of the organization. We lead by example and we model the behavior for the organization. What type of behavior and habits are you modeling?

And if we want to get different and lasting outcomes, it’s not enough to change our behavior. We must also change our attitudes and beliefs. These attitudes and beliefs have been embedded over time. Just think about how often we might say, we tried that once and it didn’t work. Experience affects our attitudes and beliefs. All of us can think of an unpleasant experience that we have had in the past. We may have tried something in the business. Then something negative happened.

Did you ever have an experience of getting supposedly well-meaning advice from someone. Then that advice turned out to be bad advice.   You probably wanted to avoid another unpleasant experience again, so you focused on what didn’t work rather than the rewards of success. Let’s explore this.

Would you agree that you need to have passion to be successful? Is your heart in your business? If it is not, you might want to consider getting out and searching for what you really desire. On the other hand, if you really love real estate then you should be focusing on the rewards. You will have obstacles, but you can plan for them and anticipate them (at least most of them.) Changing your thought patterns and your outlook is about changing attitudes. Focus more on the reward of successful outcomes rather than the problems and obstacles.

Then make sure that the behavior you model is consistent with your new attitude. Stay focused on what you want and what can go right-- in short what you can become.

If you are the leader you will set the example and ultimately the values and culture of your team.

Are you ready to change your company culture?

Contact us to see how

or call 914-953-4458.