Click here to watch on YouTube.
Every business has its own culture, including yours. This culture is shaped by the people who work for you, but you ultimately define whether your business runs on positive or negative energy. First you need to determine what your current business culture is like.
Notice how people enter the office in the morning. Are they coming to work early, energised, and on task the moment they walk in? Or are they arriving late and starting their day in a leisurely manner? Are they following a plan, or are they looking around for something to do? You want your people to be engaged and active, but if they are not your first task is to instill clarity around what you are all there to create.
Your people truly want to do well in your business, and they count on you to communicate the core purpose they are to strive for. Clearly communicating your purpose as a company is necessary for your people to know how the business will be built, what you want to be known for, how you connect with your community, and what you are all creating together.
You should understand that making money cannot be your primary purpose for building your business, or your business will fail. There has to be a more fulfilling context and outcome than financial profit, and that fulfilment has to be personal for everyone involved. The best managers are those who understand that their people need to be challenged and then given the tools and resources to succeed. People do best when someone believes in them and encourages them to grow beyond what they think they can do. A great leader is actively involved in knowing and supporting their people’s goals and what they personally want to achieve to feel fulfilled as individuals.
Of course, you are in the real estate business so your revenue target, numbers of listings, numbers of sales, income produced, and property management department growth are all crucial. But providing real meaning in your people’s lives is even more important to making your business thrive.
One small but effective incentive is to establish a rewards system. Have and promote a series of rewards for different levels of performance and achievement at regular intervals throughout the year. These could range from a certificate of recognition, to a free lunch, to a gift card. And make sure you are directly involved with handing out that reward. Spend a moment acknowledging the recipient and interacting with them on a personal level.
One of your greatest challenges will be the consideration of when to bring in fresh talent – and when to let someone else go. New blood can substantially energise and revitalise your culture. At the same time, you know there are people on your staff that you honestly would not hire today if you were starting over again, and the difficult decision to move them out may be a best decision for your business. When your vision is greater than that of your people, then you need new people who can be inspired by what you want to create. You need positive energy in your environment and that begins with you.
Positive culture starts with positive communication. There are different ways to communicate every concept you want to clarify for your team, and you will have more success when you keep your messages bright and avoid negative language. For example, you may want to help your people avoid burnout, but the term “burnout” is negative. A better approach might be to discuss how to maintain great energy. If you use the negative term you will put people in a negative place, whereas speaking of great energy generates positive energy.
End of year is an opportune time to start putting some of these tactics into play as there are many distractions and sales teams can easily lose focus. Have a sales competition and let that outcome determine whether your Christmas party will be held at McDonalds or in Las Vegas. With short-term rewards like that you can see how energised your team can become.
It’s up to you to provide incentives, clarify goals and expectations, and reward outstanding results. This is how you build the positive, inspired culture you want operating inside of your business.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this month’s Growth, Leadership and Management Tip, and I look forward to seeing you here again next month.