As an executive, we all get caught up in the day to day hum of problems, challenges, opportunities and tasks. We feel good when we get a project completed or have a productive conversation with a staff person or customer. It’s great when we get to check something off our list!
Many of us are most comfortable when we are “doing”.
Many leaders in the real estate industry have held their positions for many, many years. We feel like we have a good handle on what the job entails and what others expect of us. We focus the bulk of our energies on tactical execution, staying in the weeds where we “KNOW” what to do.
Guess what? We need to start looking more at the forest and less at the trees. There are people with blow torches excited about making money by burning down our forest or charging us a heavy toll every time we want to enter. There are people among us that believe that MLSs and Brokerages are obsolete – Some believe that “Hey with just an online site and a few apps, real estate could be a lot more efficient and easy for consumers.”
Many people that have been attracted to leadership in the real estate industry started in real estate sales – a job that does not require a ton of strategy to be successful – it takes hard work and commitment which are really important skills for any position, but stepping up to the leadership role takes guts, courage, strategy, open-mindedness and selflessness.
As I listened to many of the sessions at the CMLS conference, I heard a continuing theme. We need to be more nimble, responsive, open-minded and courageous to try new things and stay ahead of the onslaught of competition that is heading our way.
So what are YOU doing to take some time EVERY day to think about ways you can protect your organization and position it well for the future? How are you evolving personally to be open-minded to suggestions from your team? Customers? Real Estate Consumers?
What are you doing to get beyond the “administrivia” and find time to think about new ideas that can position your organization well for success for the long haul?
What books are you reading to present new ideas? What webinars are you attending? What articles are you reading? What’s the last time you attended a WAVes of Change session from WAV Group? What leadership training have you attended?
Now, let’s talk about the even tougher stuff. In a quiet moment, think about these questions and answer them honestly….just for yourself….
- Are you the person that likes to say “no” to new ideas?
- Are you the person that likes to present new ways to make processes more efficient?
- Are you afraid of losing your job and will do anything you can to protect it?
- Are you going to retire soon and just want to hang in there long enough to get there without rocking the boat?
When you’re making decisions, are you truly thinking about the needs of your customers or are your decisions driven by self-interest?
When a new industry initiative is announced, are you the first to say it won’t work or are you excited to learn all about it and see how your organization might be able to participate?
Do you mistrust your real estate neighbors and refuse to collaborate with them? Is there some conflict that happened 25 years ago that you’re still holding on to?
Reflect on your answers….Are you truly open and excited to help the real estate continue to evolve and thrive or are you hindering progress?
We are at a critical time in our industry. Technology and outside influences are coming at us faster than any of us can digest. We are in the middle of a technology revolution with the introduction of artificial intelligence and block chain into just about every element of our business.
Are you going to get on the train and keep moving forward or are you digging your heels into the dirt desperately hoping to hold on to the past? Only you can answer that question….
If you have any epiphanies as you go through this exercise I would love to hear about them or if you need help figuring out where to go from here, email me at marilyn@wavgroup.com or call me at 805 748-9118.
Good luck!
Great article Marilyn! I am pondering these questions and want to strive to be better at enabling innovation and not administering the same old same old! Great read to start my day!
So glad you enjoyed it Georgia! We all need to focus on making sure that we’re not the one slowing down innovation and break-through thinking at our organizations!