Adam Hergenrother is the founder and CEO of Livian. He believes that business is nothing but a conduit for personal growth and embraces the company’s vision to Love How You Live. When he’s not leading and growing his organizations, you can find Adam either in the mountains or out in nature with his wife and three children.
If what author and actor F. M. Alexander said is true: “People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits, and their habits decide their futures,” then we can not ignore the importance of what we do each day as leaders.
I, for one, agree with Alexander and have seen first-hand the effects of creating daily habits in life and in business that support who I want to be in the future and how I want to show up as a leader each day.
But what habits are truly supportive? Which habits are time-wasters? Which habits are productivity powerhouses? And which habits are just the latest trend?
Only you can really decide which habits support your vision for your life, but asking yourself the following six questions will help you narrow your focus and increase your success as a real estate leader.
1. Did I cast the vision today?
Casting the vision for the organization is one of the most important things a leader must do. It is your job to spread the vision through every conversation, every interaction with the media, through social media, marketing and branding.
The company’s vision is the driving force behind why you and your team go to work each day, and it determines what your team members are focused on while they are there. Teaching and training are some of the best ways to spread the vision to a wide audience. As a leader, casting the vision wide and often is your job. So, did you cast the vision today?
2. Did I remove roadblocks for my agents and my clients?
Once your team understands the vision and is focused on the most important ways they can individually contribute to the company’s goals, then it’s your job to keep the path ahead clear for them to do just that.
When your team needs a tech tool to increase their productivity — get it. When your leadership team needs 15 minutes to get your thoughts on a contract they are about to send out — schedule time.
Do what needs to be done to keep the train moving down the track. There is nothing worse than having your team held up because they are not getting the answers they need, they don’t have the correct software, or they are distracted by a minor project that can wait.
This goes for clients too. You want to make sure that the process of doing business with your agents and your team is as frictionless as possible. This could mean creating a new system or making a new hire to support client management. This may also mean just making a minor adjustment to a current process. So, did you remove roadblocks for your agents and your clients today?
3. Did I create a new opportunity for an employee or agent?
Talented agents and employees want to be challenged and pushed to grow. They want to know that there is a pathway for their personal and professional growth. Showing your team members what opportunities exist (whether they engage with them or not) is half the battle.
Don’t overthink it. A new opportunity may mean challenging one of your agents to read a leadership book and share what they learned at an upcoming team meeting. It could mean saying yes to your director of operation’s request to create an internship program. Or, it could be something like creating a JV with a local title company and offering equity positions to qualified team members.
The point here is: The more you can focus on creating new opportunities for your entire team, the more everyone will grow. So, did you create a new opportunity for an employee or agent today?
4. Did I make 3 quality decisions?
For leaders, decisions are their products. It’s important to consider what types of decisions you are spending your time and attention on.
Are you too narrowly focused on the minutia that someone else on the team can handle? Or, are you spending time making major decisions around hires, capital expenditures, client negotiations, etc., that can change the trajectory of your business (positively or negatively)? The quality of your decisions determines the quality of your company’s growth and success. So, did you make three quality decisions today?
5. Did I hold a growth appointment today?
If you want to build a more productive and profitable real estate team, you — the leader — will need to be constantly interviewing new agents and employees. We know that no one succeeds alone. And no company grows alone.
Spending at least one to two hours a day meeting with a potential agent or operations employee will help you keep growth — through people — top of mind. You have to master the art of interviewing to be able to identify top talent. Get started right away! So, did you hold a growth appointment today?
6. Did I connect with someone who needs to hear from me?
Recruiting and hiring new team members, business partners, and vendors is critical to building a successful real estate team. But it is just as important to be spending time with the agents, employees, vendors, and other stakeholders who help you run and grow your business.
There are likely at least five people in your world who need to hear from you each week. Perhaps it’s a quick text message to thank your executive assistant for coming in early to prep for the team meeting.
Maybe you need to set up a growth conversation with one of your agents who you know is ready for their next career opportunity. Or maybe you call your mortgage lender to apologize for a deal that didn’t go as smoothly as it could have.
Bottom line, as a leader, your words matter. Use them wisely to strengthen the relationship you have with people in your life. So, did you connect with someone who needs to hear from you today?
These six questions should take six minutes or less to review and answer. Decide to start the habit today of asking yourself these questions. Repeat every day. And watch your leadership, relationships, business, and life grow and thrive.
Adam Hergenrother is the founder and CEO of Livian, the author of The Founder & The Force Multiplier, and the host of the podcast, Business Meets Spirituality. Learn more about Adam’s companies and culture here.
