As with most leaders in the brokerage world, we read and follow many of the finest management and leadership thought leaders — individuals such as Jim Collins, Darren Hardy, Patrick Lencioni, and Simon Sinek. We have been blessed to have both Lencioni and Collins address brokerage leaders at our Gathering of Eagles (GOE) conferences in the past few years. In fact, Lencioni is coming back with new thoughts to share at the GOE in April 2020.
We’ve also heard from great teachers from within the industry like Tom Ferry, Larry Kendall, and Mike Staver. These smart and experienced leaders have something in common that they’ve shared through their writings and their teachings.
It boils down to something Collins says succinctly, which is, “if you have more than three priorities, you have no priorities at all.” It begs the question for all of us, which is, “What are your priorities?”
At times of high stress on our businesses, it pays to heed this advice more than ever. Rather than give in to the psychosis of worrying, find a clearer focus on the fundamentals of your business? We’ve found that, for our small consulting and publishing company, such a focus is not only good for business, but it is refreshing. Rather than being a mile wide and an inch deep, isn’t it better to master fewer basics which lead to success?
When listening to such great teachers as Ferry, Kendall, and Staver, for instance, one hears over and over that indeed not much has changed in residential brokerage. Brokers still need to focus on recruiting and developing talent. Agents need to focus on their customer databases and build relationships with their past, current, and future clients. Or, as Gary Keller has said to agents, “Your database is your business—without one, you have no business.”
Again, it’s vital that leaders read, listen, and learn from what’s going on in the industry, but evidence shows that doing so can distract a leader from focusing on their priorities. Want to do yourself a favor? First, develop that list of your three key priorities. Second, build a plan to execute on them. Finally, build a system for measuring results and hold yourself and your team accountable for those results.
There is no other way to succeed in an environment where there’s so much noise.