Real Estate Team 2.0: Shared Vision

In order to avoid power and control issues a team needs a shared vision that is shared by everyone. I have become sick of talk about vision that simply means building up a company that uses it's employees or contract workers as a means of control and self-serving power. There is nothing wrong with doing what's best for yourself, but many broker/owners don't really understand what is best for them. As I have written about a hundred times, the model where anyone who can breathe is hired on and turned loose willy-nilly is not good for the company or the broker's "self". The idea of throwing enough crap on the wall that some of it will stick is a very old, dying idea. But that is their decision, and so be it.

I have resisted growing big because I wasn't ready to grow big, and I didn't want fifty agents just to say I have fifty agents. Yes, they could have sold a listing or two and it would all add up, but I want something  special if I'm going to build a company. Until now, being a one-man show has had its rewards (I have three agents under me now, but only one is full time, the other two have arrangements with me to use their licenses for limited purposes).   

The idea of building a team has been irritating me for quite some time. I don't NEED to build a team, I can do enough business by myself to do well financially, so the financial reasons for building a team are not the primary motivation. I understand some people's single-minded pursuit of more money and I have no take on that -- each to their own, but I can truthfully say I would never build a team for the single purpose of making more money -- I just don't think that way and I've never been interested in making tons of money. I'm not against it or for it, just neutral. What turns me on is building something of quality that's successful -- as someone once said (I think it was Ken Blanchard, and I am paraphrasing), profit is the applause for creating an excellent company.

My interests go far beyond making money, and anyone who doubts that is justified in their doubts because of the way most people think about these things, but they don't understand. Part of the problem I see is the single-minded pursuit of profit is misleading and causes decision-makers in companies to lose sight of purpose and vision. Profit will come if the business is healthy and is valauble to consumers, but to create an excellent company/team, the purpose must be to provide excellent service that can be measured -- part of the purpose may be to dominate the market in a given area and this certainly means making money, but what do you do with the money? Does the owner squeeze as much as he/she can from the business so that they can be wealthy and powerful? Does the owner cut corners on service to increase the profit? Well, I did have a take on it afterall.

The problem is what do you plan on doing with the money that's generated. Will you create a company where everyone can share the "applause"? That's where I'm coming from. I want money to be the fuel that enriches the business and the players on the team to keep it improving, becoming better and better. I don't see the creation of a team as a money funnel for the owner. The purpose of the team will be to provide extraordinary real estate services using the latest technology within a team concept that is profitable and creates lifelong clients. The purpose can be expanded to include more measurable goals, but this is the foundation. Being profitable is necessary to keep it going and improving. Providing extraordinary services which create lifelong clients is the clear purpose that should be branded into each team player's mind.

Vision begins to form around the purpose. Visualizing the manifestation of a such a team is vital. I see in my mind's eye a form of each team player and how they perform. If I build the team and I am the leader of the team, I'll need to communicate this vision. I'm now committed to the vision, so now I can go forward. Until there is commitment, purpose and a clear vision, it's just a half-baked dream. There can be no cynical application, it must be built on truth and trust with noble aspirations. This is where people blush or begin to scoff. The leader must not give in to this out of embarrassment. So many times I have seen managers of a company be given orders to inspire the "workers" and when they called them all to a meeting, they would start off "I know you all don't want to be here, but I have been instructed to restate the company's vision, so bear with me...." The manager was embarrassed to have to talk about such noble topics because he thought he would be laughed at so he "buddied up" and went to the lower level -- useless.

In order to communicate the vision a leader must truly believe it can be accomplished and start living the accomplishment. Now, on to more nuts and bolts. I know the type of people I want, I know the form I want it to take, I know, partially, the systems I want to create,  now I only have to put it together in a way that promotes the vision, one that can be shared by everyone on the team. In other words, now I will communicate the vision.