Hiring quickly can be a costly mistake. That could be you next admin employee or agent.  Some of us may feel what the heck, I will find out soon enough.  That is correct but how much damage has been done?  If you have read Jim Collin’s book “Good to Great” you know about how companies become great companies. Collins surveyed companies and found that their greatness was not due to a special sauce or a great product but rather because of the people in the organization. It all starts with high quality, high performing people. Collins refers to this as getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats. Many companies find that selecting and choosing of the right people is a daunting task. Some people just hire anyone who applies or, a... 03/27/2016

In my previous post I spoke about customer loyalty being a leading indicator of future success.  You may think this is a great idea for big organizations but what about me, the local broker, the local home inspector, the local service provider.  Not only is is right for you but it is possible with today's technology.Let me introduce you to local auto repair shop owner Fred Indorf.  Fred is owner of Fred's Auto on North State Road in Briarcliff Manor, NY.  Fred is also a great leader as president of our BNI chapter.Fred has a system that can be used by any business owner and it works with his online appointment system.  As soon as the appointment is completed an email with an online questionnaire is sent to the customer.  It asked for ratings on every aspect of the service event includin... 03/23/2016

Most agents and brokers are concerned about growth of their business.  The condition of the market is one thing but lets put that aside and assume that the market is great. To get your share you have to do the right things to aquire customers. Two very important measurements will predict that you will be getting your fair share.  They are employee or team engagement and customer loyalty. While sales and profits are very important measurements they tell you what has happened. Employee engagement and customer loyalty tells you what will happen.When you have an engaged team they will do their best work which will result in loyal customers. You should measure your team's engagement at least once per year. The ultimate question of an agent is, “How likely are you to recommend our company as ... 03/20/2016

This past week I was working with one of my Westchester County NY entrepreneurs.  This business owner has had his business for some time but he has never been able to take his business to the next level.  He works very hard and puts in many hours. Unfortunately, he has never learned to work smart. He has a valid concern for accuracy and compliance but has not been able to get his people on board.My business owner deals with insurance and real estate.  He has a dozen employees involved in the process of sales and contracts. Each person has a job title but not a job description. Things change quickly as does the mood of my owner. To make matters worse people are asked to do a task but then later the owner comes by and says, “stop doing that, I want you to do this.” You won’t be surprised ... 03/13/2016

As some of you know I have been a part of the Academy for Entrepreneurial Excellence for the past seven years.  This is a program for entrepreneurs who want to take thier business to the next level.  It is a Business Council of Westchester and Westchester Community College cooperative effort.  This year is was re named "Just Add One" because a grant has been given by the Westchester Putnam Workforce Investment Board for businesses that have as one of their goals hiring an additional person.This group above is from a previous graduating class.  This year we have 35 participants and I have offered coach four.  So here is an example of what I learned and what I suggested.  It would be worth noting because it can be applied to any business. "I think that your vision and mission lack focus a... 03/09/2016

Not every individual agent wants to a team leader.  Forcing  a great salesperson to become a team leader my not be in anyone's best interests.  Brokers may want to choose the highest performing sales agent to lead a team of other agents.   That will not necessarily work because a team leader is expected to do different things than the individual agent. Lawrence Peter wrote The Peter Principle in which he stated that, “in a hierarchy people tend to be promoted to the level of their incompetence.” In most companies employees are rewarded for great performance by being promoted. There are good reasons for promoting from within including, motivation and engagement of the staff. However, companies make a flawed assumption that because the employee did well in the previous job he or she will ... 03/06/2016

Time management is not a time management issue at all.When I ask my business owners in Westchester County New York most of them tell me that time management is one of the top challenges. If we all have 24 hours in a day and a calendar system to use why would this be a top challenge? Time management is not simply achieved by having an organized system.    There are many books that tell you how to organize your time. You can buy a day planner, or use programs such as Outlook, ACT, or another software program but still have no better control of your day. Managing time is not a tactic but it is a strategy.  The root cause of the problem is not the lack of systems or processes. The root cause is our own attitudes about time along with our bad habits and our bad behaviors. It is a fact that y... 02/28/2016

Is your sales team on the same page as you?  If you are building a sales team more is not necessary better.  It is much better to have a smaller team that is all on the same page as you.  Have you ever taken a course of action and when you turned around and not one was there?  The best way to see that this does not happen is to make sure that you are a focused leader, that you empower your engaged team, that they will in turn create loyal clients leading to growth and success. Focused Leader - You may be the broker, the manager, or CEO but that does not mean you are seen as the leader. You appoint yourself CEO but your team will follow you if you are the leader.   As manager you can influence the process through which people recognize your leadership. You do this by creating an environm... 02/21/2016

The culture of your real estate team or your company really matters. What does culture look like?  It is the sum total of values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs. If you have clear vision and values, and goal the culture should bbe rooted in those things.I work largely with privately held and family held businesses. But in that arena I have worked with many industries ranging from real estate, construction, retail, service and hospitality, nonprofit, and manufacturing. I have made the same observation in all of these industries. Those running the business believe that their industry is different from others, so unique that the primary requirement is experience. Because of that mindset I have seen many bad candidates hired and many qualified candidates screened out. The hiring manager ... 02/14/2016

Most of us use a GPS every day.  We have them in our cars but that is not all.  We use them on our phones to know where we are now. We use them to order a car on Uber or we use them to find a restaurant nearby. We have become more productive and less stressed because we have used this very simple tool to help us navigate.What is so remarkable about this instrument? First of all, it lets you know where you are now. Then you can decide where you want to go. The GPS then gives you step by step directions How similar is this to your personal GPS; the one for your career, your business, and your personal life? Are you using a GPS for these critical areas of your life? Here is the place where we talk about goals. You have heard this over and over, “You need to set goals and you need to write ... 02/07/2016

Sometimes people can become overly defensive when their message is misinterpreted. I recently met with the leaders of one of my Westchester County New York organizations to present results of a survey of their team. The members of the team felt that there were a lot of changes and they felt that leadership was not keeping them informed. Productivity almost always suffers in times of great change because team member stress dramatically increases due to the universal fear of the unknown. Often the leaders genuinely believe they are communicating with the team when it comes to matters that affect them. Unfortunately, they often underestimate the number of matters that includes.Can you say with certainty that you know what is important to the team and what to tell them? The only way to know... 01/31/2016

Clara Peller made this title a famous catch phrase when she contrasted the large bun competition to a Wendy's large beef burger.  Could that phrase apply to your leadership?  Could your leadership be all show and fluff with no beef?  In other words are you talking the talk but not walking the walk? You may be practicing all the right management and leadership styles but the big beef is in the RESULTS. If you start by defining the results needed or the goals you wish to accomplish you can then grow the people and processes to ensure those results! This common sense leadership style is called the Result-Based Model of Leadership.Here is an example of how you can align your entire team to your goals.It begins with setting goals through your organization's strategic plan that is focused on ... 01/24/2016

Today I had the opportunity to pay it forward by providing help and inspiration to 7 local entrepreneurs.  You can read about it in my previous blog. Everyone came early and were ready to get to work creating their future.  We discussed Vision, Core Values, Dreams, and Goals for the future.  As I always do, at the end of the facilitated session I asked each participant to share one thing that they are taking away from the session.  The response was gratitude for how todays session changed their outlook on the future.  I will be conducting one more session with the group and then a final individual session with each entrepreneur.  I have really enjoyed today and I am looking forward to the next two sessions.When you pay it forward you get so much more in return!  Would you like to know h... 01/20/2016

39 Photos Status: SALE PENDING Price: $689,500 Move In Ready Address: 1 Gressel Place Type: Residential Style: Single Story Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 3 Suite: Yes Living Area: 2,369 square feet Year Built: 1955 More Details Virtual Tour View Rooms Request More Info | Email Listing Description Do you need a separate office, exercise room, quarters for your nanny, or have extended family, then this house is for you! Totally renovated home in Armonk with separate studio and private entrance on over 3 acres overlooking pond.The main house itself offers 3 bedrooms with 1.5 baths plus a new eat in kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances leading to an over sized living room / dining room combo with fireplace. Door from kitchen out to large blue stone terrace in the courtyard... 01/19/2016

In order to have a high performing team you need to look in the mirror and ask, “Am I a person who inspires and encourages others?”   In other words what type of leader are you. If you are not sure why not ask the people around you to give you some guidance. And if you have employees make sure you ask them.   Ask them what they feel is your biggest leadership challenge and what you can do to improve it. Asking others for their opinions conveys respect, shows that you value their feedback and increases your credibility as a leader. Of course that’s assuming that you are open to the feedback and will actually commit to making changes. It’s easy for people to not feel comfortable giving you the total “honest” truth at first, so it’s your job to make it comfortable for them to do so.It take... 01/17/2016

Some business owners have proudly told me that they are control freaks and they credit that for their performance.  The operating words here are "their performance" but never do they talk about the performance of the team.  This post is really a follow up to my last one titled WHAT DOES ACCOUNTABILITY LOOK LIKE.  You will only grow your success with an empowered team that is also accountable for results.Without an empowered team you as the manager, owner, or broker will end up doing everything yourself. Of course, as sole entrepreneur you will need to control everything. But once you decide to add just one new person your main job is not control but getting others to do what needs to be done. Now being in control will be seen as being a control freak in the eyes of your staff. This beha... 01/10/2016

In December I announced an offer to Business Owners around the Westchester County NY area.  We believe that we have had success in our business and now we want to offer 12 business owners the opportunity to start 2016 right! During the month of January 2016 we will give away 12 Annual Goals Review Courses valued at $500 each.  The course will consist of two group sessions in Mt. Kisco NY.   I am extending the offer to any business in the driving vicinity of Mt. Kisco, NY (See Map Above).  This includes, of course, any of my Active Rain friends.Here is how it works:The first 6 will sign up free of charge so hurry.  Thereafter, you will pay $50 but that will go to your favorite charity.You will attend 2 classes of 2 hours each plus one individual coaching session and receive a complete pr... 01/06/2016

As a real estate agent you are accountable to your clients, your other stateholders such as mortgage partners, the government and compliance authorities, and most of all to yourself for the results you want.  One of the most common complaints I hear is from people complaining about others who do not hold up their end of the load.  How, they wonder, am I going to get them to understand accountability for getting it done right.  The real issue involves frank communication.   Many times there is a fear to have a discussion about bad behavior or disappointment so people will hold off and say nothing or worse yet, make general announcements that are meant to address the bad behavior of one person.How does that help a leader or team member who is responsible for team performance? What about a... 01/03/2016

 As I reflect back on the top 10 moments in 2015 I have had a number of outstanding personal and professional moments.  Karen Fiddler has sponsored this contest and shared hers as well. So here are my 10 most memorable moments:1. My younger daughter Ashley got engaged.  This was a wonderful moment arranged by our future son in law, Tom.  He proposed in front of both families.2. After many years of living in different states we had a reunion Thanksgiving with my brother, my sister, and children and grandchildren at Colonial Williamsburg, VA. 3. We had a wonderful Christmas party at our home on December 19th with all of Toms family.  I was wonderful getting to know the extended family.4. I was appointed to organize and recruit a new program for  business owners in our county.  I receive c... 01/01/2016

Many real estate agents want to become entrepreneurs and lead a team.  Perhaps they have a goal of becoming a broker/owner but can they make it a sustainable business? For example, if you want to build a real estate brokerage you will need to provide leadership and development to your team. You cannot expect new agents to hang their shingles with you and say you have an organization.Or in another example, in the restaurant industry there are numerous great cooks and chefs that feel that because they know how to create a great meal that that they should open a restaurant. The restaurant might open and have sales but the owner might be so consumed with the food details that he might neglect other parts of the business. In most cases the business stops when the owner stops. Many businesses... 12/27/2015