Who Are Your Heroes?

Who Are Your Heroes?

Not who do you admire? Rather who do you use as a basis for hard decision making?

In our industry in particular, very few of us have the fortune to be in an environment that inspires and challenges us to be better. Too often the real estate industry acknowledges and rewards production only, not quality.

Not impact.

Not the betterment of the industry.

Not excellence.

You have a responsibility to excellence by choosing to be in this industry.

The incompetence in our profession isn’t about bad people, it’s about a low standard. An acceptance that “just enough is good enough.” It’s about company owners and managers doing little to inspire or hold people accountable to quality. They care about the money they make, almost at all costs. Production only.

It is destroying this industry. It is what creates the opportunity for discount brokerages because consumers are driven to believe we are all incompetent and paid too much.
And yet, there are spectacular agents in our industry who stand for more than just the money they make, more than doing the bare minimum. They have a self-imposed standard that rises above. They stand for doing everything they know, the best they can to serve their clients in remarkable ways. They add incredible value.

And, they are all around us.

They are in every office.

They aren’t always the top producer, though sometimes they are. Long term success is often built on doing “it” right. Your office heroes quietly go about their business of excellence.

They are the heroes of this industry.

The truth is, you can be really mediocre and make a lot of money in this business. But is that the end game, the only goal?

So, your heroes could actually be villains. The Lex Luthor, The Joker, the Darth Vader of the real estate world. People who take advantage of the weak (your clients) either through laziness, ignorance or incompetence.

Why do we need Heroes in real estate?

Below, I’ve borrowed some concepts from Scott T Allison and George R. Goethals from their blog post, 10 Reasons Why We Need Heroes. These are the three that stand out to me. That each of us can take a long hard look at and ask how we are showing up in the world.

1. Heroes reveal our missing qualities. If we have the humility and courage to look, heroes will show us we have not arrived. That we can be better. That we have room to grow.

2. Heroes give us hope. Heroes remind us that there are supremely good people around whom we can count on to do the right thing, even when most other people are not.

3. Heroes solve problems. Heroes are not just paragons of morality. Heroes show superb competencies directed toward the goal of solving society’s most vexing problems.

You either choose to put on your cape each day and be a hero, or you are playing for the other team.

Find someone in your company or if you need to, outside your company who does it right. Find someone who applies their talent, skill and knowledge. Not with arrogance and self-promotion, but with humility and grace.

Learn to be a true professional at your craft and model your behaviors after those who have paved the way.

Learn to be a hero.

Be inspired by excellence and the hard work it took to get there.

And to those that already put on the cape each day, your work doesn’t go unnoticed.

By Matt Hudson
Matt Hudson is a performance and business coach, founder and CEO of Colorado Home Realty and a passionate champion for excellence in the real estate industry.

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