Focus On The Willing (Let Go Of The Rest)

In any brokerage, there are team members who embrace, new ideas, new tools, new strategies with enthusiasm and energy. You know who they are: the people you go to when you want to bounce a new idea off someone or discuss a change you want to make. They will take the time to listen and give you good, constructive feedback. They are the people who support what you are trying to accomplish and get in the boat with you so you can all reach the end goal together. These are “the willing” and the people you can build a successful business around.

Then there are the “unwilling”. Those who react adversely to anything requiring a change to the status quo or the way they like to do things. These are the people who always want to follow a different path than the one you are forging and create distractions within your office and among “the willing”. As a broker you need to ask yourself: How much time and energy am I spending trying to convince, cajole, motivate, and oversee the implementation of my business strategies with those who are less than flexible and unwilling to change the way they do things?

The Willing Will Enhance Your Agency Culture

As a broker, you’re running at light speed, trying to give all aspects of your business the attention it needs. We understand this, we’ve been there. Managing change is one of the central activities you have and is essential to your continued growth as a brokerage. The problem is that it’s easy to get caught up spending too much time trying to convince the naysayers in your organization to follow the systems and plans you set forth. Negative people are like an anchor, draining your enthusiasm as well as your time. Instead, filter these people out from your agent team over time and seek to surround yourself with positive, energetic people who share your goals and vision.
Here’s a few things to consider:

1. Create And Communicate A Mission and A Vision – Sometimes this is all it takes to change the unwilling to the willing. People need perspective on what they are doing and a reason why. Even if they disagree, when they see you have a clear strategy and a destination, they might be much more “willing” to at least try it.
2. Involve The Team In Planning Your Initiatives – Where possible, be collaborative and get them vested in any initiatives by soliciting and incorporating their ideas and allow them to be part of the solution. When people are invested in the plan, they are more apt to want to see it succeed. Showing your willingness to implement and credit other people’s ideas and feedback is one of the most powerful things you can do to create positive energy inside your team.
3. Let The Willing Be Your Ambassadors –Rather than allowing the negative players drain your energy, work through the willing and hold their example up for everyone to see. Let them act as examples and even coaches for those who are slower to get on board.
4. Be Willing To Let Go Of The Chronically Unwilling – There will occasionally be those in your organization whose attitude may work to undermine your leadership. If they cannot be coached, ultimately both you and they will be better off with an amicable parting of the ways.

Attracting the Willing To Your Agency

Remember, positivity attracts positivity. Your ability to focus on The Willing and celebrate their success will create a positive, supportive culture inside your agency. This in turn will become the word on the street for you, which will help you attract other like-minded agents. Who doesn’t want to be on the cool team?  It is also incumbent on you to sustain that positivity by feeding it. Walk the walk. Talk the talk. Provide the enthusiasm and energy for your team to feed on. One of things we focus on in the Weichert^® System is training and coaching offices on the importance of building and maintaining this positive culture to attract and retain new agents. Your ability to understand these behaviors and implement them in your brokerage will go a long way toward building the kind of willing team and workplace that gets results.

For more information on how you can partner with Weichert Franchise, visit https://www.weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/focus-willing-let-go-rest/