Whether you’re a new team leader or an experienced team leader already enjoying a bountiful team harvest from having sown the right seeds of success, you must understand these seven laws because you don’t want to learn them the hard way—by failing.
Law of Leverage – Leverage, when used in the context of teams, is often misunderstood. It isn’t letting others do all the work. It’s using the power of something that already exists to provide lift, or thrust, for others. The basic elements of success must already be present within the team leader for a team to benefit from leverage.
Law of Purpose – What’s your big why? It needs to be something unattainable, like the North Star, which guides explorers around the world. It shows the way, but can never actually be reached.
Law of Financial Balance – While profit shouldn’t be the only priority of a team, everyone must remember that without profit, the team will cease to be able to provide a service to homebuyers and sellers who need it. Every financial arrangement must make sense to the team and the other party involved.
Law of Accountability – We must hold team members accountable for the activities required to produce the desired results. Accountability can be perceived negatively, but when you hold someone accountable, it’s because you love them and want them to perform up to their true potential.
Law of Environment – It’s not your job as the team leader to ensure each team member is successful. An individual’s success is up to them. It is, however, your job to create the right environment in which team members can be successful. This includes—but is not limited to—onboarding, agent development, lead generation, administration, core values and accountability.
Law of Attraction – You’ll need the right people in the right place to grow a strong
team. Putting “a” person in a position instead of “the right” person can impact the entire team. Does this person have the right personality and skillset for the job? Do they have a clear definition of success for their position? Most teams hire based upon need; the best teams hire based upon talent. They find talent and put it to work where it will be most beneficial.
Law of Constraints – The best team leaders focus first on what’s limiting the team most. According to Eli Goldrat in his book “The Goal,” successful businesses identify bottlenecks, or the part of the process that’s most limiting the results of the team. What’s most limiting your team’s ability to attract new customers and close more sales? Open that bottleneck first, then move on to find the next.
Write down the seven laws of team-building success and post them where you’ll be reminded of them daily. How do they apply to what you’re currently doing to build your team? What can you do to best follow the laws? Just like the speed limit on your local roads, if you don’t follow these laws, you might wish you had.
This excerpt of The 7 Laws of Team-Building Success is taken from an hour-long workshop of the same name that Cleve Gaddis, of Gaddis Partners, RE/MAX Center, has presented to real estate brokerages throughout the U.S. His real estate team closes $60 million in sales annually in Atlanta, Ga. Cleve is also the host of the Call Cleve Atlanta Real Estate Show, which can be heard on NewsTalk 1160 WCFO every week. Contact him at Cleve@GoGaddis.com.
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