As I approach my 39th year selling homes, and my 26th year coaching in the industry, it struck me how much I love our theme for this year—using the word “elevate”—at Workman Success Systems, where I coach. It’s a daily reminder in everything I’m doing, as well as with the people I come in contact with.
For today, though, I want to discuss the word “elevate” as it relates to culture—and if you’re wondering about the title of this article, I chose it because some agents actually think this only applies to offices or large teams. In reality, culture is much more than the word may seem to imply. Culture is needed, wanted and yearned for in all areas of life and business. When companies in the past focused a lot on culture, we were reminded that the first four letters form the word “cult,” which I urge you to consider as you begin—or continue—on your path to incorporate an incredible culture into your life and business. While culture is about the environment and the difference you make, the word “cult” has an entirely different meaning.
Whether you’re a real estate agent or you’re in an ancillary service, I want you to consider how you would most like your business to be—and how you would most like your clients to be. Who do you want to seek you out? What is the example you want the world to see when they witness you being you? Are your loud words aligned with loud actions? Do you say something to make things seem “all good” and later ignore the commitments you made in the moment? Is your word your bond? Are your demons in check?
Since culture starts with your core values, I insist that my coaching clients have their list of core values established from the get-go. This includes every salesperson, every individual, every couple, every household, every business and every brokerage.
It’s easy to figure out what your main core values are by taking the time to determine which words resonate the most with you when you think about how you want to be known and seen. Some examples are:
- Integrity
- Honesty
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Reputation
- Community
If you haven’t come up with your core values yet, get creative and think of what really speaks to who you are and what you stand for.
Establishing your core values allows you to begin to see how you’d like your culture to feel. Elevating your culture starts with making it a priority by understanding, once and for all, that this is where your life and business begin to look and feel like you’ve always imagined.
Remember the law of reflection, too. When you establish your core values, your mission and vision statements, and start aligning all of your behaviors and actions with those, the customers, friends and family you attract will be a clear reflection of all of that—and that, in turn, creates the culture you’re looking for.
Now go do it.
Rick Geha of The Rick Geha Real Estate Team began his real estate career at age 22. Over the past 15 years, he’s led more than 1,000 classes and workshops throughout the U.S. and Canada and has presented keynote addresses to thousands of professionals from all industries and walks of life. He is currently a coach with Workman Success Systems. Contact him at Rick@RickGeha.com. For more information, please visit www.workmansuccesssystems.com.
