A rising tide lifts all boats, as the saying goes, and for ERA Wilder Realty, this past year has been about cresting an incredible wave of momentum.
According to Eddie Wilder, president and CEO of the Columbia, S.C.-based firm he founded in 1995, he’s always aspired to be better.
“You’re only as good as the people around you,” he remarks. And to that end, he’s assembled both a dynamic leadership team and an energized roster of sales professionals.
When he affiliated with ERA Real Estate in 2001, it was because the brand’s culture fit so well with his.
“We’re always looking for the best tools, and we try to be an early adopter. We’re not afraid to take a risk in order to grow,” says Wilder. “ERA Real Estate’s reputation as an innovator fits with our winning mindset.”
This past year, that winning mindset manifested itself in a number of industry accolades recognizing performance, service excellence and commitment to community. As a top 10 company in the ERA® system and a CARTUS Cup finalist for outstanding relocation service, ERA Wilder Realty not only ranked high in production, but the firm also produced the brand’s national Rookie of the Year, was honored with ERA’s Circle of Light Award for Community Leadership, and was recognized as one of the top three fundraisers for ERA’s signature charity, the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Commitment to community is an integral part of the company’s culture, complementing a set of core values recently formalized across the entire company of 10 offices and 260 agents.
“Our core values are to approach our profession and each other with a positive attitude; to conduct ourselves in a professional manner as honesty and integrity guide our decisions; to respect each other’s time, differences, perspectives, feelings and opinions; and to embody the spirit of teamwork,” says Wilder.
The company’s core values have also supported recruitment efforts.
“It’s more than a code,” says Wilder. “It’s a lifestyle that defines our company.”
While success may be a word that has defined ERA Wilder Realty over the years, Wilder wanted more. To that end, he and his leadership team recently implemented a new approach to running the company based on Gino Wickman’s book “Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business.” Wickman’s Entrepreneurial Operating System suggests simple ways to realign a company to provide the leadership team with more focus, more growth, and more enjoyment.
The process involved taking a hard look at the team’s strengths and weaknesses and putting the right people in the right roles. That meant getting Wilder out of the management weeds and allowing him to focus on being the company visionary, while delegating operator responsibilities to others. The result has been increased communication and efficiency—a plus for the entire company.
It’s a process that was shared as a best practice during the ERA Young Leaders Network summer retreat, which ERA Wilder Realty hosted in early August. During this three-day event, more than 40 ERA colleagues who are currently in a leadership role—or being groomed for one—immerse themselves in a host company’s business, learning about best practices they can implement in their own business.
“As an example of ERA Real Estate’s core values of collaboration and knowledge-sharing, this event truly embodies the brand’s commitment to being best-in-class and creating connections that can make that happen,” says Wilder.
For more information, please visit www.era.com.
Paige Tepping is RISMedia’s managing editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at paige@rismedia.com.
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