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In the highly competitive world of real estate sales, there is no better time than now to raise the level of intensity you bring to your management efforts.
I remember being a 13-year-old freshman in high school, showing up for double session practices at football camp and seeing the head coach write the word “INTENSITY” on the chalkboard. I had no idea why he wrote it or what it meant. I was also too embarrassed to ask. I just recall the coach going on about how important intensity is and how some of the older players would get fired up when he did.
High school football introduced me to the importance of intensity, but it was my transition from high school to Division I college football that taught me the true meaning of the word. There were incredible levels of intensity everywhere, from the coaches to the players; heck, even our trainers were intense. Each person’s intensity raised the bar for the next. Everyone would challenge each other to be better, to put in the practice time, spend time in the film room, get those extra reps in the weight room, run each sprint a little faster, and practice every scenario on the field. We would hold each other accountable.
No professional athlete, musician, or actor would enter an arena without practice or being prepared. Imagine our Special Forces not preparing. They plan for and practice—with incredible intensity and conviction—every possible scenario they might face so they will be ready for whatever comes their way.
Operating your business should be no different. If you want to be a successful business leader, you can’t just wing it or do things by trial and error. Nor should you be waiting downstream for business to come to you. Start each day with a well thought out game plan to help reach the goals you want to accomplish and practice accordingly.
In our ultracompetitive world of real estate, brokers need to raise the intensity level when managing others to success. However, you can’t raise the intensity level if you don’t have conviction. You must believe in your value proposition. Believe what you offer is superior to the competition. The best leaders—like my company’s founder, Jim Weichert, who built a single real estate office into one of the nation’s leading providers of homeownership services—lead with conviction.
Great leaders also adapt quickly to the rapid changes in business that often create tremendous uncertainty about what may happen next month or next year. Uncertainty leads to distress and robs us of positive energy, which makes us ineffective and diminishes profits.
Leaders with conviction create an environment of certainty because they produce buy-in and a calming effect. They exude a confident energy that is magnetic to their followers. Strong leaders are overwhelmingly positive and relentless in their pursuit of success, enthusiasm, and confident. They lead by example and are the driving force behind any successful team—especially in a real estate organization.
Once this environment is created, you can raise the intensity level in your business. Agents will want to follow your lead; they will see your strength and courage and will trust you to help them succeed. You will be able to set higher goals and expectations with your team and measure the results.
Raising the intensity in your business also means holding everyone accountable, including yourself. At Weichert, we provide top-level leadership training to help our brokers focus on the key behaviors and activities that positively impact their bottom line and motivate agents to exceed their personal goals.
You can’t thrive on the playing field or in business without intensity and conviction. Weichert didn’t always have the national presence it enjoys today, but we’ve grown and profited every single year since Jim Weichert opened his first office in 1969. He did so by raising the intensity level every day and giving his agents a game-winning plan to provide the best service in the industry.
