I achieve my goals. I remember my purpose. Having a clear picture of what I want to achieve drives me forward. When I set a goal, I crush it. I bring my dreams to life by acting on my intentions. My priorities are extremely clear. I would rather succeed at one goal than become overwhelmed by tackling too many projects at one time. I track my progress. I ask others for feedback. I set interim milestones that help to keep me on track. I build my confidence. I review my past victories. Each accomplishment creates positive momentum. I know that I am strong and resilient. I tell others about my plans. I feel more accountable when I make my goals public. I am more likely to stick to my diet if others know I am trying to lose weight. I reach out for support. I let my family and friends know how they can help me. I accomplish more when I collaborate with others. We reinforce each other’s efforts and celebrate our victories. I remain patient and persistent. I set realistic timelines that help m...

And What to Do About it.    A family was having a good time on the lake. It was a beautiful summer day.  The warm sun from the sunny summer sky beat down on my exposed arms covered in sunscreen.  “Summer is not my favorite season, but at moments like this take the trophy,” expressed Mr. Relaxed.  Resting on his boat he observed the kinetic chaos of boats that had turned the summer’s peacefulness into a commercial expression of fun!   The cloudless day was perfect to enjoy with the family. The light blue sky seemed to smile at the brilliant blue-green waves.  “It feels so picture-perfect,” said the little one.  After an exhilarating boat ride, the family parked the boat in a cove and enjoyed swimming, and eating their lunch.  A father, mother, and daughter sat down to enjoy lunch, their sweet little girl was holding two pieces of cantaloupe in her hands. The mother leaned over and asked with a smile, “Beautiful little girl, could you give...

Y ou have to be a PSYCHO about LEADERSHIP  Getting productivity out of your team is not as challenging as you are thinking. Often times I tell my team leaders that it is first their job to fill in the gaps from poor parenting. While I say this tongue and cheek, I know that most of the staff probably had good parents, the truth is that caring about your staff like you are a parent works well to engage them. Getting your team to be productive requires some planning on your part. You first have to make decisions about what actually moves the needle in production. You must determine what productive looks like.  There was a property management company in St. Louis that was having difficulty getting all the staff on the same page. They were experiencing lots of back biting, they were also experiencing poor results, a low number of leases monthly, poor customer service, and poor collections results. According to Forbes, “ True enthusiasm for a business, its products, a...

Are you utilizing a team score board? If you are following the Leadership Engagement Process you know the following steps are important to engaging your team?   Step 1 is for every position to know the company mission and the mission of their job. Step 2 is for every position to know their number. Ensuring each team member has a one number they are personally responsible to measure is very important. You should give them one specific goal based on this number.   Step 3 is for every position to know their score. The Leadership Engagement Process utilizes a team scoreboard. This scoreboard is imperative in engaging your team members. Real Estate Managers, Brokers, and Realtor leaders can not effect behavioral changes their staff unless the staff member knows what the target is for every day, week, month, and quarter. Your scoreboard should be broken down into three parts a top, a middle, and a bottom. The top of the scoreboard should be your manager...

If you are following the Leadership Engagement Process then you know that step two is coaching your team members to know their numbers. Step 1 can be found here: How to coach to your mission. In my next post, you will learn how to coach your team members to know their numbers. Knowing your numbers and your team member’s numbers are important to ensuring maximum productivity from everyone. Is every team member 100% engaged in their job? When your team members know their numbers, they are instantly more engaged in their job. In my next post you will learn how to look at each position, employee or contractor, and determine the numbers most important to track. To start the three numbers that report your productivity are your income, expenses, and profit. Every employee should have income they generate, expenses they cost, and profit they create. For every business owner it is important keep track of your income, expenses, and profit, per employee and...

Know Your Mission! You may not need to fire that employee, just yet. Coaching can play a significant role in turning around employee performance. Personally, I love working with challenging employees. Employees with a bad attitude, employees hired for the wrong role, employees who do not have the skills to do the job, employees who are disengaged, bring them on! In my book, Leadership Coaching as a Strategy for Employee Development , I explain the importance of resisting the temptation to blame your staff for poor performance. It is your responsibility, as the manager, to get results. The first time you blame your staff member, for your poor performance, you will start the “Cycle of Resistance” and significantly impede your ability to succeed. Think about this, would you rather have one hundred percent of your own effort or one percent of one hundred people’s effort? What is a Mission Statement? It is important to understand the Leadership Engage...