Real Estate Team Leadership Training will help managers and broker-owners grow their business strategically and systematically.
Today we are going to dive into real estate team leadership training. As team leaders or brokers, you may often find yourself doubting your leadership ability. Leadership training is crucial because you should always be trying to hone your skills and perfect your craft. Let’s talk a bit about why you should engage in real estate team leadership training regularly, and what exactly makes a good team leader.
VIDEO: Real Estate Team Leadership Training
Real Estate Team Leadership is not “natural”
Contrary to what many stories and movies would have you believe, leadership is not so “natural.” Leadership is a learned skill set. You can learn to become a good leader. You can learn to become a better leader. With enough focus, concentration, practice, and training, you can turn yourself into the leader you want to be.
Manager vs. leader
There is a big difference between the role of manager and leader. A manager is almost a bad word in real estate. If your goal is to grow your real estate team from 100 to 200 units sold per year, you don’t want a manager. You don’t want someone to “manage” the way things are. This does not promote the idea of positive change and growth. For this kind of growth mindset, you need a leader that people will follow. A leader transforms an organization into something different, and the people on the team buy into it because of the leader’s influence.
The implication of a manager is that things are being monitored and taken care of as-is. Problems are being solved, people are being managed, and the status quo on the team is being maintained. Now, we aren’t saying that a manager can’t turn into a leader, but I want to establish the difference between these two terms. These titles are perceived differently, so this is important.
Why being a “leader” is essential for a real estate team
It is difficult to be a “manager” of a real estate team because this role does not function in the same way as the manager of a business in other industries. Managers in other industries have the power to tell their employees exactly what to do, or else these employees could be fired.
When it comes to real estate agents on a team, this is tricky, because a real estate agent who doesn’t like what the team manager says can leave and join another team. They aren’t W2 employees, and they aren’t bound by the rules you put in place to make income.
This is why you want to take on the role of a leader. You want the agents on your team to want to follow what you say. It’s a different mindset completely. As a result, leadership requires regular training to become an effective real estate team leader.
Real estate team leadership training: Lead by influence
You must be a very strong leader to get your team members to want to follow you. You will see people on your team or in your brokerage who are not doing what they are supposed to be doing. A very small percentage of real estate agents succeed at a high level — the vast majority will struggle. This is normal!
At Icenhower Coaching and Consulting, we help our leaders with this challenge all the time. We provide real estate team leadership training, accountability tools, and systems to help leaders help their teams succeed. No matter what, there will still be some agents on your team who are not going to do what they are supposed to do. This is a huge challenge as a leader because we don’t have the same control as other leaders do in other industries.
Parenting mindset
One thing I always tell our clients is to treat these “trouble” agents as a parent would their child. You’re not going to “fire” your child. And, you’re certainly not going to just give up on your child. You are going to stay with them and continuously try to be positive and supportive.
Of course, rules will be put in place with your child, and consequences will happen when rules are not followed. But for the most part, you need to be supportive and understanding, and provide your child with nurturing and guidance. You train them, provide them with tools, love, and guidance to help them learn and grow. With a positive environment, their chances of success increases. The same concept can be applied to your real estate team members!
Manage expectations
You cannot expect your team members to function on the same level as you. After all, you are one of the few success stories, and you’ve worked your way up to your leadership position. Your real estate team members can’t be at your level — or else, why would they need you?
Make sure you manage your expectations in order to avoid frustration. Your team members need you to be their leader because they need to learn how to grow to become successful. Remain supportive, positive, and provide them with the tools and resources to grow. And, remember that real estate team leadership training is essential for you as a leader to regularly maintain and grow your leadership skills!
