"Some believe there is nothing one man or woman can do against the enormous array of the world's ills. Yet many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man. A young monk began the Protestant Reformation; a young general extended an empire from Macedonia to the borders of the earth; a young woman reclaimed the territory of France; and it was a young Italian explorer who discovered the New World, and the thirty-two year old Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed that 'all men are created equal.'"
~ Edward Moore Kennedy, 1968
EVERY NEW GENERATION stakes its claim on the world, and how it ought to proceed -- from darkness to light, from enslavement to freedom. intolerance to respect, fear to empowerment. We hear lofty language and imagery like this at commencement addresses, on political stumps, from hell-fiery pulpits (yes, even from occasionally esthetic commercial real estate VPs) ... but almost always to reluctant, cynical ears. Life's realities, you see, can easily disappoint, and dissuade one from thinking too big, too high, too far, too idealistically. Instead, most people stifle (shortchange) their dreams... taking smaller, safer steps...rarely looking upward...waiting for that proverbial shoe to drop hard and squash them.
TED KENNEDY'S optimistic words (above) were actually part of his tearful eulogy to Bobby Kennedy, his assassinated brother. Big dreams, you see, are often followed by bitter disappointment, sometimes disaster and tragedy. Fortunately, dreams, ideas, idealism never go away. They lie dormant within each of us...awaiting our liberation from fear, ignorance, hatred, small-mindedness. A brave New World! Which great movement, of thought and action, will flow from your solitary soul? If not from you, from whom, when?
PERHAPS "SOLITARY" is asking too much. A recurring challenge for today's real estate executive is articulating their design for the organization as a whole, a unit, a union not a confederation -- it's more than a vision, well-intentioned but wishful wishes... but a mission, one that is grand, exciting, motivating, passionately delivered... seeking alignment, of thought and action. Salespeople, I find, want to be part of something that's bigger, brighter, and bolder than them. They want to feel proud of their affiliation, to be personally engaged, involved, successful, and viewed as a key ingredient for the enterprises' success, not just theirs. Here's where the concept of "front line management" can play a valuable role, viz., getting Associates handling routine "managerial" tasks, such as training, mentoring, cold-calling, computer-fixing, document proof reading ... because they want to add to the company's growth and success. It's called collaboration, a magical glue that allows our business to grow harmoniously, profitably, sanely.
CBC Metro Brokers continues to grow... financially... more team members, market share... "number one" again.... but also growing in collective competence. Our price points and commission rates have risen significantly over the past few years, despite rumors of a real estate recession, despite naysayers who say our business model resembles a "body shop." But it's not. Rather, it's by offering an underserved "mid-market" commercial marketplace comprehensive, superior services and support. By insisting that agents are well-trained, actively engaged in their communities; that prospects are pursued, systems followed, deal-making routine... and everyone stays connected. I've said it many times - we are defined by our worst agent, not our best. By raising the bar, our worst agent becomes everyone else's best. Naive dreaming? I prefer to call it a movement.
The lights began to twinkle from the rocks,
The long day waned, the slow moon climbs, the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The surrounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
~ From Ulysses, by Alfred Lord Tennyson
