An Incredibly Powerful Leadership Tool Your Team Needs Now
Every Leader needs to use it three times before the end of the week
“My people have been through a lot,” said a manager to me recently. “They’ve been working extra hard for months preparing for the changes. Plus navigating a pretty tough market. Now they’re ready but also exhausted. How do I help them without adding more to their plates?”
My answer was simple. Use one of the most powerful tools in your leadership toolbox:
A heartfelt thank-you.
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A Little Gratitude Goes a Long Way
What’s the one thing every real estate professional has hoped to hear in the last two years?
Thank you.
Certainly, clients have said it after a closing. Colleagues shake hands from time to time. And many leaders have made a point of expressing thanks whenever possible. But these are but a few small voices amongst a pile of much negativity and noise.
That’s where you come in.
A Little Gratitude Goes a Long Way Right Now
Forget the lawsuit for just a minute.
Since July of 2022, the market has been difficult. When interest rates skyrocketed, the buyer pool jumped back. Inventory remained tight while prices rose higher. Inflation didn’t just erode the consumer’s spending power; it dissolved the real estate producer’s earnings, too. So for the past two years, most REALTORS have been working harder and longer for less.
Ok, now drop the lawsuit back on their heads.
Which meant rewriting their business plans, their value propositions and their marketing materials. Spending time in classes retraining presentation skills and practicing fresh crucial conversations. Refreshing negotiations skills, learning new forms (which still aren’t entirely locked down) and figuring out how to get important-but-now-gone information about properties that were once at their fingertips.
That’s a lot of work they did amongst just keeping their businesses going. And while we’ve praised their efforts and declared them ready, that’s not exactly the same as —
Thanking them for achieving it.
When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best
The best thing you can send to your team right now is some heartfelt gratitude.
It’s more valuable than an extra pile of money right now (because it’s value actually goes up with inflation). However you send it, do it soon; and frequently. Enough times that your team begins to hear it in their own voice each day. And takes comfort in the fact that your leadership isn’t just about systems, tools and compensation:
It’s about being kind.
So Many Choices, So Little Time
It takes seconds, maybe a few minutes, to make thank-you a daily thing. Here’s a quick list. I’m sure you can think of many more.
A written note
A video, voice message or text
Some public praise in each office meeting
The opening of the monthly company newsletter
A low-key luncheon, cookout or after-work gathering
Some time off or extra help with that pile of tasks or paperwork
Cheerleading for them in to customers, colleagues, partners and the press
Your full attention in the office when they as “gotta moment” and need to vent
The Giver also Gets
Thanking your team is exactly what they need. But there’s a bonus:
It’s what you need right now, too. Someone to say, Good job, boss! Thanks for being there for us all along. We couldn’t have done it without you.
So share some appreciation with others and get a good dose for yourself, too. Don’t worry - gratitude is plenty powerful to lift both the giver and the receiver. And who knows, it might even reach your customers, clients (and even the press?). All of whom are waiting for someone to show up and say:
Thank you!
—M
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There’s a lot more to expressing gratitude than saying thank you. Here’s a list of some of my favorite phrases that have helped me get closer to what I’m really feeling when I’m deeply appreciative of someone in my life. Hope they help you, too.