WorkPuzzle

Three Timeless Time Management Ideas

I know that many of you are expecting another blog about "attracting younger agents," but I am waiting for more responses to my call for input first.  I'll follow up next time...

For some reason, I have had difficulty prioritizing my time to get the most out of the last few weeks.  Over the past couple of years, I have used several systems to help with this, but occasionally I feel the need to find something new to help me organize and shake things up a bit.  I'll share with you an old system that I have used in the past, and two new ones I came across this past week in my blog reading (one from Dan Foster's blog).

The old system is modeled after Steven Covey's book- First Things First.  It is based on a simple four quadrant matrix where you have to categorize "Urgent" vs. "Non-Urgent" tasks, and "Important" vs. "Non-Important" tasks.

The Urgent/Important tasks of the week go straight to the top of your to-do list.  These are the tasks that are not only very important to you, but should be done now (or regularly).  These are the tasks that impact your life or your business greatly.  This list should include activities that build and drive your values, your family, and your business.  These are the items that will define you in the future.

The Non-Urgent/Important tasks are those that are equally valuable, but can wait, and don't have to be done regularly.  More on this later...

The Urgent/Non-Important tasks are those that may appear to beckon your attention, yet don't come close to competing with the "important" tasks.  These tasks can be difficult to determine.  They may be the fires that people bring you that perhaps distract you from the real work to be done.  For real estate managers, they might be some of the deal doctoring that could be delegated to someone else, freeing you to do the work that impacts the bottom line, like recruiting.

And lastly the Non-Urgent/Non-Important tasks are those that should be dropped off your list.  Last week I was on the verge of beginning a task that might have ended up being a daily series of these blogs, only on Twitter.  Now, for some, Twitter may fit into a more important or urgent category (or both)...perhaps it is their way of connecting with their young audience or marketing their services.  But, after reading that only 1% of Americans are using Twitter and that most of them are under the age of 30...for me, it doesn't make sense.  For others, it might.  Just make sure it does!  And when it does, where does it fit in the above categories?

And now for the new systems... The first one comes from CEO, Scott Belsky, who reminds us that with most priority systems, like the one above, we can easily exclude the most important priority:  Finding Adequate time to invest in thinking creatively about the future.  Watch this video for insight into this often forgotten practice.

Scott Belsky: Is It Urgent, Or Is It Important? from 99% on Vimeo.

This next system is shared by Dan Foster, Manager at Prudential NW in Portland.  His system takes more time, but may be worth the work.

Track how you spend your time.  Spend 3-5 days recording everything you do in 15 minute increments.  Sounds terrible, and to be honest, it is.  Stick with it though.

1. Identify your high and low payoff activities.  From your list, assess each of your activities and identify them as either HIGH PAYOFF or LOW PAYOFF.  You should have anywhere from 3-7 high payoff activities, depending on your role with your company.
2. Create your perfect week.  Take a blank weekly calendar and write out your perfect schedule for a week.
3. Delegate the low payoff activities.  Assemble the activities that did not make it into your perfect week and that you consider low-payoff activities and delegate them to someone else.
4. Communicate your schedule.  It is extremely important that you let your clients, team, and family know about your new schedule and priority management plan.  People will respect your time if they see you value it.  Post your schedule, the hours you are available, and when you are completely unavailable.
5. Practice delivering solution based “No” responses.  My high payoff activities become non-negotiable appointments on my calendar.  If someone wants to meet during the time I have a high payoff activity scheduled, I tell them “No, I can’t meet with you then, but I can at ________ or at ________.  Which of these two times works best for you?”  This is a solution based “No” response and people prefer it to a simple “No, I can’t,” or “No, I’m busy then."
6. Review your plan.  Your new plan should be reviewed daily for the first 30 days.  After that, a weekly review is ideal.  Shift activities to different time slots if needed during this review.  Assess your energy level at certain times of the day and determine what level is required for you to deliver maximum results.  Make adjustments and re-engage the next week.

There is value and wisdom in using various systems and integrating them as they make sense and as your business evolves.  I have already performed a review of my own calendar and to-do list...now it's your turn!

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Editor's Note:  This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn.  Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Appealing to Younger Agents

A recent Real Trends article hammered home what many of us have suspected for quite some time...that the real estate agent population is aging.  In their article "Younger Sales Professionals Leaving the Industry in Droves" they go a step further, telling us that, not only are they difficult to attract, but that these younger agents are also difficult to retain:

"When viewed only by median age, the change has not seemed severe:  The median age went from 52 (in 2004) to 51 (in 2006) to 54 (in 2009).  This is noticeable, but most haven’t seemed to react too much over it (though it’s hard not to note that in the recent three-year period the median age increased by three years, which essentially says that the whole group just stayed the same and aged together – this alone is revealing).  

Based on our calculations, the number of sales professionals under the age of 35 has dropped from 149,000 to 101,000 (down 32%).  Over the same period, the number of sales professionals 35 to 44 has dropped from 272,000 to 156,000 (43% down); those 45 to 54 have dropped from 407,000 to 301,000 (26% down).  At the same time, the 55-and-over group has virtually held steady (going from 557,000 to 545,000).  In other words, we lost 164,000 Gen X’ers and Millennials in a three-year period (nearly 40% of what they were)."  (Real Trends Volume March 2011, XXV, Number 3)

Their explanation of this trend is fairly straight forward and I believe it is right on target.  They say:

"If we focus on the 35 to 44 group, which represented 20% of the total agent population in both 2004 and 2006 but only 14% today, we know that this generation had never experienced a down market before this one (after all, they were all in their thirties five years ago, and age 25 to 34 a decade ago).  It would seem that this group hit the wall and struggled to make ends meet just as they were moving to an age when one normally settles down and focuses on a long-term career.  They were brought into the business at a time when the industry was largely focused, from NAR right down through the individual brokerages, on expanding rosters to higher profits by recruiting, recruiting, and recruiting.  With some exceptions, similar energies were generally not put into training during this time.  Bad habits were formed, “easy money” was made by many thanks to a booming market, and too little was done to prepare for a shifting weather pattern.  When the downturn in the housing market went from bad to historic, it’s no wonder that many in this generation were not prepared to handle the jolt."

Real Trends' solution to the problems, however, seems a bit short-sided to me.  They recommend bringing younger candidates into today's rental market.  Not a entirely bad idea, but, I see the problem of attracting and retaining young talent to be much more complex than that very simple solution.

Before publishing some of my own thoughts about this trend, I would greatly appreciate hearing from some of our readers.  So, in the next day or so, please let me know what you think.  In the meantime, I'll write my thoughts out...and I'll be ready to add yours in the next edition.

You can send them by email or respond to this blog.  Thanks!

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Editor's Note:  This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn.  Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Social Networking and Recruiting: 7 Guidelines for What to Share on Facebook

Yesterday, I pointed out that sharing too much in your social networks (quantity) is annoying to those who interact with you online.  It is a good way to get relegated to the spam box or simply turned off.  It is better to thoughtfully select the things you share (quality), and post less often.

The risk of taking this approach is that you may come across as shallow or having an agenda that is self-serving.  Having a clear focus can produce its own set of casualties. This is the classic problem with politics, advertising, marketing, branding, social media and recruiting.  Is there a middle ground that is just right?  I think so, and that place is called authenticity.

To help us understand authenticity, I'd like to share part of an article written by Heather Bussing.  Heather is an employment and business attorney who recently wrote Does Authenticity Make My Butt Look Big? In the article, she lays out some very helpful guidelines regarding what is appropriate to share professionally in social networks:

"I’ve been listening to sessions on employment branding at the Tru London conference.  The overall consensus is that companies should be more 'authentic'  But what does that really mean?  And how do you do it?  Asking yourself if you are being authentic enough is like asking if your what you're wearing makes your butt look big.  The questions are equally narcissistic and no one is going to tell you the truth.  (By the way, transparency always makes your butt look big.) 

 
To work on being more 'authentic' is to preclude the very possibility of authenticity.  Authenticity is not a destination.  It’s part of the sweat you work up taking a good hard run at life.  There is no way to 'be' authentic.  Authenticity is inherent in just being.  This is because being authentic is just being yourself.  If you are comfortable in your own skin, you will be authentic without trying.

For some, being authentic means revealing personal information.  For others, it means demonstrating their quirks and foibles to seem more human.  Still others want to be clearer in their communications and say exactly what they mean.  These things don’t always work, nor do they demonstrate authenticity.  The whole point of authenticity is credibility.  When we say someone is authentic it means that they are not fake, they are true and you can believe them.  As Jean Giraudeaux once said:

'The secret of success is sincerity.  Once you can fake that you’ve got it made.'

But,the reverse is also true:

'A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal'            - Oscar Wilde.
 
So the key is to be yourself but stay focused on your purpose, audience and topic.  Here are some practical tips I’ve learned as a trial lawyer on where to draw the line with your genuine, sincere, authenticity:

1. Avoid TMI:  Too Much Information is not the same as being authentic.  People don’t want to know about your medical conditions, particularly anything involving a rash or oozing.  They also don’t want to know about the toilet training of your children, how you cured smelly feet or other such personal information.
2. Avoid Public Heartfelt Disclosures:  It absolutely works in private and is essential to close relationships.  Most people are really uncomfortable with that level of disclosure with people they don’t know.  So avoid public discussion in business or professional settings of the epiphanies you had in therapy, church, a personal discussion with your spouse, or any combination thereof.
3. Self deprecation only works if it’s funny.  Irony doesn’t come through in writing unless you are a really talented writer with room for context.  Even adding an emoticon just doesn’t cut it.  If you say, 'I’m such an idiot,'  people will just think you’re an idiot.  On the other hand, you can push the line a lot farther if it’s funny.
4. Be your 'professional' self.  Put things out there you would share with a new boss or colleague.  If it’s someone who would get less than 70% on your Facebook How well do you know me quiz, it’s probably TMI.
5. Do not post anything online out of anger, fear, after more than one drink, or after 10 pm, whichever comes first.
6. Righteous indignation, no matter how passionate and heartfelt, always comes off closer to raving lunatic.
7. If you are uncomfortable, you’ll never pull it off.  Don’t even try to overcome it.  So just be uncomfortable and move on.  It will pass as soon as you let it.

The real key to communicating authentically is understanding what you are saying really well, then saying it as clearly and simply as possible.  This takes a lot more work and a lot more time than knocking off a few lines at the keyboard or flying by the seat of your pants.  It often requires editing, polishing, feedback and rethinking—all things that are often absent in online publishing."  

Bottom line:  Authenticity is both knowing what you are talking about and saying it really well.  The power of social networks--as a viable recruiting and business tool--will not be realized until we learn this lesson.

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Editor's Note:  This article was written by Ben Hess.  Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Social Networking and Recruiting: Stop the Social Vomiting

Dave and I had the opportunity to attend two national real estate conferences last week in San Diego and Las Vegas.  While we attempt to stay connected with our clients year-round, there is nothing that replaces making the personal, face-to-face connections that happen at these types of venues.

I'm always amazed at how much we learn by talking with those who run businesses on a day-to-day basis.  The school of real life is a relentless taskmaster, but a faithful teacher of truth.  Gleaning these truths from our interactions and passing them on to those who read WorkPuzzle is one of the things I enjoy most about my job.

One area that remains to be of keen interest among many owners and first level managers is the topic of social networking as it applies to recruiting.  It would seem that this arena has so much potential, but the benefits have been very difficult to capture, measure, and scale.  We're really in the infancy of how social networking can be used to benefit the recruiting process.

Of course, the only way to learn is to experiment.  And many of these "experiments" have produced disasterous results.  In fact, there is a trend emerging where candidates are pushing back on clumsy attempts to use social networking for recruiting.  I've read several articles in the last week or so on what NOT to do when trying to promote your employment brand and recruit in the social networking arena. 

One of the best articles was written by Kathy Rapp, the Managing Director of hrQ.  Kathy recently took three months of maternity leave and was able to use that time to be a third party observer of the social networking state of affairs.  Here is what she noticed:

"I can't tell you how many people I've now hidden or turned-off because of the immense amount of social vomiting they do on a daily basis.  You know what I'm talking about.  There were those who continuously self-promote; those who posted every semi-humorous you-tube video of commercials, bands or cats; or those who simply retweeted everything they could without a single comment as to why I should take time to click on the link.

On the flip side were people who were extremely thoughtful in their posts, blogs or commentary.  Those who produced informative reads or insights that made me want to learn more.  I really, really came to appreciate the QUALITY of the communication.

When you are trying to establish your personal brand, company presence, networking reach, or just responding to a post, remember quality over quantity.  While I may know your name because of the number of tweets you are tied to, if I associate your name with 'annoying' I doubt it is the message you want to deliver.

An example of a company that gets the quality concept: HomeAway.  Two years ago they jumped off a big cliff and produced a Super Bowl ad with the much talked about return of Clark and the Griswold family.  This year, it was the introduction of the Ministry of Detourism.

They've tiptoed into other social media realms, and as such whenever I see the clever blue birdhouse, I tend to read what has been posted.  Excellent example of company branding that emphasizes quality communication over quantity, which also happens to be one of the concepts they are selling to their customers."

Take an inventory of what you're sharing on your social networks.  Are you guilty of a little "social vomiting" of your own?  I hope not, but it sometimes is difficult to tell what's inappropriate to share.  It's a little like trying to figure out if you have bad breath--you may not be able to tell, and others are uncomfortable letting you know.  Next time, I'll cover some guidelines on what is appropriate to share and how you can turn your social network into a professional asset. 

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Editor's Note:  This article was written by Ben Hess.  Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

An Assignment to Daydream

Over the past two weeks, I have come to an interesting conclusion...and here it is:  Daydreaming works.
 
I stumbled onto this phenomenon somewhat randomly.  You see, I tend to be one of those people who is typically DOING something...all of the time.  And if I'm not doing something, I'm listening to something, or reading something, or emailing someone, or, oh yeah...skiing.  Does this sound familiar?  Many of us who tend to be driven, and entrepreneurial by nature, are like this.

Two weeks ago, I decided to turn off my radio indefinitely while driving in the car.  However, my initial purpose for this radio boycott project wasn't to daydream, rather it was to be more mindful about strengthening my prayer life.  I figured that the time that I wasted in the car could be spent in prayer instead of mindless Classic Rock. 

But, as we all know, the mind has the propensity to drift.  For the first few days of the exercise, I attempted to fight this off and stick to the plan.  However, on the third or fourth day, I decided to let my mind wander and see what happened.  The result?  I ended up developing and further perfecting some interesting ideas for our business at Tidemark.  While these ideas may not be earth-shattering, they have certainly helped to make my work this week more purposeful and productive.  Having had this experience, I decided to do some investigating on the subject of daydreaming, and turned up a great deal of research on the topic.

Amy Fries writes (Psychology Today):

"Admit it.  When do you get your best ideas?  When you're sitting at your desk striving for an answer, or when you're doing something off-task like driving, walking, or puttering around the house?

On the surface, daydreaming seems like the antithesis of 'work,' yet it's truly at the core of our most important type of productivity--creative problem-solving.  That's why some of the most innovative companies in the world feature programs that give key employees the time and space to think creatively, i.e. daydream--Google offers a 20% program, 3M has a 15% program, and Gore & Associates (Gore-Tex, etc.) features 'dabble time.'  All three companies credit these programs as the source of their most successful products.

While many of us can see the relationship between daydreaming and creativity in the arts and even science, we've been slower to come around to its usefulness in business.  Say the word 'visionary' however, and we understand how having a vision--a mental image or plan--can help someone start a breakthrough company or service.

Yes, I know.  All the work and focus must follow to have an idea come to fruition.  But the original idea and the motivation to fulfill that idea are birthed in a daydreaming state, and we do our most creative problem-solving when the mind wanders.  While daydreaming, we can:

1. Envision - Model and simulate in our mind's eye 
2. Think uncensored thoughts - Necessary for originality
3. Free associate - Make random connections and come up with novel solutions
4. Tap into the most complex regions of the brain "

Amy goes on to say that encouraging your team to be creative and daydream starts with the way you talk to your team:

• "Ask 'what if' questions and encourage speculative thinking.
• Accept risk and a certain amount of failure.  I believe it was Edison who said 'to have one good idea, have a lot of them.'
• Provide a forum for idea sharing and give feedback. 
• Get rid of your old-school ideas about daydreaming, and start doing it. Go ahead--I'm giving you permission.  Among the many benefits of daydreaming-it's fun, and we can all use some of that."

I'll go out on a limb and say that it will be the teams who exercise the most creativity in all of their key strategies, who will begin or continue to dominate their market...not to mention, be more fun to work for.

And in case your concerned...yes, I am still praying too.

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Editor's Note:  This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn.  Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

The Case Against Passion

There are two frequently used words that tend to make my blood boil:  (1) issues, as in, "She is dealing with some issues;" and (2) passion, as in, "Pursue your passion."  Now, it's not that I never say these words, but, because they are overused, they have almost lost their meaning.  This is especially true when it comes to the way the concept of "passion" is used to find one's calling in life.

A great deal of the obsession around the concept of passion has to do with America's obsession with being happy.  If you haven't figured it out by reading my articles by now, I'll tell you that the science is fairly clear:  The happiest people are not the ones who are actively pursuing happiness.  They receive it as a bi-product of doing the right things every day to build a life of meaning and purpose, contributing towards something much greater than themselves.

Why is this topic important to a recruiter?  Read the following words from Daniel Pink's recent article "Think Tank: Ever Felt Like Your Job Isn't What You Were Born To Do?  You're Not Alone, And You'll See Why."

"When we find ourselves in the midst of a career change or feel a dull sense that what we're doing now isn't what we should be doing forever, our friends and families – along with every mentor, advisor, and consultant – will smile knowingly, lean in tenderly, and pose this question:  Tell me, what's your passion?  The idea is that if we simply acknowledge what fires our soul, if we just pull out our metaphysical arthroscope and examine our hearts, the path will reveal itself.  With a voice that quavers in expectation and an inflection that italicises the final word – they ask us again, 'What's your passion?'

Ladies and gentlemen, I detest that question.

When someone poses it to me, my innards tighten.  My vocabulary becomes a palette of aahs and ums.  My chest wells with the urge to flee.

Oh my.  The answer better be amazing – not some fumbling, feeble reply.  But I know the responses I've formed in my head aren't especially good.  Worse, they're probably not even accurate.  And I'm not alone.

So, as the economy comes back, and people begin pondering new opportunities, maybe we can take a break from this daunting and distracting question and ask a far more productive, one:  What do you do?

I learned the wisdom of this alternative from Gretchen Rubin, who lives and works in New York City.  After graduating from law school in the early 1990s, Rubin served as a law clerk for the US Supreme Court.  This job is perhaps the sweetest plum in the American legal orchard.  It practically guarantees a career of high-level positions in law firms and government.

But during her stint, Rubin's eyes wandered away from the law.

'When I had free time, I never wanted to talk about cases or read law journals, the way my fellow clerks did.  Instead, I spent hours reading, taking notes and writing my observations about the worldly passions – power, money, fame and sex,' Rubin says.

'Finally, I realized -- Hey, I'm writing a book.  And it dawned on me that some people write books for a living.  This project didn't have to be my hobby; it could be my job.'

She wrote her first book – Power Money Fame Sex:  A User's Guide – and soon she realized that she wasn't a lawyer.  She was a writer.  Now she has four books to her name, including her latest, The Happiness Project.

Rubin might have felt an occasional bolt of passion while writing.  But that didn't offer much guidance.  Instead, she took a step back and watched what she did.

Emma Jones is the founder of Enterprise Nation, a London company that supports small businesses.  She has discovered that people who notice what they do when nobody is watching them, or even paying them, often end up as entrepreneurs.

As it happens, I can testify to the power of de-emphasizing passion and re-emphasizing doing.  Beginning about two decades ago, I worked in some very demanding, intensely stressful jobs in American politics and government. But throughout – on the side, usually for no money – I wrote magazine articles about business and work, and formulated ideas for books.  At one level, it was foolish.  I lost sleep, sacrificed leisure, and probably distracted myself from my paid employment.

But after many years, it finally hit me:  This – not politics – is what I did.  And now, as a result, that's what I do.

Am I passionate about it?  Sure, I guess.  Maybe.  Some days.  But passion isn't something I much ponder.  I'm too busy doing what I do."

Having pondered the above, do you have any ideas how your interviews might change in the future?  Certainly don't throw candidates out of your office for using the word "passion."  But, do drill down more thoroughly on how the candidates spend their free time.  They may not even think to tell you much of the really interesting stuff...stuff like: "I basically like talking to my friends 24/7 and have about 1,000 phone numbers of people I stay in contact with..." or ... "I spend a great deal of time on the computer, following stories, stats, information..."

In either case, you can use that information to better coach those candidates on how to turn what they do into a more personally derived business plan that resonates with what they already do, naturally.

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Editor's Note:  This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn.  Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Curiosity: Three Ways to Refresh Your Outlook as a Leader

While reviewing a recent blog entry by Daniel Pink, I stumbled across the work of Dr. Todd Kashdan, a professor at George Mason University.  Dr. Kashdan is the Director of the Laboratory for the Study of Social Anxiety, Character Strengths, and Related Phenomena.

I know that’s kind of a mouthful (how would you like to introduce yourself at a party with this as your job title?), so here is some more detail on what his group actually does:

"The Laboratory for the Study of Social Anxiety, Character Strengths, and Related Phenomena is committed to conducting basic research to better understand the nature of social anxiety and positive psychological processes (e.g., curiosity, gratitude, mindfulness, savoring, purposeful living) and applying this knowledge to better people's lives….  We are focused on discovering, applying, and sharing psychological knowledge to better understand components of human functioning, improve the treatment of psychological problems, enhance well-being and character strengths, and promote this work at the individual and societal level."

Isn’t this a great purpose statement for Dr. Kashdan’s work?  He seems to be working (from a research perspective) on the issues that many of us would consider critical for developing thriving relationships and experiencing a consistent sense of well-being.

I look forward to exploring more of his published work, but I thought I’d give you a little taste of what I’ve already discovered.  One of the topics he tends to focus on is the “positive psychological process” of curiosity. Here is a summary of Daniel Pink's recent interview with Dr. Kashdan regarding the topic of curiosity:

1. Thrive on uncertainty.  We rarely look forward to the tension that accompanies uncertainty, but research shows that these feelings lead to the most intense and longest-lasting positive experiences.  New and uncertain activities make people happier and create more meaning than familiar routines.  Re-train your brain to benefit from the pleasures of surprise and uncertainty.  And do the same for people around you.  For instance, every week, give a free lunch away to someone who best embodies a strength valued by the business (Compassion?  Leadership?  Gratitude?  Humor?).  Let the person who wins pick a lunchmate whom they don’t know as well as they should.  Use the pleasures of uncertainty to build satisfaction and commitment inside your organization.

2. Find the unfamiliar in the familiar.  As soon as we think we’re experts, we stop paying attention and start falling back on scripts, labels, and categories.  That’s especially true in the workplace.  Yet scientists have discovered the value of attending to what we don’t know about people and how they differ from us — instead of relying on what we already know and how they are similar to us.  Encourage your team to make this mindset switch.  You’ll develop stronger bonds, squelch prejudice, and help your star players avoid being blinded by their expertise.  For instance, when you go out to lunch with colleagues, ask them about something that interests you but that you never talk about. What are their top 5 places to travel to in the world, and why?  What movies do they like but are often embarrassed to share?  And don’t always spend your time with people you know.  Seek out strangers at work who intrigue you, who are different from you, and who expand your horizons.

3. Be a safe haven for the risks and joys of others.  To take risks and experiment with new ways of thinking and acting, we need to feel secure. If you want workers to be creative, be responsive when they share past explorations or future plans.  If they feel uncomfortable, let them know that anxiety is natural when trying new things.  Share a story about the last time you felt anxiety and self-doubt.  You might be surprised how comfortable it will make them to take on tough challenges.  And respond genuinely when they share what is intriguing and going right in their lives. Don’t just ask, “How was your weekend?”  Ask them what their peak moments were on Saturday and Sunday.  And when they share, follow-up with questions, ask for details.  You might become genuinely interested in their interests and create a safe haven for the sorts of breakthrough thinking that changes companies — and sometimes the world.

If you’d like to learn more about this topic (or, maybe now you’re just curious...), you may want to pick up Dr. Kashdan’s book:  Curious?: Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life.

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Editor's Note:  This article was written by Ben Hess.  Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Generosity: How to Persevere a Long Recruiting Cycle

I had the pleasure of spending some time in the San Francisco Bay area last week with one of our clients.  I enjoy this particular company because their energy toward recruiting is among the best I've ever observed.  Their executive team and hiring managers are truly passionate about hiring.  And their passion is not just raw exuberance, but rather an excitement towards becoming more effective in their methodologies and working smarter than their competitors.

As we talked through their recruiting challenges, it became apparent that passion and energy is something they'll need a lot of if they hope to be successful.  Why?  Because the real estate recruiting environment is going to continue to be challenging for some time.

One of these challenges is the length of the recruiting cycle (i.e. the time it takes to recruit an agent).  Whether a company’s recruiting focus is "new to real estate" candidates or experienced agents who are currently working for a competitor, the recruiting cycle is much longer, on average, than it has been in the past. 

Why?  Uncertainty in the economy and difficult conditions in the real estate market tend to make people more risk averse.  While candidates will still change companies if they experience a crisis with their current employer/broker, most people in today’s environment prefer to hang onto what they have unless the perfect opportunity comes along.

With a lengthy recruiting cycle becoming the norm, the hiring managers who can persevere and stay engaged with a candidate over a long period of time are the ones who are going to be successful.

How do you accomplish this?  One place to start is generosity.  In a recent article in Fast Company, Anya Kamenetz makes the point that the internet has a way of empowering this type of engagement through generosity:

"… what fascinates me is the way in which the Internet can unleash acts of generosity and true connection.

Truth is, anyone who goes online takes advantage of the kindness of strangers.  Wikipedia is the most famous example.  Still, sites like Amazon, eBay, Yelp, and TripAdvisor are also valuable because of the feedback provided gratis by millions of people.

When it comes to sites such as PatientsLikeMe, or any of the thousands of message boards dedicated to infertility, cancer, and various other ailments, people get informed about life-and-death decisions based on volunteered information, while also deriving much-needed emotional support from strangers.

Sociologists attribute the desire to contribute to such communities to a “reputation economy,” in which people gain self-esteem and standing by giving away their time and opinion.  Information is the thing people will share most readily, followed by time, followed by goods."

Notice what she says in the last paragraph:  “…people gain self-esteem and standing by giving away their time and opinion.”  If this is true, then hiring managers should be among the most generous people around!  In essence, recruiting boils down to continually raising your “standing” in the eyes of your candidates (over a sustained period of time) until the candidate feels compelled to join your team.

What can you be giving away to your candidates?  

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Editor's Note:  This article was written by Ben Hess.  Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Five Elements of a Great Business Vision: Guest Blog

Last edition, I recommended that you peruse Dan Foster's blog site to see an example of someone who brands well.  Below is a guest post by Dan, a Branch Manager for Prudential Northwest Properties in the Portland metropolitan area. In addition to being a Branch Manager and active blogger, Dan is also a Life Coach, husband, and father of two children. If you're interested, he can also be followed on Twitter.

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"There is an ancient Hebrew Proverb that states 'Where there is no vision, the people will  perish.'  The more I talk to people in this economic season the more I am convinced this proverb is true.  This week my team and I will be focusing on the story of our business – our vision.  Some will be developing a vision for the first time and some will be reconnecting with the vision they created in the past.  All of us will be thinking about the story we want to tell our clients, coworkers, community and loved ones in the years ahead.

My friends at Building Champions have helped me layout five key components of a meaningful and effective business vision.

1. Convictions:  Vision begins with identifying the values and guiding principles that you are willing to hold true to no matter the consequences.  They should represent the core of who you are as a person.  People often use words like honesty, integrity, and great customer service.  This part of your vision statement must go deeper though by identifying not just the conviction but the behaviors associated with living out that conviction.  For example:

Life-long Learning:  Passionately pursue lifelong learning and personal development through reading, attending conferences, and networking with other professionals.

2. Purpose:  Your vision statement must answer the question, why does your business exist?  We all have to know the deeper reason behind why we do what we do each day.  Is it all just for money?  Is it just about making widgets or providing some service?  I believe your purpose is what gets us through challenging times and reminds you to keep fighting the good fight even when nothing seems to be going right.  For example my personal business purpose statement is:

To coach and train professionals to be purposeful in their business and life.

That statement motivates me and reminds me that what I do each day is more than just the supervision and oversight of real estate transactions, more than just training classes, and more than just answering the 'got a minute' questions.  It’s about helping people conduct their business with purpose and intentionality each day so they can reach new levels of success both personally and professionally.

3. Envisioned Future (Story):  Your envisioned future is your description of who you want to be and what you want to achieve over the next 5-10-20 years.  Remember you must be able to see your vision if you are going to achieve it.  This part of your vision statement takes the emotions, dreams, and motivation you have for your business and puts it into words.  The following is an excerpt from my team’s vision statement and talks about the culture of our office:

When you walk into our office you will find a warm and engaging environment that will be the beginning of a real estate experience.  Our administrative staff will understand they are on the front lines as directors of first impressions.  We will create a culture that invites our team members to be the best they can be in all areas of their lives.  Our team will consist of highly trained and passionate real estate agents that are driven by purpose in their life and business.  We will be a diverse group of sales leaders unified by our convictions and purpose.  We will be purpose driven brokers.

4. Key Areas of Development:  The key areas of development flow from your envisioned future and become the areas of your vision for you to start developing over time.  As I wrote the vision for the Sherwood and Newberg teams at Prudential Northwest Properties I identified common themes in the areas I was writing about and soon had my list of key areas of development:  Customer Service, Training, Coaching, Culture, Marketing, Recruiting, etc.  I spent time writing about what each of these areas would look like, how we would be perceived by our clients, and what it would feel like when we were fully developed in this area.  For example:

Our Community: We will actively participate in our community through service to our clients and through charitable donations and event sponsorships.  We will engage our communities by offering relevant and real time information on their real estate investments.  We will utilize the latest technology and best practices to serve our clients and community.  We will be known for our convictions and purpose.

Training:  Recognizing that people grow from interacting and learning from each other, our team members will regularly participate in various training experiences.  These training experiences will be relevant, market sensitive, and provide an opportunity for team members to learn from their peers, develop new skills, and perfect their natural talents.

Coaching:  Our culture will be one that is fueled by our convictions and accountability.  100% of the team will be involved in a coaching experience on a bi-weekly basis.  We will model service and balance.  We will hold each other accountable to living our Life Plans and will not allow our careers to take us off track.  Coaching will be the cornerstone experience for a team member’s individual development.

5. Compelling Ambitions:  Your compelling ambitions must be clear and motivating.  They will become the unifying focal point of your efforts and the catalyst for team spirit and motivation.  They must also be measurable and have a clear finish line so you know when you have reached them.  These goals should be big enough that people doubt whether they can be achieved but attainable with you and your team giving your entire heart to the cause.  For example:

Achieve the #1 position in overall market share for both active listings and closed units in Yamhill County, the city of Newberg, and the city of Sherwood by 2013.

Be patient as you go through this process.  It can be challenging and even awkward.  However, I’m convinced the reward is worth the hard work.  If you would like a copy of the tool that I use for creating and revising my business vision please contact me.

Question:  Do you have a business vision for your career, the people you lead, or the company you own?

Make it a great day!

Coach Dan"

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Editor's Note:  This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn.  Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.

Branding Example for the Real Estate Manager

A couple of weeks ago, Ben wrote a series of well-received articles on employment branding, as it relates to managers and the importance of recruiting and retaining high-caliber agents and candidates.

Long before "branding" was ever a topic of discussion, a leading pioneer in in the field of I/O (Industrial Organizational) Psychology, stated that he always begins working with an organization by first asking this question:

"What is it that you are known for, and how are you furthering that knowledge to others?"

Whether you know it or not, you are known for something.  You may not be aware of what it is and may need to spend some time exploring and assessing your strengths and what you stand for.  If you haven't yet, please do read Ben's series on branding (1,2,3,4).

Then...check out Dan Foster's blog...

Dan, manager at Prudential Northwest Properties, based in Portland Oregon, is a very skillful brander.  He has obviously worked hard to articulate and build further an identity for himself that resonates with who he is, and what he values.  You'll notice that he's certainly not trying to be everything to everyone... He is simply conveying and repeating his message again and again...

And so, instead of me taking your time today, allow me to redirect you to Dan's site so that you can spend some quality time pursuing ideas on how to further your brand, and better yet, your mark on this world...  

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Editor's Note:  This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn.  Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.  Comments or questions are welcome.  If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email.  If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.