Look for Results, Not Salutes

Look for Results, Not Salutes

Wow.  Just wow!  For the real estate industry, this topic of leadership could not be timelier. We’ve just completed one week of vying for #1 in the industry.  Kudos to all the participants, kudos to all who contributed and congratulations to Keller Williams.  The right results will lead to amazing salutes.

How do you get there? As referenced in It’s Your Ship by Captain Michael Abrashoff, he references the hierarchy of the US Navy and just how things work and how you have to work to get things done.  The systems within the Navy are tried and true and rigid.  Real estate?  Not so much.  In our industry, personalities at the top have historically created and dominated culture and thus impacted results.  Undeniably, many major brands were fostered and molded after founders who demanded salutes and ruled the roost much like a bantam rooster in the barnyard and most closely modeling The Emperor’s New Clothes.

Hello, and welcome to the new era which demands true Leadership.  If you haven’t noticed, there is quite a huge movement in the U.S. and worldwide where leading by fear and ego no longer works.  Times have changed.  It’s time to model the success of the USS Benfold and lead to make your ship (whether it be a Team, Office, Franchise, small group, church, school or non-profit) “The Best Damn Ship in the Navy.”

Here are Captain Abrashoff’s Top 5 Recommendations that we believe we should consider:

Help Knock Down the Barriers

One key action (action here is paramount) that the Captain implemented was to sit and eat with the crew.  If you have military experience, you might understand how game changing this act of leadership was and its long-term impact.  Rather than sitting in special quarters with invited guests, this Captain sat among his crew and opened lines of communication.  He listened to and conversed with his team.

• Who do you need to be talking with and listening to?
• How and where do you need to show up every day?
• What impact could this have on your organization?

Let Your Crew Feel Free to Speak Up

At some point as Captain, Leader, Founder or Emperor, you need to sit among the crew and listen to their concerns and needs.  Building walls, eliminating those who speak up and don’t agree with you will have devastating results.  It is as simple as realizing that if there is no fabric in the loom, eventually that truth will leak out.

When the behavior of leaders and managers reflects that they are above their people, when they make and announce decisions with little or no consultation and do not solicit and listen to the “boots on the ground,” when they make it clear that their orders are not to be questioned, then conditions are ripe for disaster.

Every leader has the opportunity and power to prevent this disaster.  Surrounding yourself with underlings who agree with you is not a viable solution to build your brand, team or organization better or stronger. What will create and sustain success is to sit among the crew and allow and encourage them to feel free to speak up, contribute and be heard.

Nurture Freedom to Fail

Empowerment is a word that I use quite often.  Perhaps even too often. Yet to me, empowerment is not a four-letter word. It is an action that allows others to understand and refine and often discover their skills and strengths.  It is giving talent the space and fuel to develop.  Too many think of empowerment as allowing people to run wild and free. Absolutely not.  Empowerment is setting expectations and providing “rails” or “parameters” to encourage individuals, groups, teams and organizations to work and give them permission to “fail forward.”  The result?  Success and growth beyond their wildest dreams and imagination.  When this happens, the entire organization benefits.

Innovation Knows No Rank

My professional journey could not be more diverse than a military background.  It often resembled:  Ready, Set…Aim.  It was definitely failing forward and learning from the mistakes made.  The greatest growth in business and leadership occurred when I got out of the way!  Let me repeat that, I got out of the way and allowed others to do their job!

I’ve never had a problem hiring people much smarter than me.  Never.  What I was challenged with was giving them the freedom to make great decisions by implementing great systems, making changes and creating a bit of disruption by coloring outside the lines I had drawn.  Once I let go of my ego, listened to the village and allowed others to have a voice…our business soared beyond expectation.

Challenge Your Crew Beyond Its Reach

The taste of success in all industries can be the catalyst for a number of emotions that impact both the mindset and work ethic of an organization.  It may cause a desire to be bigger, bolder, faster and greater or it may feed a feeling of arrogance, compliancy and over-confidence. When we talk about challenging your crew…we talk about the entire organization.  Top down. Without exception, the entire organization should be encouraged to:

• Lead by Example
• Listen Aggressively
• Communicate with Purpose and Meaning
• Create a Climate of Trust
• Look for Results, not Salutes
• Take Calculated Risks
• Go Beyond Standard Procedure
• Build Up Your People
• Generate Unity
• Improve Your People’s Quality of Life

And as always, be a resource, not a sales pitch.