How do you really motivate others?  You lead others by making them do what you want done because they want to do it.  You know that it is said that you can bring a horse to water but can't make it drink.  Well, you can if you make the horse thirsty first. How do you get others to do what you want done.  You make sure that they know that there is something in it for them.  Understanding what motivates others will make you an effective leader. Here are leadership philosophies from two well-known management consultants. “Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.” —Peter Drucker “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” —Kenneth B... 04/05/2015

There is a difference between power and authority. As broker or business owner you have the authority by virtue of your role. However, your power is granted by those on your team or those you supervise. You may have noticed in your workplace that people without titles have been sought out by others for advice and approval. They have been granted power by others by virtue of their leadership skills not their job title. When working with leadership teams here in Westchester County NY I ask the question, "How much power do you have?" If you are not sure why not ask the people around you to give you some guidance. And if you have employees make sure you ask them.   Ask them what they feel is your biggest leadership challenge and what you can do to improve it. Asking others for their opinion... 03/29/2015

Real Estate Agents are not employees.  They are independent contractors or entrepreneurs.  This team arrangement is not unique to Real Estate.  Insurance, financial planners, and consulting, to name a few are teams of independent contractors. These teams of associates can be spread out over a large geographic area.  The is one of the advantages of technology. Today there are more teams that work virtually than ever before. Many teams members have home offices and some don't even have a seat in the main office. Regardless of the composition of the team, the things needed to create traditional high performing teams also apply to teams that work from independent locations and should be considered virtual teams.  An effective team needs to have a visionary and motivating leader combined wit... 03/22/2015

Sometimes after a long day you just want to sit down and have some comfort food.  My wife and I had a long day in the city and drove back to Armonk in traffic.  We decided to stop at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, Amore Pizzeria and Pasta.  Actually, I was in the mood for a burger tonight.   We were early enough to have lots of room.  It has a great view through the window onto a porch that is great in the summer. Here is the information on Amore: Location: 1 Kent Place, Armonk, NY 10504 Phone: 273-3535 Web Site: amorearmonk.com   Information and photos provided by Grant Schneider, Performance Development Strategies.    Would you like to know how to make your local business thrive?   Contact us! 03/18/2015

A team is only as good as its weakest link.  As leader of a team you need to make sure that there are no weak links.  The Westchester County Businesses that I coach do not work on strengthening those weak links.  No, they work on leveraging each individual's strengths.  They insist on having the right team member in the right job.  If a person is wrong for one job that person could be perfect for another job.  Many different strengths make a team.  The combination of these  different strengths creates a high performing team. Everyone has talents and non-talents. A person’s non talent is not a problem by itself. However, it can become a problem if he or she is placed in a job requiring the use of that non talent. By helping your team utilize all of its individual strengths you will push ... 03/15/2015

Most of the information  I read talks about how to deal with the Millennials as workers and as customers. That might work for your marketing if your target market is only Millennials but might not solve issues in your work team.  We have three generations and understanding all three generations is the only way leverage the talents of your team not to mention your marketplace. The understanding of the differences of the three generations will help create high performing teams and help you understand your customer base and what motivates them. As I work with my Westchester County NY organizations I constantly hear voices of frustration. A frustrated manager says “The kids today don’t want to work. I can’t get any good help.” Or it might be a manager of a team of professionals complaining ... 03/08/2015

Nicole Doty - Gilbert Real Estate Expert inspired me with her post Can You Handle the Truth. No one wants to intentionally tell a lie.  On the other hand everyone wants to be liked and this fact can prevent people from saying what needs to be said.  I am not saying that you should offer a truthful remark that might be hurtful but when dealing with clients it never pays to conceal less than positive news.  I am reminded of "You can't handle the truth!"  When we service our clients we sometimes think that they can't handle the truth or they will go to our competitor.  Therefore, we end up making promises we can't keep. What happen's when we under perform after we over promised? We have an angry customer and we may lose the customer.  Wouldn't have been  better to tell the truth.  Most cus... 02/22/2015

If you have been having great business success you know that it is not by accident.  You created a business plan and stayed focused on the execution of that plan.  Show me an unfocused business and I will show you one that has no direction and is in a state of disarray.  Of course, you do need to be ready to change but it must be change with purpose and direction. Being focused means paying attention to details while seeing the big picture. Successful entrepreneurs can not be successful by running around putting out fires and trying just about every new thing that comes along.  That won't work but neither will complacency.  "If it’s not broke don’t fix it" is not a winning strategy.  In order to remain successful the business owner must be able to change but must remain focused. How are... 02/15/2015

Let me ask a question.  Is there any other reason to create a team other than to grow your business?  If you want to grow your business by growing your team you must empower your team to act independently.  That sounds so simple and it is.  In fact, those brokers and owners who have been giving their team the tools to act independently are growing much more rapidly than those who are creating roadblocks by holding too much control or not training and developing their team.  Clearly, empowerment of the team creates better outcomes. Unfortunately, some owners and managers find it very hard to let go. In some cases the need to be right prevents the manager from trusting the team members. If this fear of not being right is stopping you from letting go then you might want to ask yourself the... 02/08/2015

I also like to go to Starbucks.  In fact I sometimes call it my second office.  But there is a warm and comfortable coffee shop right in the center on Armonk. The Tazza Café has been located on Main Street in Armonk for years.  Just last year it moved to a much larger location at 400 Main Street.  This location is ideal for a snack and coffee, to work on your computer or to have client meetings.  This has quickly become my meeting place of choice. There is also a great menu but I really love their freshly made chocolate chip cookies. You can enter Tazza Café from the street or through the parking lot. This outdoor picture is much more inviting in the summer with the tables outside. Inside is modern and cozy and great for meetings. You can get more information on Tazza Café on their webs... 02/04/2015

I recently asked a Linked in Group if they thought lack or knowledge or bad habits created failure.  The overwhelming majority responded that it is bad habits that create failure.  When I started my business I asked another coach why most businesses fail.  He answered with the statement, "They spend all of their time getting ready to go to work."  The time just never seems right or I have to learn to do more things or go to more training.   There seems to be a conflict with what the people on Linked In told me and why many people say they can't get going and ultimately fail.  It might be a mental block or blind spot but many people feel they have to learn more and prepare more to succeed but many have acknowledged that the habits and behaviors and not the lack of knowledge are the thing... 02/01/2015

Yesterday, most of the Northeast from Washington DC to Maine was hunkering down for what was supposed to be the biggest storm ever.  Here in Westchester County New York we were all cleaning out the supermaket shelves and the snow shovels at Home Depot and the hardware stores. You can never take things for granted.  After all Buffalo had 7 feet of snow just a few weeks ago.  Everyone with generators even had them ready.   I woke up this morning and it was still snowing.  Then before noon the sun came out I and I decided to do the big cleanup.   This is what my driveway looked like when I opened the garage.  It did not look that bad. After I finished cleaning the driveway in the picture below: Not very much snow at all.  It certainly was not the 3 feet predicted.  I am not complaining.  I... 01/27/2015

If you have ever used a compass you know that it always points to true North.  In the same manner your values are your personal compass keeping you on the right track as you achieve your goals.  It is important to achieve your goals but you should never violate your core values.  In a previous post, DO YOU REALLY KNOW YOUR WHY, I talk about the WHY being the most important thing.  Much of your “why” is derived from your core values. These are your non negotiables—the ideals you live by. Your compass stays true so that you can stay on course to get to your destination.  It keeps you on course by providing a constant reference point--a value.   Your core values operate much the same way. It is important to define your core values. That way you and others will know what you stand for. If y... 01/25/2015

A good manager broker has proper controls in place.  But if you have too much control it could be counter productive. With regard to your own clients and your individual business you need to be in control to see that nothing gets derailed. I have found that some owners here in Westchester County NY struggle with the balance of having adequate business controls and controlling to the point of smothering. A business is started by an owner with a vision. Perhaps it is someone who has worked as an agent and wants to take the big step of becoming a broker owner. Or it really could be any other business as well because these principles are universal.  He or she has all of the requisite skills and works hard IN the new business He or she has to attend to every detail and if he or she forgets o... 01/18/2015

Have you noticed that everyone mentions goals at some point in their blogs.  All successful business plans have goals and timetables.  But there are still some people that say, "I don't believe in goals or I have my goals in my head."  My answer to those comments: First, if you don't know where you are going (no goals) how will you know when you get there?   Second, if you go to the supermarket you probably have a list because you don't want to rely on your memory.  Besides that, if you don't buy what you need and want you will have to go back again. And that is the most important point about successful goal achievement.  The goal must represent a want or need and you need to know why you want or need to achieve that goal.  "WHY" is indeed the operating question. Why do want to achieve ... 01/12/2015

About 30 years ago I read a book by Robert Schuller called The Peak to Peek Principle.  It talks about reaching new peaks in your career and life.  And then when you reach that peak you can peek to the new plateau.  In other words, success is a journey and not a destination.   Well yesterday I reached a new peak in Active Rain of 400,000 points.  Now I can more than peek to 500,000 and beyond.  I met the goal I had set for myself and I was one day ahead of my stretch goal. Actually the journey has been just as rewarding as the destination.  I have learned from all of you in the Active Rain community.  You really are the best bloggers for meaningful content and I am very proud to be part of this community.   01/10/2015

This is a call for all entrepreneurs in Westchester County New York, Fairfield or Rockland Counties.  Now is you time to take your business to the next level. Are you an entrepreneur who has been in business for two years?  Maybe you have already spent many hours working on building your business.  If you are looking to make you business a lasting and sustainable business I urge you to attend this year's Academy for Entrepreneurial Excellence. The Academy is a cooperative effort between the Business Council of Westchester and Westchester Communtiy College.  Many of the business success stories in Westchester have come from the Academy. This is a 12 week course taught on Tuesday nights beginning January 27, 2015.  There is a free orientation session on Tuesday, January 20, 2015. In addit... 01/07/2015

It has taken me some time to think about my Pay It Forward.  In my opinion Pay it Forward is helping people from whom you could never expect anything.  Although that is really not tue because the satisfaction you get from a warm smile of gratitude is all that is needed. I have have volunteered at a self help group called Women Helping Women.  It is a group sponsored by a faith based organization but is open to all.  The group is open to women who are unemployed.  To be more specific this is a group of middle aged women who find themselves in unfamiliar territory and are, quite frankly, stuck and even scared.  They could have been the victims of a corporate downsize, for example.  I am sure there are readers that can relate to this.  In any event, these women are talented people who are ... 12/31/2014

When I teach people goal setting and goal achievement I use New Years resolutions as examples of goals that don't have a strong why.  Many times people make resolutions as they are celebrating on New Years Eve.   My favorite example the the New Years resolution to go to the gym.  I go to the gym and today I had the entire place almost to myself.   Off to the distance one person is on the treadmill.  I have my choice of treadmills. I am enjoying it while I can.  Next week it will be crowed.  But no worries, by the end of February it will be empty again.   Do you have a strong why for your New Years resolution? 12/29/2014

Why did you become a Real Estate agent?  Or, for that matter, why did you choose your business or profession?  Why does it really matter anyway? Maybe you heeded the Nike slogan “Just do it!”  In my previous blog READY, SET, GO...WAIT I talked about procrastination.  If nothing is working maybe there is another reason.  PASSION. I was recently working with a Westchester County NY coaching client on his business development. He was struggling with his growth and was having trouble getting his team on board. He was having a hard time accomplishing the objectives that we have worked on together in his plan. These were the goals that he had established in previous sessions. After failing to complete some of the tasks we had outlined from our previous meetings over several weeks, I asked him... 12/28/2014