If you are growing your real estate business by adding more agents what is your next step?  The answer is onboarding and setting expectations and empowering them to create their own success. It has been proven time and time again that an owner who empowers his or her team by giving them authority to make decisions and control outcomes is many times more successful than a manager who holds the control. Management teams in Westchester County NY that have been following this advice have been seeing their sales increase and their employee turnover decrease. Clearly empowerment of staff creates better outcomes.Unfortunately, managers and executives find it very hard to let go and allow their staff to drive results. In some cases, the need to be right prevents the manager from trusting his or... 02/27/2017

Do you know a good leader when you see one? Choosing leaders for your real estate teams is the first step to creating a high performing team.  The selection of  a leader with the correct  leadership traits depends on understanding your environment.  And the environment such as type of organization, team demographics, mission, and goals will determine the leader. A wonderful trait of one leader in one type of organization could be a liability in your organization.A good leader is effective and effectiveness means understanding the situation, the team, and the desired results.Rather than being born a leader the traits needed can, most of the time, be developed. Traits like knowledge and skills, however, do not guarantee success. It is more necessary for a leader to develop successful habi... 02/20/2017

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day.  Ours was delightful.We were surprised to get a reservation at one of our favorite spots, Trattoria 632.This is a friendly restaurant located  on Anderson Hill Road just outside the entrance to Purchase College.  We sampled the Valentine's menu.  My wife had the baby New Zealand lamb chops, broccoli rabe, and roasted potatoes.  I started with mesculin greens followed by homemade heart shaped ravioli in pink champagne sauce.Now that is a nice presentation.  I highly recommend Trattoria 632, 632 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY  10577. Information provided by Grant Schneider, Performance Development Strategies.  Would you like to know how to make your local business thrive? Contact us!  02/14/2017

“How am I doing?” Those of you living in New York City might remember when Mayor Koch used to ask his constituents that question. Asking that question with your business is very powerful because it tells your staff and your clients that they matter.That they matter is an understatement. First of all, exceeding your client’s expectations is essential to creating loyal clients and increasing your client base. In order to have loyal clients you need to have an engaged and loyal team and you need to know that everyone is working. "You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!” This well-known line was uttered by Jack Nicholson in the move, A Few Good Men. Do you think is a little difficult to hear the hard truth? That is the case with some organizations including real estate teams. It is ... 02/13/2017

I strongly believe that you must select people with share values for your real estate team or any other team.  Most successful groups select people with shared values and who match the team and company culture. For certain types of positions it is very important to hire the people that have the core competencies.  But it is just as important that each new hire shares the organizations values. Most experienced managers will attest to the fact that most of the terminations occur not because of skills but because of attitude and values.In Westchester County New York I have worked with many industries ranging from real estate, construction, retail, service and hospitality, nonprofit, and manufacturing. I have made the same observation in all of these industries. Those running the business b... 02/06/2017

There is so much more to putting together a real estate team than just attracting people to work with you. Yes it is true that your first role as leader is to select the right people. But after you have hired the right people your challenge as a leader is to keep them engaged and producing results. An engaged team will produce loyal customers and loyal customers will lead to a sustainable business. In the current competitive market it is not enough to be just good, you must also exceed customers’ expectations. This takes a coordinated effort of individuals that work together toward a common goal. You may have heard it said that there is no “I” in team. This is true and it means that individuals who are qualified and intelligent but do not work well with others will lead to failure. The ... 01/30/2017

No one likes change. As a broker owner or a leader you many not like change but know that it is necessary.  This thing you must do to create change in your group is to totally embrace the change yourself. I recently met with the leaders of one of my Westchester County New York organizations to present results of an employee survey. The employees felt that there were a lot of changes but the staff felt that management was not keeping them informed. How does that affect your group?  Sales and marketing almost always suffers in times of great change because stress dramatically increases due to the universal fear of the unknown. Often senior leaders genuinely believe they are communicating with the team when it comes to matters that affect them. Unfortunately, they often underestimate the n... 01/23/2017

If your team is not following you then, perhaps, you are not leading them. When I consult with business owners in Westchester County New York often I hear comments about getting the staff to do the right things. Sometimes an owner is willing to place all the blame on the staff being lazy, unmotivated, or the like. Fortunately, most will ask how they can improve their ability to get the team behind them.You can change things by learning how to become a focused leader. A focused leader empowers engaged employees who in turn create loyal customers leading to growth and success. A Focused Leader - You may have the title of manager but that does not mean you are seen as the leader. As managers we can influence the process through which people recognize our leadership by creating an environme... 01/15/2017

Every day do you have the opportuntiy to do what you do best?  We make the best decisions when rely on our strengths rather than try to shore up your weaknesses. According to some psychologists 88% of the decisions you make on a daily basis rely on your natural talents and tendencies and that these are part of your subconscious. Your subconscious is an important, powerful, and much needed tool. The subconscious handles all of your basic physical functions like breathing, your heart rate, your immune system, etc. The subconscious mind holds the blueprint of your body as it is now and also the blueprint of your perfect health. Because your subconscious mind’s main objective is focused on survival, it can cause you to make decisions based on limited knowledge or beliefs or sometimes even f... 01/09/2017

 There have been a few Active Rain posts this week on New Years Resolutions.  If you have read them go to Beth Atalay 's and Ed Silva 's blog posts.  I am going to take a different spin on this.  When I conduct my goals classes I always talk about having a burning desire unlike that of most New Years Resolutions.  Here is why.Some people make New Year’s Resolutions and some simply don’t believe in them. I believe in goal achievement which is why I think that New Year’s Resolutions don’t work. Many are made in a ritual manner somewhat like turning the calendar or they are made hastily at a party.Small wonder that the gyms are filled in January but empty by April. A goal is tied to a driving dream that you have that is specific and measurable and has a timetable. It does not just pop into... 01/01/2017

Do you have more work each day than you have time in the day? If that is the case time may be managing you rather than the other way around. My Westchester County NY business owners tell me that one of their biggest challenges is having enough time. We all have 24 hours a day. No one has more time. It may appear that way because of the way they make time work for them. Unfortunately, many of us feel overwhelmed and that causes them to see their life spinning out of control.   Having a system in place will not alone solve the problem because time management is really not a time management issue. No, you first need to know your purpose. So here are some tips on surviving being overwhelmed. 1. Know Your Purpose and Focus like a Laser. Know your vision, your goals, and your plans because th... 12/25/2016

Debbie Laity has challenged us to show our home with the holiday theme.  I have decided to do some night shots showing the decorations.  So lets begin:This is a landmark--the Hickory and Tweed Ski shop.  This shop says winter holidays and it is all lit up now.  The owner of this shop, Skip, is a graduate of the University of Vermont and is an avid skiier.  He also hosts the receptions for the accepted students at the University of Vermont who come from this area.  Think snow when you drive by here. Also on Armonk's Main street is the new Armonk Square:Armonk Square is lined with blue and white lights and, of course, Frosty the Snowman.  Frosty has a special home in Armonk because the writer of the song Frosty the Snowman cam from Armonk.Now let's go back to our house:Ever since when I w... 12/21/2016

 Are you spending so much time working IN your business that you never get around to working ON your business?I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Melissa Zavala also mentioned working ON vs IN your business in her blog Watch Out Your Sales Pipeline May Be in Danger.   I talk about E Myth all the time in my entrepreneurs program.  Here is my spin on it.Michael Gerber discusses this in his book “The E Myth Revisited.”  The E-Myth or the entrepreneurial myth as described by Gerber incorrectly assumes that the desire of the new business owner or entrepreneur, plus capital, plus a profit goal will result in success. But this has not spelled success for business and the lack of the true understanding of what it takes has caused businesses to fail. Some businesses may survive due to ext... 12/18/2016

Lack of Communication can cause all types of problems.  It affects our personal relationships and our business relationships.Think about the last time you did something but it did not turn out as you expected.  Chances are it had something to do with your communication.  Perhaps you have learned from this and gotten a "Do Over" that you would like to share in this month's contest.  For those who haven't, here are some thoughts to consider. We communicate to get an expected response from someone else. But sometimes, in fact often, we do not get the response we expect.   One powerful reason for this failure is that we talk more than we listen. We are so concerned with making our own points and having someone understand us that we do not take the time to understand the other person. How of... 12/11/2016

Larry Johnston has asked us to share ways we use to stay connected with our  clients.  First of all - a little bit about my clients.  Unlike residential real estate my clients are small to mid size businesses.  However, like real estate the engagements  are large but infrequent.  That is to say that I will work with a client on something in their business and then the process is complete. This is similar to a homeowner selling or buying a home.  Of course, there is the possibility for repeat business but usually not for a while.First of all, I send a monthly newsletter to my clients which is filled with information helpful in their business.  This has worked very well and I can tell by the Constant Contact metrics the amount of engagement.In addition, I do occasional seminars.  I promot... 12/07/2016

You cannot motivate someone to achieve. The only thing you can do is create a spark that will build the fire of motivation from within. That inner fire will drive motivation.What about you? Do you have something burning inside you? Frankly, if you do not have the WHY the HOW will not matter. We can also refer to that WHY as your PASSION. Motivation and goal achievement are interrelated. Knowing what motivates you is a key to achievement and knowing how to find motivation in others is a key to leadership. Dwight Eisenhower said that leadership is getting others to do what you want because THEY want to do it. Reach down and find that motivation and bring it to the surface. What is your passion? If you are not sure why not start by doing a dream inventory. List every dream you have. I woul... 12/04/2016

Most real estate agents are working on their goals and plans for 2017.  If you do this every year then your are probably doing an annual goals review aned adjusting things for 2017 based on future projects and your previous experience.Who should be working on their goals and plan for 2017? The answer is everyone; entrepreneurs and business owners, managers and executives, students and other individuals. Right now I am working with businesses and executives in Westchester County New York on their annual goals review.Setting a goal is not like a New Year's resolution. That is just a wish. Just wishing and hoping for something isn't going to make it happen. Setting a goal is having a target to shoot for and a plan to get there.When planning your goals, choose which categories you would lik... 11/27/2016

 If you have a dream it will not be realized unless you take action. You will need to put that dream in action with a time table.  But before you take action you need a blueprint. These blueprints are called your goals.  There are several very important steps to goal achievement.Let’s start the process imagining your dreams. Do an inventory of your dreams and put them on paper. Visual and verbalize them. This will build the motivation to achieve your goal. If you have made goals in the past and have not achieved them one reason may be that you did not have a burning desire and, therefore, not driven to achieve them. New Year’s resolutions fall into this category many times.When you think about your life, your daily journey, how well do you plan and organize it? Your life’s journey is th... 11/20/2016

Frosty the Snowman will return to his hometown of Armonk on Saturday, November 27.  This is the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.Now let's hope that weather welcomes him.You many wonder what I mean by returning to his home town.  Armonk resident Steve Edward Nelson was the creater of the lyrics of Frosty the Snowman.The festivities begin on Main Street in Armonk at 12:30.  Then at 4pm the parade begins with a lighting ceremony at 4:30pm.Come out and enjoy it.  More information here.   Information provided by Grant Schneider, Performance Development Strategies.  Would you like to know how to make your local business thrive? Contact us!  11/16/2016

We know that being in real estate can be rewarding.  But we also know that with that reward comes risk.  If you do not want the risk it is best to get a regular job.  Taking control of your own future involves taking responsibility for loss but you also get to have all of the gain.  But, you must be ready to step out of your comfort zone.  When you step out of your comfort zone you begin to see real progress. I was recently coaching a Westchester County NY business executive. She wants to advance in her career. She has been working hard but playing it safe and wondering when she is going to get her “turn.” She said she was waiting for the right time. What is the right time?Another way to describe the right time is what I would call “Getting ready to go to work”. For example, “I still do... 11/13/2016