So what do you do if they’re not aligned?
When we talk about values, your mind probably went straight to property values. But this time we’re talking about the values of those you work with. And as can happen with a vendor, our values can be misaligned. So what can you do when your values don’t match those of your colleagues?
We’ll cover some ways to approach this later.
But first it’s important to understand the importance of having a common understanding of your company values and making sure those values are brought to life in meaningful ways.
Most importantly values shouldn’t just be some words on a wall - they must be upheld by everyone throughout the organisation.
Let's face it, there’s probably no industry that needs to uphold its values more than real estate. The public perception of our industry isn’t great (unrightfully so, in my view but we can’t ignore that it is what it is). While words like honesty, integrity and trust feature in just about every agent’s marketing, it takes just one agent to breach these values for everything to fall apart.
And the problem may be that these words are just words. Great company values should go beyond this. They should be easily understood, they shouldn’t be subjective, and they must be actionable.
An example. At URBAN X our values go beyond single words. Every team member is introduced to the values when they join, and the values are reinforced proactively with training and ‘value focus’ weeks. People are regularly held to account when their behaviour doesn’t meet the company values. Moreso, everyone uses the behaviours to crosscheck and hold themselves, and their peers, accountable (and we do!).
But why does this matter?
One of the most common reasons we get when a new agent chooses to build their own brand is because their values no longer match that of the brand (and people) they work with. Although values are spoken about they aren’t always adhered to.
Sales targets can trump values. Getting listings can muddy the water. Inter-office competitiveness can blur the lines. What’s the impact? Values go out the door and soon top performers follow - seeking a better place to thrive.
By building a brand of your own, you have the chance to create a business around values that are important to you. Not someone else’s. And you regain the control to ensure those who work with you align to your values too.
As the market becomes more competitive, lesser agents will become tempted to forget their values just to get the listing. This is an opportunity for you to build your reputation and brand further. By sticking to your values, and calling out misalignment of values within your team if they do occur, you’ll continue to attract great clients and great agents to your business.
