Category Archives: Leadership

Posted on

How the 14 Marine Corps Leadership Traits Apply to Your Business – Part 1

by

Last week marked the eight year anniversary of my honorable discharge from the Marine Corps.  It also marked the eight year anniversary of the start of my career in Commercial Real Estate.

2012 11 04 21 58 11

My family also moved into a new home last week.  It has been a while since we last moved.  I feel like a bomb exploded in my new home.  The important thing, however, is that my wife and I are both parking in the garage!

Today, I was organizing my closet.  Hanging there next to my ties and dress shirts were my old Marine Corps uniforms.  They caused me to think back 8+ years to my former life.  So much of my life now is influenced by my enlisted years.  Just as the old meets the new in my closet, so much of the USMC leadership traits apply to running a business.

There are 14 Marine Corps Leadership Traits.  You can remember them by the acronym JJ DID TIE BUCKLE:  justice, judgment, decisiveness, integrity, dependability, tact, initiative, endurance, bearing, unselfishness, courage, knowledge, loyalty, and enthusiasm.

How the 14 Marine Corps Leadership Traits Apply to You – and Me

  1. Justice – Think firm but fair.  Everyone in your organization needs to know that the rules apply across the board.  Massey-Knakal, the number one CRE firm in New York City, is a great example of this.  Everyone has the same split.  Remember Barry Bonds as a San Francisco Giant?  He had a special recliner – a special trainer.  The rules did not apply to him.  The rules and expectations must apply justly to everyone.  The alternative is a crumbling organization.  How do you rate your organization?
  2. Judgment – Judgment is the ability to quickly make good decisions under duress.  Everything in our experience is speeding up.  You must have the ability to make good decisions with available and incomplete information.  You will make the wrong call, but can you own it and lead through it?
  3. Decisiveness – The Marine Corps operates on the 70% rule.  This states that decisive action based on 70% information is better than a slow decision based on complete information.  Complete information, in my opinion, is a fallacy.  It never happens.  Speed kills.  Your ability to out outmaneuver and out-flank your competition is dependent upon you being decisive and fast.  I just hired a landscaper for the sole reason that he got back to me much quicker than his competition.  Can this be said of your business?
  4. Integrity – My mentor was lamenting recently that integrity has come to mean that people do what they say.  Is that not sad?  Integrity is so much more than doing what you say.  Integrity is absolute consistency – whether all eyes are on you or not.  Integrity is the bedrock of a person’s character.  It is what earns the respect of your team members and peers.  Does this describe you?
  5. Dependability – I read somewhere that, “Marines develop solutions – not excuses!”  This perfectly defines dependability.  Can your clients depend on you to do what you were hired to do?  Can your team members depend on you to be prepared and ready to exceed expectations on a task?  I hear Dave Ramsey say all the time that a contractor who shows up on-time, every time, will never lack for work.  How dependable would your clients say you are?
  6. Tact – Marines are misunderstood when it comes to tact.  Tact is delivering a message in an appropriate way.  In other words, how a message is communicated is as important as the message itself.  My father-in-law was an outstanding coach.  He had tremendous tact and the ability to read his players.  He had players who responded to positive encouragement.  He also had players who responded to a boot up the rear-end.  He communicated with them accordingly.  What about your clients?  Do you pay enough attention to do the same?
  7. Initiative – Someone with initiative never needs to be told what to do.  Initiative is always looking for ways to improve – customer-service, internal systems, etc.  In my opinion, initiative is the single most effective way to get promoted – or get hired.  Couple initiative with the practice of giving value upfront for free – unstoppable combination!  Is initiative a core part of your company’s DNA?

Let me hear from you.  Of these first 7 traits, which one describes your leadership the best?  Which one could use the most improvement?

There was an issue loading your timed LeadBox™. Please check plugin settings.
Posted on

Top Posts for October

by

 

In case you missed them, here are the top posts from October.

How to Shave 30 Minutes A Day Managing Email – If you are like me, you have learned to hate email.  I remember when email was the “new thing.”  Getting email gave you that warm and fuzzy feeling.  It made you feel important.  Remember the movie You’ve Got Mail?  Read More…

The 5 Steps to a Paperless Office – All my data is in the cloud.  All my data is accessible to me anywhere my iPhone has a signal.  I can access it on the fly.  It means I can jump on opportunities with lightning speed.  And speed kills.  In today’s post, I am going to share with you what you need to achieve the paperless office, and the steps to take to get there.  Read More…

12 Keys to Becoming a Top Producer – Faster!  Part 1 – The Commercial Real Estate industry – or any industry really – is often so different from the Marine Corps.  I’m specifically thinking about advancement – growth – achievement.  In the Marines, there was a formula for promotion – at least at the lower enlisted ranks.  I knew exactly how to earn a promotion.  Read More…

12 Keys to Becoming a Top Producer – Faster!  Part 2 – The path to success is not clearly marked.  It is muddled.  It is foggy.  You realize you have gone off the path as you get up from the ditch.  In this 2-part post, I want to help shed light on the path to success by sharing the 12 keys to becoming a top producer – faster!  In this post…  Read More…

5 Steps to Crafting a Powerful Elevator Speech – In a previous post – 12 Keys to Becoming a Top Producer – Faster! – I shared that one of those keys is reading.  I mentioned in that section that I had wanted to improve the impact of my elevator speech so I read Small Message, Big Impact by Terri Sjodin.  Great book.  This is a must read for anyone in sales.  By the way, we are all in sales…  Read More…

4 Reasons Why Debriefing Should be a Staple of Your Business – Admittedly, I was the Marine Corps geek.  Every Marine is a rifleman – I get that.  But I was an intel weenie.  I remember a particular exercise where my company went on a 5 mile hump.  A hump is basically a forced march.  You wear “Boots and Utes” and carry a pack of some amount of weight.  On this particular exercise, I believe I was carrying 50 lbs – pretty light…  Read More…

There was an issue loading your timed LeadBox™. Please check plugin settings.
Posted on

4 Reasons Why Debriefing Should Be a Staple of Your Business

by

Admittedly, I was the Marine Corps geek.  Every Marine is a rifleman – I get that.  But I was an intel weenie.  I remember a particular exercise where my company went on a 5 mile hump.  A hump is basically a forced march.  You wear “Boots and Utes” and carry a pack of some amount of weight.  On this particular exercise, I believe I was carrying 50 lbs – pretty light for USMC norms.

I had bought new boots the day before.  Do you remember getting new shoes before the first day of school?  How excited you were?  That was me as a 24-year-old Sergeant Idiot.  I wore those new boots on this hump.  When we made the turn at the half-way point, I knew I was in trouble.  By the time we were done, my feet looked like hamburger.  My feet were so jacked up that I had to wear civilian clothes for a week before I could get my boots back on.

After this particular exercise, we did what Marines always do – debrief.  On that day, my CO (commanding officer) looked at me and said, “Barron, bad move with the new boots.  Smack yourself.”

Debriefing is a staple of the Marine Corps, and it should be for your business as well.  Formal debriefs allow for your team to pause.  It is a forced and scheduled pause, really.  Too often we jump from one task to the next without slowing down or taking a breath.  Valuable lessons that could be learned fall through the cracks.  We don’t learn from our mistakes.  We miss opportunities to improve.  We stop growing.

This post is not about how to debrief – it is about why.  However, I have four rules to guide a debrief.

  1. There is no rank in a debrief.  Everyone on the team must have the freedom to express themselves.  They must be able to articulate their experiences and opinions without fear.  The boss/manager may facilitate the debrief, but there should be no rank.
  2. There must be truth.  If your team is not going to tell the truth, don’t bother.  You are wasting your time.
  3. There must be emotion.  I’ve heard people talk about how this needs to be an emotionless process.  I don’t buy that.  Frankly, I don’t think it is possible.  If you are passionate about what you do, it is always personal.  Embrace your emotions and communicate them – though professionally.
  4. Everyone must participate.  The leader of the debrief must require that everyone engages, period.  The quiet guy in the corner has something to say.  If he doesn’t say it during the debrief, he will at the water cooler.  Not good.

The Four Reasons to Debrief

  1. Growth – I’m currently reading John Maxwell’s new book The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth (highly recommend, affiliate link).  He points out that teams that don’t stop and evaluate don’t grow.  Do you stop to debrief after a presentation?  What went well?  What didn’t?  What can I learn to improve next time?  What about after a closing, or an expired listing?  All of these are opportunities to stop and grow.
  2. Unity – Unity is a function of many things, but being on the same page is a huge part of it.  When your team members know they have an opportunity to contribute and be heard, unity is bred.  Unity is not the same thing as unanimity.  Everyone does not have to agree.  But if everyone has their say, dissenters can get both shoulders behind a decision because they were heard.
  3. Feedback – Feedback is hugely valuable to the leader.  During the pause of a debrief, the leader will get great feedback that would have been lost otherwise.  For instance, I’ve learned that I speak painfully slowly when I am thinking.  When I prepare, this is not an issue.  I never realized this until I was told during a debrief.
  4. Vision – Vision is clarity regarding direction.  It is the leader’s responsibility to have that clarity and then cast it.  Debriefs are perfect times to reinforce the vision of the company.  I solve my client’s problems and help them capitalize on their opportunities.  How did my marketing efforts the last 6 months accomplish that vision?  How could I do it better?

Now let me hear from you.  Is the debrief a staple of your business?  Share a story of a lesson learned during the pause of a debrief.

There was an issue loading your timed LeadBox™. Please check plugin settings.
Posted on

The 10 Commandments of MindPower Business

by

This is a guest post from Jack Turturici. Jack Turturici serves as a senior advisor for Sperry Van Ness specializing in the sale of industrial, multifamily and retail properties in Northern California. With over 30 years experience in the commercial real estate industry, Turturici has secured more than 420 transactions.

  1. Thou shalt have a great attitude. Great results always begin and end with a person creating and maintaining a great attitude. A positive attitude combined with gentle humor is the ultimate emotional fuel for optimal, stable performance.
  2. Thou shalt always believe in thyself. Believing in yourself is fundamental to building trust, persistence and self confidence. Know that you have the educated, well balanced skills to handle whatever happiness in your business.
  3. Thou shalt operate within your knowledge and imagination. Work within your ability level. Understand how you do business and maintain your progress according to your personal style.
  4. Thou shalt prioritize projects. Working projects in an order of importance is staying focused in the moment and putting your absolute best effort in to that single moment. Stay in the now.
  5. Thou shalt work with patience. Tenacity, sincerity and keeping your composure ensures that you will work with an emotional balance. It helps you to maintain a good rhythm and adhere to your desired strategy.Working with patience helps you stay in the present moment and concentrate fully on the jobs at hand.
  6. Thou shalt commit to every deal. Commitment to every deal gives you a chance to address every transaction with full intent and purposefulness. It also helps you implement positive action into every moment and eliminate negative anxiety.
  7. Thou shalt keep the game of business simple. The simplicity of your thoughts, flexibility and specificity of your intentions lead to greater efficiency and more consistent earnings.
  8. Thou shalt work with reasonable expectations. Expectations that are too high interfere with simply working your best. The only expectation that works in a performance setting is the expectation to be totally focused in the moment and strive to stay on the task in the moment.
  9. Thou shalt work with trust. Trust is the conscious letting go of over controlling tendencies of having to be perfect. When you work with trust you allow yourself to stay focused on your goal and forget worrying about the outcome. Working with trust is about letting go of trying too hard and just allowing your plans to unfold as they will.
  10. Thou shalt never, ever give up. Never giving up is about having emotional and mental resolve that suggests you won’t quit or give in. You will give your best effort on each transaction until the very end. This value is fundamental to success.

GOOD LUCK & GOOD HEALTH!

Jack Turturici

There was an issue loading your timed LeadBox™. Please check plugin settings.
Posted on

My Next Week at CRE B.O.S.S

by

I need to confess.  I am a huge University of Kentucky basketball fan.  Huge.  I have managed to successfully brainwash my children as well.  My parents met while attending UK.  I have been going to games my entire life.  If you don’t know already, after Louisville, Duke is the most hated rival that we have.  Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley….makes me feel icky.

My son and I with National Champion John Calipari and the John Calipari Father-Son Camp

So at this point you are wondering why am I talking college basketball?  Because I am excited about going to Duke University next week.  I never thought I would say that.

Next week is the Commercial Real Estate Broker Owner Success Summit (CRE BOSS) put on by the Massimo-Group at Duke University.  I will be there facilitating the Summit in my capacity as a coach for the Massimo-Group.

I’m excited because CRE BOSS is something new – fresh – different.  This isn’t the same old conference with the same speakers.  BOSS is something else.  This summit is an exclusive first-class event for Broker/Owners and has two goals:

  1. Maximize the Production of Your Individual Brokers – How do you give your brokers and advisors every competitive advantage to be successful?  How can you train and mentor them into becoming top producers?  How do you create self-motivated high achievers?
  2. Maximize the Value of Your Brokerage Firm – How do you control costs while enhancing the client experience?  How can you grow your firm?  Mergers and Acquisitions?  What kind of exit strategy or succession plan do you have?  Is your firm being built to be sold?

Not only is the focus of the Summit to benefit the broker/owner, but the speakers are world-class achievers themselves.  We will get to hear and learn from the likes of:

  • Bob Knakal, Chairman of New York City’s top firm Massey-Knakal
  • Finn Johnson, President and Founder of RunMyBusiness and 25 year veteran at all levels of the Commercial Real Estate Industry
  • Warren Greshes, Hall of Fame speaker, top-selling author and expert in sales, motivation and employee motivation
  • Lee Rust, Florida Corporate Finance, M&A and succession planning expert
  • Rod Santomassimo, CCIM – President and Founder of the Massimo-Group and author of the best-selling CRE book, Brokers Who Dominate

Be on the lookout for some post from CRE BOSS next week!

So answer this question for me.  What are you willing to do in 2013 to ensure that you are investing in yourself by attending events like this one?
There was an issue loading your timed LeadBox™. Please check plugin settings.
Posted on

12 Keys to Becoming a Top Producer – Faster! Part 2

by

The path to success is not clearly marked.  It is muddled.  It is foggy.  You realize you have gone off the path as you get up from the ditch.  In this 2-part post, I want to help shed light on the path to success by sharing the 12 keys to becoming a top producer – faster!  In this post, I cover the second 6 keys.  (You can find Part 1 here.)

In my last post, I introduced the first 6 keys to becoming a top producer – faster!  Before I share 7 – 12, let me briefly review the first 6:

  1. Obtain Knowledge
  2. Become a Student of Top Producers
  3. Hire a coach!
  4. Go to Conferences
  5. Read!
  6. Systematize Your Business

12 Keys to Becoming a Top Producer – Faster!

7.  Use Technology for its Time Management & Efficiency Benefits – I am not the tech geek that can explain to you how things actually work.  I just love using technology to squeeze more productivity out of a day.  Top producers are fanatical about time management and efficiency.  I have written posts that go into more depth about this:

8.  Build a Team – Top producers are team oriented.  Top Producers are not loners.  They don’t try to do everything.  They understand the value of a team.  And not only just having a team, but maximizing the production of that team.  Rod Santomassimo discusses this in his best-selling CRE book – Brokers Who Dominate.  Beyond the fact that I am profiled – along with about 22 others – this is must reading for any CRE practitioner.

Top producing brokerage teams are generally made up of a Senior Producer (Rainmaker), and Junior/New to the Business advisor, and an administrative assistant.  The key to the best teams is hiring/recruiting well and assigning tasks according to the strengths of the team.  The best teams run like a well-oiled machine (or the Colts offense in the 2nd half of Sunday’s game!).  They do so because everyone knows the plays.  They know their roles.  Systems and communication are vital.  Read more about systems here.

9.  Treat Your Business Like a Business – The alternative is treating it like a hobby.  You’d be shocked at how many brokers treat their businesses like a hobby.  I can look at your books and tell you in 30 seconds whether you have a hobby or a business.  The difference?  Brokers that treat their business like a business invest in it.  They spend money hiring a coach.  They advertise.  They go to conferences (see key #4 above).  They hire talented team members.  Brokers that have a hobby tend to whine about not having money to put in their business.  It is really that simple.  Top producers invest in their business.

10.  Focused and Positive – Top producers work while they are at work.  This seems so simple, but it is not.  Top producers don’t spend much time chatting with others in the office.  They are not found at the water cooler.  They never take an hour “off” for lunch.  They may have a lunch meeting, but they never shut it down for an hour in the middle of the day.

They also have unwavering positive attitudes.  PMA – positive mental attitude.  They choose to be positive – optimistic.  They understand the message of Dead Poet’s Society because they live it.

11.  Specialization – In retrospect, specialization should be #2 on the list.  Top producers are not generalists.  They specialize in an asset vertical or at least a geography.  (I have to throw the geography part in here because I am a small town geographical specialist – at least in part.)  This allows them to create presence as an expert – to be the go-to guy.  If you are the broker who will work on anything – stop it.  Pick a lane and become the subject matter expert in that lane.

12.  Passion – Top producers bleed passion.  It oozes out of their pores.  They can’t wait to get to work in the morning and absolutely love what they do.  Everyone has tough days, but passion is what top producers rely on to persevere.  Passion is the ingredient that brings the other 11 keys together into a sum that is much great than its parts.  Passion sells – it is obvious to your clients whether you possess it – or you don’t!

So those are my 12 keys.  Which one speaks to you as most important?  What did I leave off the list?  I encourage you to share your thoughts below!
There was an issue loading your timed LeadBox™. Please check plugin settings.