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My Salute to Our Fighting Men and Women this Veteran’s Day

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I was the student that you hated in high school.  I can take no credit for it, but God gave me a mind that learns quickly and remembers.  I would do my homework the period before it was due.  I would pay attention in class, review my notes the night before a test – and make A’s.

I’m giving my little brother his first salute during his commissioning ceremony.

Then I got to college.  Because of my cognitive advantages, I never developed study habits.  I was lazy.  I relied on my natural ability and did not work to develop those strengths.  In 4 years at Murray State University, I dropped 14 classes, had a 2.3 GPA, and lacked a full year to graduate.  I had no clue of what I wanted to do or be.  My parents were disappointed in me.  I was actually a disappointment to myself in every aspect of my life.

I remember waking up one morning having fallen asleep on my couch.  The TV was on.  I started to reflect on who I had become.  I had no direction.  The only thing that I had clarity about was that I was a shell of who I knew that I should be.  Then an Army Reserve commercial came on TV.  I began thinking of all of the men in my life that I held the utmost respect for.

I thought about my dad.  My dad is a man on impeccable integrity.  He has rock-solid character oozing out of his pores.  He lives his life based on principles.  He is a business owner.  I provider for his family.  I lover of his wife.  An A+ father for his six children.  He was in the Army for 7 years.  I could see the discipline in his life and began to make a connection.

My dad, brothers, and I giving the “eyebrow.”

I thought of my grandfathers.  Both served in the Army in World War II.  My Granddad Barron was one of the first people to work in the Pentagon when it was just a Line (only one wing had been built.)  My other grandfather was responsible for diverting many of the German forces away from the D-Day invasion.  He then rushed on Omaha Beach.  These are men of courage, character, discipline, and integrity.

My grandfather

As I thought through all these men who I wished I was like, their military background was a common theme.  I need a kick in the rear end. I went to visit the recruiters looking for the biggest boot.

Note:  My story takes a serious USMC turn here.  My apologies for my ingrained biases.

In my town, all the recruiting offices were in the same strip mall.  I started with the Air Force.  After speaking with the recruiter for 30 minutes, it was clear that they were not what I was looking for.  I skipped the Navy because I was not going to wear those uniforms.  When I got to the Army office, they shared with me all the benefits of being a soldier:  become a man, learn discipline, serve your country.  They promised me a sizable signing bonus, to repay college loans (that I didn’t have), etc.  I was impressed and interested.

Lastly, I walked into the Marine office.  I recapped for Sgt. Tate my previous 3 hours.  I shared with him how I was not interested in the Air Force.  I relayed to him all the things the Army would give me.  I asked him, “What does the Marine Corps have to offer me?”  He then said the words that would change my life.  He answered, “I don’t have anything for you, son.  I wonder if you have the metal to be in my Marine Corps.”  I had found my boot, and I have never been the same.

Today is Veteran’s Day.  Today is the day that we remember and honor all the men and women who sacrificed.  They sacrificed years. Some sacrifices limbs.  Many sacrificed their lives – for you and me.  We understand freedoms not known by most throughout history.  My brother, who is a Marine Aviator, is this day protecting the freedoms of Americans to burn the flag or hate our country.  That is sacrifice.

Capt. “Little Bro”

So on this Veterans’s Day, I honor all the men and women who made my life possible.  I have the privilege of loving my wife and family in freedom.  I have the right to worship my God.  I have the liberty to work hard and find success.  On this day, I honor my dad, grandfathers, and my little brother.

Sleep well America.  Your best men and women are keeping you safe!

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How the 14 Marine Corps Leadership Traits Apply to Your Business – Part 2

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This is part two of a 2-part post on the 14 leadership traits of the Marine Corps, and how they can apply to your business.  You can find Part 1 here.

I was born with bearing.  God just knitted this one into my personality.  When I was a PFC (private first class), I had duty for the first time.  This meant that I stayed up all night manning a post in the barracks.  I was part of a 3-man team.  This was my first time “on-duty,” and I made a mistake.
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I let a female Marine into her boyfriend’s room allowing her to catch him with another woman.  Chaos ensued, and first thing Monday morning, I was in front of the Company Gunny at the POA (position of attention).  I would classify that butt-chewing in the epic category.  Yet I stood there unflinching.
That Gunny loved me from there on out.  For the next year, he would pull me in his office, shut the door, and have me take a seat.  He would then give me a tongue lashing while smiling at me.  He believed this tactic struck fear into the other students at that school.
Here are the final 7 leadership traits of which one is bearing.

The 14 Leadership Traits of the Marine Corps – Part 2

8.  Endurance – I love this quote from Marine.com regarding endurance.  “It is impossible to lead from the front when you are falling behind.”  Endurance is seeing things through to the end.  In the context of battle, endurance refers to a mental and physical willingness to press on – beyond what is believed possible.  In your business and mine, endurance is not only going the extra mile, but convincing your team to do the same.  Does your company typify going the extra mile?
9.  Bearing – Bearing is the ability to keep your cool – and professionalism – in the face of extreme stress.  Bearing in business is the ability to take a tongue lashing from a client, say thank you, and continue to work towards the client’s best interest.  That is true professionalism, and I hope it describes you!
10.  Unselfishness – The trait of unselfishness describes the team-first ethos of the Corps.  It is a part of the DNA of Marines to put the warrior to the right and left above himself.  In business, this looks like servant leadership and client-first decision-making.  Servant leadership is the idea the leader serves the team trying to make them successful.  In so doing, the leader succeeds.  Client-first decision-making is when the client’s interests always win out.  This is a huge problem due to the opaque nature of Commercial Real Estate.  Brokers often serve their own interests over their clients.  What about your company?
11.  Courage – When you think of courage, you often think of Maximus in the movie Gladiator or William Wallace in Braveheart.  These characters showed courage on the battlefield.  Courage is much more that this, however.  Courage is having the fortitude to do the right thing when there will be adverse consequences.  The easy path rarely has a sign that says, “The Right Thing for the Right Reasons.”  Only the person with moral courage will travel that path.  Will you?
12.  Knowledge – Knowledge is about personal growth – consistent daily growth.  Know more than you did yesterday.  Have a better grasp on your market.  Know who owns that building – and that one.  “Without knowledge, judgment is reduced to intuition; decision-making becomes nothing more than a guess.”  Are you guessing?
13.  Loyalty – Loyalty is an unyielding commitment to others.  In the Corps, this is mostly felt towards the Marines in your fire-team, squad, or platoon.  In the eight years I’ve been back in the civilian world, this is the trait I see lacking the most.  Companies are not loyal to their employees.  Employees will take a better offer without batting an eye.  Fathers bail on their families.  The world needs more loyalty.  Why don’t you let it start with you?
14.  Enthusiasm – Passion!  I believe that God created us all with a unique skill set and purpose.  I do not believe that we can do anything that we put our minds to.  I believe that we can truly excel when we find our sweet spot.  That is where passion explodes.  I remember in boot camp being able to pick out the recruits that I thought would be career Marines.  They had found their sweet-spot, and they knew it.
So there are the 14 leadership traits of the Marine Corps.  I challenge you to evaluate your business in light of these time-tested principles.
What other leadership traits would you add to this list?
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How the 14 Marine Corps Leadership Traits Apply to Your Business – Part 1

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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.

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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?

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Top Posts for October

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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…

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4 Reasons Why Debriefing Should Be a Staple of Your Business

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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.

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The 10 Commandments of MindPower Business

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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

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

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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?
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