I am so grateful for the way my life is going and the people that surround me. My teams are truly amazing and we all really care about each other. When I say we care, I truly mean it! We are all paddling the boat the same direction and that group spirit and momentum gets the job done.
And...it is so much more than that!
There's a fundamental and deeper meaning to caring. It's not what we care about, but why we care so much. Understanding that "why" drives us, drives everyone around us and drives business, even when our personal lives intersect.
The other night, Mike texted around midnight letting me know his baby was in the hospital. (The baby is ok...Thank God!) Kathy is turning 60 and going on vacation in 38 days, but who's counting? Toika's son just got married. Sharon has had one of the best months of her business career. Tracy's daughter Chaley is going overseas and if Tracy does not take the time to head over there this summer, I am going to shake her silly...She's deserves this!!! Dana, one of my agents, was panicked because she needed to make 35 more contacts for her BOLD class in the morning and did not have anyone else to call! She needed more families to contact! Ask and you shall receive! Normally, people would have given up...Not Dana! The admin/operations team is the core of any business. We are so lucky to have people that work so hard to help achieve the success for all! We also have a bunch of interns starting in a month and we can't wait to make an impact in their development as well.
It's creating opportunities for the exceptional ones. It's understanding the ebb and flow of life and how that affects each and every one of our team members. It's conscious. It's genuine. It matters.
Oh, funny story about this single mom...and by the way, my roof got hammered in a storm...Thank you Sue B for noticing from your open house! ($2500 deductible Brent Niederer from LibertyMutual had a roofer over within 24 hours), my dryer decided it was done ($400 delivered from Home Depot by my amazing neighbor & manager of HomeDepot same day) and my car would not start ($1800 JimTrenary Chevrolet love you guys for taking amazing care of me!) I might need a drink...The people that surround you matter.
This is life as we know it. It is our team and it takes a village! We all have so much going on! AND...we truly care about each other.
I've talked to a lot of business owners in my travels and I've discovered that most companies don't understand the caring concept. I mean it. They wonder why people come and go. They wonder why people don't give 110%, place blame cavalierly and never think to actually strive on getting better from it. What if we all took some time and really loved the people that we worked with? Why was it ever a good idea to separate business from pleasure? What if we didn't just talk about family but we authentically meant family?
It's a choice to live this way. If you're wondering if you can slice it both ways - you can. It's an energy. It's a culture. It's the decision to surround yourself with people and things that matter, conveniently and promptly discarding the items that drag you down both professionally and personally. Leave nothing but caring, love, passion and determination. It can be done.
Over time, my teams have had their ups and downs. Successful years mixed in with abysmal years. Sometimes we're a group and other times we're a true team. You see, it is the people, but under focus, it's the right people. That's all it is. It is a love for doing "what is best for the group and in turn that will benefit me" mentality. It is pushing people up the ladder with an "all hands on deck" philosophy.
I've learned a lot in recent years where the opportunities for exceptional growth are right before our eyes. Here's what happens, and at first glance, this won't look like exceptional growth:
- The bottom 20% will get crabby, quit and usually play the victim card.
- The middle of the pack (think bell curve) usually rises to the occasion and they hang in there. Their voices echo a bit of stress and trepidation of the harder tasks.
Your business teams are no different than sports teams. Just like the St. Louis Cardinals and Blues, everyone succeeds and fails together. Think about it - the doors are open for business because of your successes when others might need picked up. And when you struggle, the doors stay open for business on the backs of others who perform. Embrace this dynamic every day. You might not always agree with everything, but at least you'll have someone you care about to disagree with!
This epic energy is a choice. It takes an entire team to have the drive and capabilities for success! Choose wisely who you spend your time with as they are the determiners of what is to come!