“The Winner’s Edge is all in the attitude! Not aptitude—attitude is the criterion for success. But you can’t buy an attitude for a million dollars. Attitudes are not for sale.”
by Dr Denis Waitley
If you want to build a profitable and dynamic business, every member of the team must have the right attitude. This begins with the leader, but must include the entire team. Literally, it’s attitude or bust. Allow poor attitudes to rule your company and it can send you broke.
Author of Winning the War for Talent, Mandy Johnson, says, “When would you hire someone with a bad attitude? The answer is, never!“
Attitude is a daily requirement, not just an essential for securing a position with the company. If leaders don’t check bad attitudes the moment they are detected, the leader endorses the bad behaviour and sets the stage for it to become the norm.
Even people with good attitudes can change over time. This can be common among property managers and salespeople who comprise the front line team. Stress, rejection or angry clients can wear people down. If front line team members aren’t being encouraged by the leader and counselled when necessary, attitude can suffer. The result can be negativity, subversion, reluctance to do difficult tasks, reluctance to prospect, and at worst, mutiny.
People with the right attitude get things done.
They are happy to attend training, set goals, focus and work hard. They also look after their clients. To them, they are in real estate for the long haul. It is a career at which they want to excel. How much easier is it to lead a team with people like this?
I mentioned that the right attitude begins with the leader. ‘Can do’ people have ‘can do’ leaders. It is the leader who determines the company’s culture. It is the leader who sets the standards. And it is the leader who refuses to compromise on the culture and standards and who ensures that everybody on the team also adheres to the culture and standards.
Deterioration in attitude.
Sometimes this resolve can be tested. High performers can suffer a deterioration in attitude. Sometimes they ‘believe their own press’ and come to think that they are so good that they can do what they like. Often they set bad examples for the newer team members and if this behaviour is allowed to go unchecked, it won’t be long before this person becomes the surrogate team leader.
It doesn’t matter who they are or the amount of business they write. Everybody on the team must bring a good attitude to work, everybody must meet the standards. Or they must leave.
I realise that it can be hard to terminate somebody who writes healthy figures, but who has a bad attitude. But ask yourself, “Do I really want to hand over the leadership of my team to this person?” Do nothing and that is exactly what you are doing.
To start developing positive attitudes for effective performance and agency profitability, you can purchase Why Winners Win at www.whywinnerswin.com.au .
Attitude or bust: attitude is the key to a great profitable real estate agency and to a great life.