Over the years I have met a lot of eccentric people in this business. Some were quietly methodical, some were wild, many were staggering, many of them were characters and I realize now, a lot of them were leaders.
Many of our leaders today seem more quiet and stoic. They lead by example rather than bravado. I like that. I think it is effective leadership to speak pragmatically, sensibly giving advice and good direction. I wonder if this style of leadership is a reflection of the maturity of the real estate industry in Canada. I wonder if it this is because of society today or the new generation.
I remember some great characters. I can’t and won’t name them because I might do some an injustice. Some brokers and salespeople called themselves “The king of the neighbourhood” or “The queen of the region” and such. They had bravado and they were loud. I had the great privilege of sitting down and talking to a lot of these characters. Sometimes we didn’t even sit down; some of these folks were so full of energy you had to walk along with them while they talked. And they sure talked. A lot of them could hold a room and schmooze a great crowd and yet many were remarkably shy and did not do that at all. Many preferred to speak eloquently one on one.
I know some successful real estate salespeople who speak with great emotion about the life-changing experience that a one-on-one chat with one of these characters produced for them. Other successful real estate salespeople talk about how they put new positive career methods in place after just being in the back of a room listening to a tremendous leading speaker.
Not one of these leaders and characters were just bluster or bluff. They were chock full of knowledge. They knew the histories of the neighbourhoods that they worked. They knew biographies of the people who built the buildings, past mistakes of planning councils, new challenges for municipal politicians and the mundane daily concerns of all of the souls who lived within the boundaries of the area they worked. These real estate people knew values, markets and the ebb and flow of the national economy. Each one believed in their heart of hearts, right down to their core, that everyone, no matter who they were, should own their own home. Over the years I have come to realize how lucky I was to know these people and to have had a front-row seat to watch them work.
The one commonality all these characters had was their unbridled enthusiasm to share their ken. To give all their knowledge. Not just the parameters of the neighbourhood but everything. Sales strategies, when to move on something, when to be patient. What to look for, how to speak to uppity business people, how to talk to working stiffs in the shops and the restaurants along the street. All these things were given away freely and happily to anyone who asked.
I find things are different today. Not worse – I do not wish to suggest that it was better before. I only mean there seems to be a greater formality today. There is more organization to imparting knowledge today, there is technology and that might be better. There are far better ways to show people things than just walking down the street with them while you’re talking.
If there is one thing wrong today, for me, it is that there are too many tricks. There are just too many schemes related to home buying and marketing that are wrong. I may be naive but I believe that at the end of the day, people will always respect a person they do business with if everything is honest and up front.
We have some great leaders today and we have wonderful characters. They may not be as flamboyant as some of the characters I recall from many years ago. I can tell you this, however, the one thing that the good ones of today and yesterday have in common is the passion to share their knowledge. That hasn’t changed one bit.
But I do wonder and worry if there are as many brokers and sales reps today who are willing to listen to them.
Heino Molls has been the Publisher of REM, Real Estate Magazine (formerly Real Estate Marketing), since 1989. Previous to REM, he worked as an executive at the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB), and at the Toronto Star. Contact Heino by email or call 416-425-3504 x2.
