“Anytime there is a struggle between doing what is right, then your ego is interfering with your decision” – Darien L Johnson
After Sabbath services on Saturday, a few of us gather for a half-hour study group in a small sanctuary adjacent to the main Sanctuary at Temple Sinai.
Recently a topic centred on a book written by a Rabbi Sherman, who examined what a person’s morals, values and piety were and how they affect our everyday life and lifestyles. And, how they affect others in our lives.
There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t get challenged about our morals and values. Most of us have a high degree of integrity and hold ourselves totally accountable for our actions.
I started thinking about the various types of agents and brokers I’ve had the opportunity to meet over 40 years in real estate.
Some, I discovered, have extremely high egos and others have “super egos” as Freud would have said. We are told that our “id” is formed when we’re very young and as we develop, we find we’re steering towards some very clear goal or goals in life. But, Sherman says, “we allow cobwebs” to fog up our goals. Some of the challenges we may face in this business include:
1. Managing our anger when things just don’t go the way we thought they should go;
2. Managing our time in this fast-paced world, which creates stress and we have difficulty managing our stress levels;
3. Managing our weight and exercise times and becoming frustrated to the point that we become stressed;
4. Managing our finances. We cannot resist the “urge to splurge”; and
5. Managing our family times to create a more wholesome lifestyle.
All of these things and more create the “cobwebs” that Sherman says can and do disturb our thought patterns, and because of that, we lose sight of our goal(s).
Agents’ egos and super egos get in the way of assuring that we perform in accordance with the rules and regulations that guide us. I often wonder about the deplorable behaviour of some agents who, in spite of their antics, never get reported to the boards or governing bodies to whom we are accountable. Most of the time, we are too busy or just won’t take the time to write up a report.
Often, I hear, “Oh, I don’t want to get him/her in trouble,” or “I’m afraid if I do, then he/she won’t treat me favourably at the offer table”. I think most readers will agree with me on this!
So, here is the challenge for all of us the next time we are faced with a situation that calls for us to reach for a higher level of accountability. Will you let your ego get in the way of doing the right thing and move toward your goals, without being unethical or unfair to your colleagues and the public we deal with on a daily basis?
I leave you with this thought for the summer: “Will you be proud after every transaction, and say that you were both honorable and forthright in your dealings?”
If the answer is “yes,” then you can indeed look at yourself in the mirror every day and smile at the person smiling back at you.
Stan Albert, broker/manager, ABR, ASA at Re/Max Premier in Vaughan, Ont. can be reached for consultation at stanalb@rogers.com. Stan is now celebrating 40 years as an active real estate professional.
Stan Albert, ABR, ASA is a consultant with Re/Max Premier in Vaughan, Ont. He can be reached for consultation by email. Stan is now celebrating his 45th year as an active real estate professional.
