In today’s RealTrending podcast, we talk to Frances Katzen, an agent and team leader of The Katzen Team with Douglas Elliman in New York City. A former prima ballerina, Frances had to learn how to move from a natural-born salesperson to a leader when she started building her team. Perfectionism was expected in ballet and ingrained in her from an early age. Find out how she balanced that mindset and found success when she started letting go.
Here is a small preview of today’s interview with Frances. The transcript below has been lightly edited for length and clarity:
Tracey Velt: To be good as a prima ballerina, you have to have a lot of discipline and drive and ambition. And you tend to want to be around people who are the same. They’re drivers. You said you’re hiring a team of different personalities — and that’s a good thing. So where did you figure that out to manage at a level that reaches everyone?
Frances Katzen: Although they’re all diverse, they all have one very consistent personality trait: they are drivers. They’re hungry, they have discipline, and the’re smart. These are not dumb people. These are not order takers. These are very much fully formed human beings who are electing to be a part of this team. And so with that in mind, I think there’s a lot of agency to that. And I think the discipline of dancing is showing them by demonstration. I’m in there with them. I’m cold calling. I’m showing up. It’s lead by model, so I model it. And so there can be no complaining right there. You can do it.
The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch.
