One thing most people don’t realize is that leadership has little to do with a title nor is it reserved to the people “in charge.” Rather, the art of leadership has shifted in a way where certain skills and traits determine what really matters – how we influence and impact others.
If you’re a broker-owner, brokerage executive or staff member looking to grow in your real estate career, or a real estate professional looking to influence and grow your business, there’s added value in knowing the traits, skills, and qualities of leadership, hence having influence and impact with or without a leadership title.
Empathy
One huge trait that is being sought out right now more than ever is empathy. But how is it taught? Empathy is the knowledge of being able to understand the emotions of another person. Having empathy is important professionally, because it allows people to be more understanding of one another and results in less conflict or confusion.
For example, a staff member may be experiencing a huge workload and might not be able to attend to your needs right away or needs to delegate some tasks. Having an awareness of how that may feel offers the opportunity to build trust, support them, and find a solution that works for everyone impacted.
Empathy becomes especially important in the art of influencing when we are trying to understand where someone else is coming from when expectations fall short. For you to make a proper judgement or evaluation of a situation, you must see the situation through the lens of the person you’re interacting with, regardless of whether it’s a client, staff member, colleague or supervisor.
Emotional Intelligence & Self Awareness
Understanding one’s emotions is a huge part of effectively influence others and strong leadership in general. If you’ve ever had the fortunate experience of working with a strong leader, you’ve probably seen them act calmly in high-stress settings or polite in times when they are being confronted with harsh realities, clients or peers.
At its core, it’s their ability to understand their own emotions. Just like understanding the emotions of people around us is important. Navigate your emotions and you will more easily navigate large workloads, avoid conflict in the workplace, communicate your needs effectively, and solve problems – all circumstances that are all too common in professional settings.
Continue learning
As a former brokerage executive turned consultant, I am currently building my team and seeing the art of influencing in these employees. I’m always delighted when my direct reports showed interest in learning and developing. Leaders are people who naturally grow while developing others, because they truly understand the value in doing so. If they continue to grow and evolve, I’ve found that they’re better equipped to help lead others and drive their teams in a positive direction.
Do you see how leadership skills aren’t exclusive to those with titles, or professionals who made it up the brokerage ladder in the traditional sense? And are you open and committed to developing these skills to show up as a leader as part of your personal and professional growth process?
For me it’s clear, everyone can be a leader. If you have people around you, you always have an opportunity to positively influence and impact. And if you commit to developing these skills and traits, and live by these principles, I believe you’re very much already a leader regardless of your role or title.
