A Realtor doesn’t care how much their Broker knows until they know how much their Broker cares.

To be a superb Real Estate Broker you have to be a Connector not just a Climber…

Most Real Estate Brokers are simply looking out for themselves. They think that running a real estate company is a race. Their goal is to prove “themselves” and improve “their” ranking (Google, overall market share, total Realtor base), with little or no concern for the personal and professional progress of their Realtors. At the end of each month, week or day, the larger national and regional agencies can’t wait for the reports to come out so they can check out the stats and compare numbers with everyone else’s – on a macro level – quickly noting which real estate companies are ahead and behind, each trying to inch toward 

the top, with concern for their Realtor’s in the field being an afterthought.

When a Real Estate Broker puts people before profit, the Broker is working under two major misconceptions: First, they think that their rankings automatically make them successful in the eyes of their Realtors. Second, they think that being one of the leaders in sales is a higher priority than connecting with their Realtors. If a Real Estate Broker is too busy trying to meet other owner or stakeholders expectations, and too preoccupied trying to get ahead to listen to their Realtors, they definitely aren’t connecting with their Realtors and they are losing touch of reality of what is really going on in the field.

That’s not to say that trying to be number one, or in the top ten in the real estate industry is all wrong. You can’t create progress within a company by staying on a plateau. Good real estate companies are naturally wired - it is built into their DNA, to climb to the top. They are aggressive. The initiate. The best Real Estate Brokers see opportunities and seek them before others do. The excellent Brokers are competitive and getting to the top is simply part of what they do. The question for Real Estate Brokers is not, should you try to get to the top? The question is, how should you try to get there? For a Real Estate Broker to attempt to get to the top of the industry without connecting with its Realtors at best allows it to lead its people without their allegiance. At worst it undermines their credibility and makes it a short-lived Broker.

Real Estate Brokers who climb over their Realtors to get to the top with quickly find the opportunity to look for new Realtors to work for them.

Greg Steinaker: CEO Irvine Holding Company