The culture of a company is highly dependent on how much interaction there is between agents and staff and how nurturing that interaction is. There is a fine line between dependent and interdependent agents.  One of the things I did wrong when hiring agents, especially new agents, was I tended to create a dependency on me personally.  This was not in their best interest since I am only one and they were many.   It is a big mistake to tell a new or experienced agent that you will be there for them 24/7 365.  It is impossible.  The best scenario for the agents, yourself and the brokerage is to create an environment that nurtures interdependence throughout your entire organization.

Creating a nurturing culture starts with you, your staff and the cultural foundation of your company. If you have a very independent organization where agents don’t openly help each other and support staff is tucked away in a back closet assuring minimal interaction with your agents, bringing in newly licensed agents may not be the best idea.  The key is to create a culture of support and interdependence between agent to agent, agent to staff and staff to staff.  It is a beautiful thing when you can tell a new recruit they have many people who will help them including their own experienced peers.   This takes a lot of pressure off you and will entice them to come to the office to absorb shared knowledge thus shortening the learning curve and creating synergy.

How do you create an interdependent organization?  It starts with a serious evaluation of your and your staffs’ attitudes towards your agents.  Do you even like your agents?  Does your staff roll their eyes in disgust when an agent leaves their office or when they hang up the phone after speaking to an agent?  Do you hear you staff snickering about or berating agents amongst themselves?  Do YOU do any of the above?  Don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to love everyone.  I had my favorites and I had agents I barely tolerated.  Key is, they never knew it and my staff would never have known it.

There were very basic rules in our organization…first and foremost respect and service for all no matter what their personality differences.  Second, my staff was very clear on 2 things.  1. Their job was to play well together, make the company look and feel good and help agents make money.  2. For their dedication to the above, I promised to PROTECT THEM FROM ALL EVIL AND PAY MORE THAN FAIR WAGES!  By evil, I mean agents who are abusive and disrespectful in any way.  I didn’t care what their production was or how much they brought to the company bottom line.   If they stepped out of line with my staff, they were immediately boxed up and booted out the front door.   This showed my staff and agents that our company was not just about money. 

By being vigilant in my protection of my staff, they in turn were protective of me and the company.  Their attitude of servitude helped our agents make more money which in turn helped me share more money with my staff and that is what this business is all about.

Assist your staff in developing interpersonal skills that will help them understand and nurture agents and each other no matter their differences. Consistently invest in their personal growth by providing life coaching and seminars that helps them be the best they can be.  I think most brokerages invest way more in their agents than the people who are their front line.   

Give your staff safety zones. I gave my staff 2 safety zones where they could share anything they wanted even if it was a string of expletives about a certain agent.  My office was one and a yearly staff holiday breakfast was the other.  At our breakfast, the staff was given permission to poke fun at and share silly and upsetting stories about the agents. All shared information was left on the table with the leftover pancakes.  It was by far the most fun event we had all year.

Will there ever be issues amongst staff and agents…of course.  We are human.  If it is an isolated case then it is dealt with and monitored for future infractions.  But in my book, 2 strikes and you are OUT. 

Be very selective in your hiring of staff. They are your eyes and ears.  Respect their insights and intuitions. I never hired an agent without approval from my front desk gal Tonna.  She was the one who had to interact with the agents every day.  Introduced the agent to your staff.  Walk them around and have your staff  interact with them by asking a couple questions each.  After the interview, ask for your staffs’ feedback.  If they is going to be helping these people make money, they have to play the whole game with you.

Once your staff exudes their nurturing nature to agents they become the model by which your agents will emulate.  A simple thing like taking an agent by the hand and showing them around tells them that your culture is warm and welcoming.  When an agent needs assistance, personally escort that agent to the staff member they need to interact with. In the end, it saves time and energy because the agent then knew exactly where to go without interrupting other staff members’ duties.  You will also witness agents emulating this behavior with other agents.

Things to do with your staff to create the culture you desire:

• First and foremost empower them to be the “Leaders” of their position.  Give them the skills and ability to make decisions on your behalf.
• Relay you’re coaching and leadership skill set to each and every one of them.
• Take them to lunch individually as often as possible.
• Bring them together every week to discuss what is going well and what needs correction.
• Put them in charge of a training class related to their skill set and/or their position.  One class for your front desk staff could be titled “The Importance of Your Personal Appearance.”  They can research the subject and present this class to agents, new and experienced, once a month/quarter.  It will also help them understand the importance of their own front desk appearance.
• Bring them into your recruiting and hiring process.  They know a lot more than you think.
• Include them in the interview process of any new employee.
• Encourage them to research ways their department/position can assist agents in creating more business and help the company retain more money.
• Reward them for bringing and implementing successful ideas to the company.  If the coffer is low, try giving them a little PTO.
• Praise and thank them often and always, always acknowledge them in meetings and any publications your company creates.
• Post their pictures, bios and their personal mission statements for all to see on a company wall and website.

One thing I am very clear on, the average length of time employees are with a company is a direct reflection of that companies’ culture, standards and principles.  When we sold our company 2 years ago, we had staff that had been with us for more than 12 years.  Some, like my front desk aficionado, Tonna, are still there assisting those agents they are truly dedicated to.

Nurturing this interdependent cultural foundation will assist everyone in your organization.  Once in place, you will know if you have made a wrong hire or recruit. Peace and flow will be immediately disrupted.  If you do make a poor choice, or one of your managers misses the clues of a bad hire, correct it immediately.  If you hang on and wait to see if it will clear itself up, you are disrespecting all those people who have helped in supporting your cultural endeavors.  You will lose your footing rapidly.