When was the last time you looked into the mirror… the last time you really took a good hard look at yourself. Not just your physical characteristics but your actions and thought processes. Most people do not spend too much time considering themselves or working on themselves.
Self-leadership is the practice of understanding who you are, identifying your desired experiences, and intentionally guiding yourself toward them. It spans the determination of what we do, why we do it, and how we do it. And, if you are in real estate and want to do better, be better, make more money and close more transactions, self-leadership is a great place to start.
5 Ways to Practice Self-Leadership in the Real Estate Space
Recognize the pitfalls of working on autopilot
Autopilot may be good for airplanes, but not so much for improving yourself in the real estate space. When we do the same thing over and over, we tend to go into autopilot mode. And, to be honest, that isn’t always the best way to negotiate a transaction or address a client. Since each real estate transaction is unique, it is important to be present and to constantly evaluate and reevaluate your actions in each and every transaction. Working with a team, finding a mentor, or touching base with your Broker or office manager regularly is a great way to avoid the pitfalls of autopilot.
Begin with self-awareness
Turn off your autopilot as soon as you’re starting to feel overwhelmed. It’s time for self-awareness! The best tool for developing self-awareness is self-monitoring. It helps you regain control over your actions. Try to analyze when, why and under which circumstances you reacted in a certain way. Take notes. Be honest with yourself! No sugarcoating!
Don’t wait until things get dicey. Start a habit of regular checks. This will allow you to recognize early on in which situations inadequate attitudes and behaviors might inhibit your effectiveness as a leader. Perhaps begin by journaling daily; this is a great way to practice self-awareness and evaluation.
Self-lead with purpose and goals
In which direction would you like to change your behavior? What are you trying to achieve? How will you identify your success as a leader? Define your personal leadership goals. The more specific, the better. Your personal purpose will serve as a guiding star that provides orientation in times when you have a bad transaction or the market changes. Formulate operative goals that will serve as milestones along the way.
Practice self-acceptance
Self-acceptance means throwing your perfectionism overboard, being completely honest with yourself and accepting yourself without self-criticism or self-sabotage. All too often we focus on the negative in ourselves. Maybe you feel like your career isn’t progressing fast enough. Maybe you’re exhausted by the number of things you need to get done and think you won’t be able to deliver the desired results. Self-acceptance is not just about accepting your mistakes. It also means acknowledging that you are already good enough while still striving to improve.
Take self-management literally
First and foremost, self-management is about self-discipline. It’s about holding yourself accountable and making sure you manage your time and resources effectively. Don’t go at it like mad, pushing yourself harder and harder. Instead, start to consciously prioritize the right things. Taking time for your own development is just as much a part of good self-management as making sure you don’t get distracted while completing important work tasks. Many managers complain that they have no time and are booked for concurrent meetings. Some even have two or three online meetings at the same time while also trying to do their emails. It’s like driving two cars at the same time! One of them is driving with a barely programmed autopilot.
Train yourself to break the habit of doing multiple things at once. Block certain time slots. This will allow the deep focus you need to become a more effective leader in the long run.
It’s true that you may not even consider yourself as a manager or leader, but you absolutely are a leader. You run your own real estate business; you work with lenders, title and escrow reps and tons of vendors in order to get the job done. Self-leadership will help you to be the best you, and hopefully meet your goals as a result!
5 Ways to Practice Self-Leadership in the Real Estate Space IG
You know, I’ve been reading your blogs for many years, possibly ten or more. After reading this article, it occurred to me to say THANK YOU for all the great content you put out email after email, year after year.
God bless you!