Tag: real estate agent

Manage Your Real Estate Team with Tuckman Stages

Marci Sepulveda Leave a comment

You should not expect your team to function as a well-oiled machine from the start. Teams go through stages as they learn to work together, an understanding of the growth patterns of a typical team will help you implement best practices to help them achieve.

“Tuckman’s Stages” summarizes the research Bruce Tuckman did on team dynamics back in the 1960s. This team research is a classic model of understanding. The five stages Tuckman identified are called forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning.

In this blog post, we’ll walk through each stage so you can recognize it in your own teams and teach as it happens.

Stage 1: Forming

In the forming stage, team members are introduced, and they share information about themselves and form first impressions about each other. They learn about the project they will be working on, discuss objectives and goals and start to think about what role they will play on the team.

As the team leader, this stage provides you an opportunity to be very clear about your goals and provide direction about the work the team will do. You can help the team determine roles and responsibilities and guide initial interactions and preparations.

Stage 2: Storming

The second stage, storming, is an unavoidable transitional stage as team members begin to work together. Team members may compete with each other and varying opinions may cause conflict within the team. The team leader’s guidance is still important in this stage – you can help your hires solve problems, stick to roles and remind them how to function independently and as a team.

Your leadership in this stage can also help team members remain respectful and ensure that all voices are heard. As the team becomes more accepting of their own and recognizes the value of individual contributions, your involvement can lessen. Keep in mind that if you have younger team members or professionally immature hires, this stage can last longer.

Stage 3: Norming

In the norming stage, team members begin to work more effectively together. Individual goals are left behind for the good of the project. Each team member’s ideas should be heard and valued.

As roles are accepted and plans are implemented, working together feels more natural. Minor conflicts can be resolved and team members seek out each other’s opinions. The work gets done and the project moves forward, without as much participation from you.

Stage 4: Performing

In the performing stage, teams are functioning at a very high level. The focus is on collaboration to reach the team goal. Team members trust each other. As a team leader, your goal is to help your team get to the performing stage, a key plateau for a high functioning team. Teams in this stage can make decisions together and solve conflicts easily and effectively.

The team will be able to agree on changing processes if needed and won’t need to rely on the team leader for day-to-day work. As the team leader, you’ll continue to monitor productivity and team functionality, spotting breaks in the workflow if someone starts to work independently or if a new member joins the team.

Stage 5: Adjourning

In the adjourning stage the project goal comes to an end and the cycle gets ready to start with new goals and maybe new people. Your team members may move on to new projects together or with different team members.

This stage is an opportunity for you as the team leader to evaluate the team as you move into new collaborative stages. Review lessons learned as a way to introduce new projects and contribute to organizational growth. This stage also provides an opportunity to celebrate the team’s success.

Managing a team comes more intuitively to some than to others. To reach your goals and avoid problems, take management seriously and understand that what you do as team leader sets the tone for productivity and success. And to learn more about how to effectively and efficiently manage your real estate team this year and beyond, start your seven-day free trial of AgentEDU® today and begin with the Team Building track.

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AgentEDU® is a platform where agents at every level can come to watch 10-minute video courses for the many situations that successful agents must master. From essential to advanced level and everything in between, AgentEDU® courses help agents become top producers with increased earnings and a plan for continued growth. For a 7-day free trial sign up here.

AgentEDU® is an Agent Publishing brand. For nearly two decades, Agent Publishing has been committed to providing residential real estate professionals with the information and training required to build successful and meaningful careers in their local markets. Agent Publishing’s influence extends to every career stage and reaches agents across print, digital, events and online learning.

The 3 Qualities Every Team Leader Must Have in Real Estate

Marci Sepulveda Leave a comment

Building a team is part of the growth and development of a business.  And as you build your team, with your vision leading the way, growing pains and operational challenges associated with managing people can be road blocks in the way of success. Chances are the initial phases of team building will mean working more and investing resources in others. So understanding how to better manage your team is a critical step.

In this blog post, we’ll cover the three key qualities necessary for team leaders to best manage personalities and ensure productivity.

#1. Vision

To start, think about what you see as the future of your team. As a team leader, your success will come when you can run a business that fulfills your vision. Finding and leading other personalities in line with that vision will make you a successful manager.

Shifting your role from agent to team leader can mean making compromises while you work to develop your management style and mindset. This doesn’t mean you have to change your perspective – in fact you should be certain your vision is clear. However, the shift in roles may require you to operate differently than you have in the past.

The mission, and strategic and operational vision of your business are the foundational elements necessary for you to achieve success. Have them in place before you build your team and ensure that each team member is well versed in how you plan your business to run. Share your vision with your team members and hire personalities that will complement and strive to engage that plan and make it their own.

#2. Trust

Often the most difficult skills in the transition from agent to team leader is to learn to let go and delegate responsibilities. But in order for your team to embrace your vision, you have to show them that you believe in them. Carefully outline responsibilities and expectations around client services and then trust in the people and policies you’ve put in place to fulfill them.

Once your expectations are communicated and team members have been trained, lead by example and coach team members only when necessary.  Focus on positive reinforcement, rewarding good work with compensation and recognition. This will help build trust between the team and you and will demonstrate your commitment to a team structure. This commitment will serve as a key contributor to the long-term success of your business.

#3. Clear Communication

Developing and maintaining clear and effective communication channels with your team, between team members, and with customers will help you showcase your commitment to the success of a team model. Share your vision, goals and processes with team members early in the relationship and lead by example, soliciting and exchanging feedback regularly. Host and attend sales meetings, as well as one-on-one and less formal gatherings.

Your primary goal is not to be best friends with every team member. Rather, you should strive to serve as an example of how to communicate as a team, with your vision at the center of every interaction. Reward team members for assisting others on the team for the good of the business.

To learn about how to lead a real estate team and achieve new levels of success this year and beyond, start your free 7-day trial of AgentEDU® today.

_________________________

AgentEDU® is a platform where agents at every level can come to watch 10-minute video courses for the many situations that successful agents must master. From essential to advanced level and everything in between, AgentEDU® courses help agents become top producers with increased earnings and a plan for continued growth. For a 7-day free trial sign up here.

AgentEDU® is an Agent Publishing brand. For nearly two decades, Agent Publishing has been committed to providing residential real estate professionals with the information and training required to build successful and meaningful careers in their local markets. Agent Publishing’s influence extends to every career stage and reaches agents across print, digital, events and online learning.