One of the most difficult things for a business to do (but one of the most important, as well) is to develop a strong team ethic and a whole team focus on the activity of the business.

It can have a serious impact on the success of a business operation if there is a “team of individuals”, rather than “individuals who are part of a team”.

There is no “I” in “team”, so if there is a person on the team who does not understand the contribution, importance and functions of all the other members of the team in the success of the team – then that is likely to be where a problem occurs in the cohesiveness of the team, and therefore, in the effectiveness of the business operations.

Being part of a team means more than wearing the corporate uniform or logo. It is important to have a shared understanding of, and commitment to, the goals of the organisation.

This shared focus has to come from all those who are part of the organisation – senior members of the team pass their knowledge and understanding of the team culture onto newer members of the team. This transfer of culture and spirit is a time-honored tradition!

To fill a vacancy on the team with an “outsider” who has not had some induction to the way the organisation functions can be a recipe for disaster. Even a “marquee player” (a crowd favourite, capable of bringing lots of additional sponsorship dollars) can be a liability if the other members of the team and support personnel are put offside by the marquee player’s attitude and behaviour.

We could draw some pretty interesting sporting analogies from this. Any sporting team relies on the collective contribution of all members to achieve success. Stronger performers stand out, but they can also be called upon (relied upon, if it’s a good team) to compensate and accommodate the weaker performers until the weaker members are able to reach the required standard.

It doesn’t take long for most people to recall some sporting team or event where the result was not what was expected – and the result was determined by the team not functioning as it should have on the day, or by an individual not performing up to the standard expected. There may well have been many explanations for that sub-standard performance, but fact remains, the team lost!

Training & development is essential. Performance under “match conditions” is desirable before the real game. It would be foolhardy to put an unknown performer into a grand final situation without having been trained and tested for their skill level at some stage prior to (or as part of) the selection in the team.

Role plays, scripts & dialogue training, presentation skills all contribute to the “tool box” of skills of the polished performer. Some require less training than others; there are some “naturals” in most fields; but mostly what is required is hard work and plenty of preparation before someone is able to claim the mantle of “expert” – or even to claim to be “proficient”.

To be able to provide a development pathway for junior staff is a great incentive for business to lift their staff retention rate. There’s plenty of discussion about how to deal with Gen X-ers and Gen Y’s. Baby boomers are not necessarily the easiest in the world to deal with either. An individual approach is generally required in this industry – one size does not fit all.

An attitude of “my way or the highway” is likely to generate some significant staff turnover and the costs to any business associated with a high staff turnover rate are not small! It might be worth the investment to ensure the people selected to work for your organisation are suitable in the first place, and that there is a serious induction program, possibly a mentoring program, and most definitely, some regular monitoring of progress with a view to developing staff skills so that they don’t become another turnover statistic.

Real estate is a people focussed industry. The “marquee players” all have very effective support teams working with and for them. They have become “marquee players” because of the development processes and programs that they have gone through. Their skill and knowledge was gained, usually, over a long period of time. There are very few instances of an “overnight success”.

A development pathway for staff should encourage both formal and informal learning. Sometimes, new staff learn more via the informal pathway, than they do in a formal situation. It is important to recognise the value and import of both.

“Monkey see, monkey do” may or may not be what is required in your agency! It all depends on what monkey sees! Formal development can occur in staff meetings or mentoring sessions; it could even happen in a CPD session (if you are lucky!)

Correct selection of mentor/trainer/coach is important to the success of any development program. The coaching staff have a major influence on the outcome of an athlete’s performance. Going beyond the sporting field, film directors and orchestra conductors also impact on the actual performance of those under their care. So it is with the principals, Licensees-in charge, and/or office managers when it comes to effective and efficient agency operations.

“Climate control” is an essential element to the smooth functioning of any business. It is especially so in a real estate office where pressure can mount pretty quickly in a variety of circumstances. This needs to be controlled. Climate can also be defined as morale – and if morale is high, then things will flow smoothly. If morale is suffering a little (for whatever of a myriad of reasons) then it can turn the heat up quickly – often without much of a cause!

Team morale is important. Victories should be celebrated and shared. Those who have contributed should be recognised. Losses should be shared as well – a burden shared, is load lessened.

The whole team has contributed (in varying degrees, of course) to the outcome in some way, shape or form. Whether it was a victory or a loss, the outcome should be analysed and lessons learnt from the whole process. What worked well? What could do with improvement? What strategy/technique should not be repeated under similar circumstances? If the “post mortem” is kept positive, then the outcomes will be beneficial to the whole team.

The team culture is an important consideration as well. The beliefs, rituals and values that underpin how things are done are as much a sign of your business principles and practices as the branding and logo of your business. The development of a team culture, and the projection of that culture to the community your business services, is important to the longevity and success of that business.

Business owners should focus on the team outcomes. Individual performance is important too – and a development process is important to the achievement of the team goals.

Use whatever development processes are suitable (training, coaching, mentoring, role plays, demonstrations) but remember, they are tools – a means to an end. The end result is the success of the business – and the individual performances that lead to the success of that business are important and should be recognised and rewarded.

Everyone can find areas for improvement. Sometimes, large-scale change is required. At other times, specific pressure points require attention. This may involve individuals, organisational units or processes. Whatever it is, review and revise constantly to ensure you “stay ahead of the game” and ahead of your competition.

Tony Rowe is General Manager of Best Practice Training, a specialist provider of training to the property sector in NSW. Best Practice Training has fully qualified trainers with extensive knowledge, expertise & experience in the delivery of assessment & training services in real estate across Australia and New Zealand.

Tony can be contacted on +61 411 800 880 or www.bestpracticetraining.com.au