← Your Daily Real Estate Podcast with Tristan Ahumada
Your Daily Real Estate Podcast with Tristan Ahumada
Episode 749: 11 Leadership Rules That Fix 90% of Team Problems
00:10:20
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Most people think leadership is about strategy, systems, plans, processes. Well, not so much. Leadership is about people. And if you don't understand people, your strategy doesn't matter. Mary Kay Ashe built a billion dollar company on a set of principles that most business leaders coach completely ignore. In the next eight minutes or so, I'm going to walk you through 11 of them. And principle number four, changed how I lead my team. Stick around to the end because I'm going to share the one principle that will solve 90% of your team problems before they even start. These aren't theories from a textbook. Mary Kay built her company from scratch. And if you ever get a chance, please read her book now. She started at 45 years old with $5,000, turned it into a global empire. And the foundation wasn't a product, it was a philosophy. A philosophy about how you treat people. I've used these principles at Y Realty, Lab Coat Agents, a brilliant tribe. And in my coaching, they work not because they're complicated, because they're true. This is session one. There are two, the philosophy and people principles. That's what we're going to talk about. 11 ideas that will change how you lead if you actually apply them. Let's get into it right now. Principle number one, the golden rule. That's right. Treat others as you want to be treated. This isn't just a nice saying, although it is nice. This is the main game. This is the management style. Every decision, every conversation, every policy, run it through this filter first. How would I want to be treated in this situation? If you start there, you'll make better decisions. Principle number two, the golden rule. On and off the job. Integrity is consistent. You can't be a shark in business and a saint at home. It doesn't work that way, unfortunately. People are watching. Your team, your family, your clients. And more importantly, you can't compartmentalize who you are. Eventually it catches up with you. So be the same person everywhere. It is so much easier. Principle number three, you build with people. The plan is secondary. The people executing are primary. I've seen perfect strategies fail because of the wrong people. And I've seen messy plans succeed because the right people figured it out together. You see, the right people don't give up. They pivot. They change. So you hire for character. You train for skill. And never forget that your people are your plan. Principle number four, the invisible sign. This one changed how I interact with everyone. Imagine that every single person you meet is wearing an invisible sign around their neck or on their forehead that says, make me feel Important. Now I've taken it a step further, and I tend to tell people. And I learned this from Mary Kay. It's all her. I just pivoted and I said, well, make me feel significant. Make me feel significant, Tristan. And now I see it with my spouse, kids, my team, clients, that person at the coffee shop. Everyone is wearing that sign. If you treat people like that sign is real, things start to change. The way you listen, the way you speak, the way you acknowledge them. People want to feel like they matter because they do matter. Make them feel that way. Principle number five, praise people to success. Recognition is the fuel. But here's what most leaders miss. Don't just praise the big wins, praise the small wins, too. Catch people doing something right and acknowledge it. Why? Because you reinforce it. A quick thank you, a note, a shout out in front of the team. That's what builds culture. That's what keeps people motivated. Praise is free, so use it generously. Principle number six, the art of listening. God gave us two ears and one mouth. Use them in that proportion. Most leaders talk way too much. They're so focused on having the answer that they forget to hear the question. The best leaders ask questions and then they shut up and listen. That's crazy, right? They don't listen to wait for a response. They actually just listen. This is hard, and I'm still working on it sometimes, but it matters more than almost anything else that you do as a leader. Here's what I've realized after leading teams for over two decades. The leaders who struggle, they focus on control, on being right, on having all the answers. The leaders who win, they focus on people, on making others feel seen and heard and valued. The next five principles are all about how to do that in practice. Now, quick question before we keep going. I need your help. Which one of these principles do you need to work on the most? Drop the number in the comments. For me, it's number six, listening. I'm still working on it and I'm a good listener, but I just need to do better. And if you want a PDF summary of all of these principles, DM me Mary Kay on Instagram, and I'll send it right to you. Now, let's keep going. Number seven, sandwich criticism. Sometimes you have to correct someone. Well, that's part of leadership. If you don't do it, it builds up. But how do you do it? See how you do it matters. Place the criticism between two heavy layers of praise. Start with something genuine that they're actually doing well on. Then address the issue clearly. Then end with encouragement and belief in them. That's how feedback lands without destroying someone. That's how you correct and still build up. I have found that one very useful. Principle number eight. Enthusiasm moves mountains. You can't light a fire with a wet match. As a leader, you set the temperature, you set the energy. If you walk in flat, your team's flat. If you bring energy and belief, your team rises to meet it. Enthusiasm isn't optional, it's part of the job. You don't have to be loud, but you have to be lit up. You have to believe in what you're building. And that has to show. So principle number nine, Speed of the leader is speed of the gang. Your team will never work harder or faster than you do. That's just the truth. If you want a high performance culture, you have to model it. You have to be the one that's leading the pack. You have to be the example. They're watching you. They're like kids, right? They're watching what you do way more than they're listening to what you say. Show up first, stay late when it matters. Do the hard things alongside with them. Lead from the front. That's how you earn the right to ask for more. Principle number 10. People support what they help create. That's a good one. If you want buy in, involve your team in the decision. Don't just hand down mandates. It happens all the time. Don't just tell people what to do and expect them to care. Ask for input. Let them shape the outcome. Give them a voice in the process. See, when people feel ownership, they execute differently. They fight for it because they helped make it real. It's theirs. Principle number 11, open door. Your philosophy. This is the one I promised you at the beginning. The principle that solves 90% of your team's problems or your customers problems right before they even start. Be accessible. Small problems become big problems when people feel like they can't come to you. If your team is afraid to bring you bad news, you'll always hear about it. Too late. If the issue festers, resentment builds and then it explodes. So an open door literally and figuratively prevents fires. Instead of fighting them, let people know they can come to you. When they do, don't punish them for it. Thank them for it. Most teen problems aren't complicated. They're just conversations that never happened. So keep that door open, keep that text open, keep that phone open, and you'll never be surprised. 11 principles. None of them complicated, all of them super powerful. But here's the thing. Knowing them isn't enough, right? You've heard that you have to live them every day, in every interaction. Leadership isn't about being in charge. It's about taking care of the people that you're in charge of. If you want to go deeper on building a team, your business and culture, something that actually lasts, well, follow me here because we're going to continue to talk about the things you need to be doing, and I'm going to talk about the rest of these principles in part two of this, because you need the complete picture. If you have any questions, if you missed anything, feel free to reach out to me. Hopefully I have the answer. And I'm a little slow sometimes on responding, so. So give me some time. Have an awesome day.