Signs Your Team Is About to Fall Apart

“My team will never leave me…” these are the famous last words of many real estate agents running teams.

1. Absence of conflict. I know crazy right, but great teams do need conflict. If you think your team will never leave because you have zero conflict on your team the opposite is probably true. Healthy teams have conflict, they recognize that if they are growing, they will encounter new challenges that will bring differing opinions on how to deal with the challenges.

Healthy teams have in place, ways to address, discus and resolve conflict. The absence of conflict is the first sign a leader is not connect with their team and trouble is on the horizon.

2. Squeaky wheels only. When a leader finds themselves dealing only with the squeaky wheel agents on their team, their A people are about to leave. I see this happen over and over. Team leads get pulled in so many directions and find themselves dealing with the low producers or the agents who seem to always have a crisis in their world and unintentionally ignore those on their teams that are consistent and high producing. This leaves the high producers feeling neglected.

3. Picking up back packs. Everyone has a backpack to carry, the backpack is their what needs to get done in order for them to reach their goals. Here is the issue, so many leaders love their people to failure. Let me unpack that : ). Leaders love their people so when a team member comes to them with an issue like “I don’t know how to get more leads..” the leader says let me help” I will figure out how to get you more leads… in essence picking up their backpack. The problem is this, if you already have a backpack and then pick up their backpack, you know have two backpacks to carry. Great leaders don’t pick up others backpacks they teach others how to become great at carrying their own backpacks.

4. Death by limp handshake. Nothing is worse than shaking someone’s hand and getting a limp noodle hand to shack conversely reaching out to shake someone’s hand and receiving the body builder death grip is equally soul crushing. This is the problem with most teams they struggle to find the balance between no standards (limp noodle) and ridged standards (death grip). An effective team that out last others is a team who finds the right balance between healthy team standards and a free for all with no standards. Most teams have no standard requirements for their team members which doesn’t work for the long haul or they have requirements that are so strict that team members feel crushed and leave.

5. Your life sucks and nobody wants that. This is a more subtitle reason team members leave yet after coaching over 5,000 agents it has become clear this is a main reason team members leave. When the team leader’s life is work 24/7, have zero fun, and complain about being broke all the time, the nature thought is “why would I follow someone who can’t figure their own stuff out?”. As John Maxwell would say, you are the lid of your business. You will only attract and keep great agents if your continuing to show them there is a way to an incredible life.

If you want to build an incredible team and keep great team members start by keeping this in mind. There are three things great team members want.

1. A clear plan.

How to make money, then how to get back their time, then how to build wealth and leave a legacy.

2. To be pushed. Great talent wants to be pushed. They want you to see their greatness and continue to help them become better.

3. To be heard and valued. The main reason team members leave isn’t commission splits, its they fact that their team members don’t feel heard and valued.

3 Actions to take immediately.

1. Stop justifying why team members should be happier, more engaged or producing more. Take a step back and get clear on what your nailing as a leader and where your dropping the ball.

2. Get your own life in order. Ask yourself, who you desire to be as a leader. Who would you want to follow? Take time to write out exactly who you desire to be as a leader. Then take one definite action in that direction. Be the leader you would follow.

3. Start doing productive weekly 1-1 appointments with your team members. This is absolutely critical and one of the biggest things I help my clients get great at, doing weekly deep dive one on one coaching sessions with their team members.