Building Team Culture

Team culture – It took us 5 years of trial and error to get this right and it took almost as long to realize that it is THE MOST important aspect of a successful team. In the beginning we thought it was crucial to focus on production and the good old BOTTOM LINE. We pushed for excellence, drive and never-ending escrows with the intention of keeping that white board full. Despite our efforts, we always fell short. People were upset and no one stayed on the team for more than a year. What were we doing wrong? The answer to our problems was easy.

When we reorganized in July of 2020, we decided to start from scratch – wipe the slate clean. Tanner, Rebecca and I sat down and had a candid conversation about what our perfect team looked like then worked backwards to develop a program built on trust, encouragement and celebration. In 15 months we have grown from three managing partners, one agent and a transaction manager to a team of 10 and will round out this year with nearly 200 closed transactions and a group of the hardest working, happiest and most grateful professionals in Tucson.  

Now it’s always easier said than done and I realize this more than most, but what we learned from this is that all people have different strengths. Different things make us tick. How can we put 10 agents in a box and make them follow a specific program and expect positive results? There is no one right way. I hate cold calling. I was never good at it and never will be, but put me in front of a room full of strangers and I guarantee I’ll walk out of there with a pocket full of contacts. Put Jasmine (an agent on my team) in front of a stack of phone numbers and she’ll have a few appointments booked by the end of her day. 

The point I’m trying to [not so eloquently] make is that the reason our team has zero turn over and is one of the highest producing teams in our brokerage is because we coach, mentor and encourage our agents as individuals with individual strengths. We celebrate victories as a team and are there for our failures as a family. 

The biggest complement we recently received from one of our agents was when she walked in and told us that this was the first time in her adult life that she looked forward to Mondays.

You won’t ever find culture in the bottom line. You build it from within.

– Jason Tadeo