In commercial real estate, the way we focus our time and
energy is at the core of designing the future we desire. The old adage that insanity
is repeating the same behavior and expecting a different outcome is true for many
companies because they do not review their activities with a critical eye to
determine if they are aligned with their common vision and mission. Performance
coaches can teach ways to resolve this misalignment and create time to operate
at a higher level of success.
Baker Storey McDonald Properties, a retail development and
investment company in Nashville, Tenn., hired John Cundiff, president of Market
Advantage Technologies, a professional coaching business in Durango, Colo., to
help design and articulate our company’s vision and mission statement. Cundiff
worked with BSMP to create a marketplace identity that promoted competence,
integrity, and speed to market. As the company grew, the administrative staff
and production team members were immersed into a culture that reflected common
values, vision, and mission.
Finding Success
BSMP principals and team members attended weekly one-hour coaching
sessions to examine their current work habits, natural talents, and gifts. These
“locked room sessions” were not particularly fun. Being totally honest with fellow
workers about what we think our natural gifts and talents are can be difficult
and uncomfortable. But the reward for those who had the courage to go through
the process was well worth it.
We learned that some BSMP members were not as good at
confrontation and declaring intention for the future as others. Some of us were
better at building relationships in the community, while others fell short. Other
team members were adept at completing massive checklists and ended up looking
for more tasks at the end of the day. Still others were skilled at evaluating, observing,
and casting a critical eye on workflow and opportunities.
In coaching sessions, Cundiff taught us about four distinct transaction
steps and four different personality styles. Personality styles should not be judged
as good or bad, but celebrated, organized, and recognized as our individual traits.
Lessons Learned
We were willing to learn new work habits and observe the
habits of our co-workers and clients. We learned to recognize which players to
use, depending on client personalities and where we were in a transaction. What
coach would want to send a quarterback to play tackle position or a soccer
goalie to play striker? In music, would you want your drummer to play the
violin? Companies that properly design work flows and match natural talents and
gifts find the benefits are endless. For
example, when some BSMP members worked with a consultant hired by owners of a retail
center to plan for a redevelopment, the project came to a head when the
consultant was unable to make a decision. A team member with an “intention
personality” was brought in just for one
phase of the project, in order to help the consultant make a decision and get the
project back on track.
A team that knows itself and knows how to organize can
engage the market with far less time, effort, and energy than a company who
just runs on the playing field looking to compete.