John Hersey Leadership Blog

Lehman Brothers, AIG, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Countrywide, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, foreclosures, sub-prime meltdown, Sarah Palin, and the stock market dropped 500+ points. These are all in the news, emotionally charged and wonderfully interesting distractions, And, they steal our energy, undermine our focus and keep us from doing what needs to be done—our jobs.

We give so much of our attention to these and other distractions that we begin to believe the sky is falling. We become enamored with the distractions and paralyzed, incapable of doing what will make a difference for us, regardless of the story of the day.

In 2002 I attended a gathering of leaders in the professional speakers’ circuit. As you might expect due to effects of 9/11, the leaders discussed the challenges. The discussion was very much like the ones I am hearing now. Whispers of doomsday spread throughout the gathering. Then, the expert we had brought in to make us feel better and tell us how to weather this storm proceeded to tell us that there wasn’t any storm. There were speakers all over the country who were busy, some busier than ever. In this challenging time for the country, clients needed our services more than ever. The busy speakers focused on helping clients succeed when success did not seem possible. Her remarks were like a wonderfully refreshing slap in the face.

Leaders know we create that which we focus on the most. By placing our focus on our challenges, our difficulties, our problems, we draw more of these to us. James Allen first shared this leadership concept years ago in his seminal work entitled “As a Man Thinketh.”

This effect of focus is a universal leadership law, one that Contagious Leaders have trained themselves to understand. It is uncanny — when real estate professionals focus on how bad the market is, it gets worse. It is amazing — when leadership organizations focus on reducing expenses, expenses become more problematic, and sales and revenues suffer. It is astounding — when organizations focus on cutting, more cuts are always needed.

One of our leadership clients had a major initiative to reduce cancellations. They measured cancellations weekly, reported them to the top leadership, and reviewed them on regular conference calls. The fact is our client did not want fewer cancellations, they wanted more renewals. We suggested that the leadership shift the focus to increasing renewals. We recommended they measure renewals, report renewals, and discuss renewals on their conference calls. We encouraged the top leadership to focus on a positive desired result instead of focusing on negative indicators.

Does this mean leaders put their heads in the sand and ignore the natural vagaries in the economy? Of course not! Great leaders are always on top of market conditions. The difference is that truly great leaders do not allow themselves to be distracted by these shifts. They simply remain focused on what they want and what they need to do to accomplish the mission.

Here are some tips:

• Surround yourself with people who are focusing on being successful, who are determined to take advantage of the market shift.
• Focus on 100 reasons why you will be successful not a 100 reasons why you should worry.
• Make every day count, Do something everyday that will further your business.
• Get your chemistry working for you by releasing your endorphins. Exercise, deep breathing, walking will help to keep you positive. I just committed to a new exercise class.
• Turn off the news. If you feel compelled to find out what’s happening, do what John does. He uses his computer to just bring up the headlines and leave it at that. Sometimes I can actually feel the fear start to come alive when I watch the news.
• Laugh every day. Do something fun that will put a smile on your face. John and I regularly go to a Sunday matinee, get popcorn and a great seat.

There will be people who grow their market share and who do incredibly well during this time. If that’s you, please respond to this blog with your tips. Thanks. Bev