When I coach and talk to agents around the country about growing a real estate team to give them more stability, security and balance, the most common response I hear is, “I don’t want to manage people.”

What if we looked at it differently? What if we looked at it like parenting?

As parents, our job is to guide our children to grow into happy, healthy, productive adults and help them become the best versions of themselves they can possibly be. We start with a foundation of incredible love and support. Then we share best practices and give them the tools to succeed, starting with teaching them how to walk, use the toilet, brush their teeth, pick up after themselves, say please and thank you, etc.

As parents/leaders, we also hold our children accountable to our family standards and core values and teach them that accountability is done for them, not to them—it is a gift. Over the years, the children learn to hold themselves accountable to great daily activities and choices. Throughout the process, we inspect what we expect. We continue to nurture them and teach them how to be successful with a total focus on what is best for them. We don’t manage them; we lead them, develop them and teach them to be leaders. We would never even consider giving up on them. We might have to go back over the basics on a regular basis, but we never give up on them. As a parent, I can tell you that with a focus like that, raising kids is pure joy no matter their age.

What if we built our teams like this? As team leaders, our main responsibility is people development. We want to help our team members grow as leaders. We start with a foundation of incredible love and support, and serve them to help them reach their goals. From there, we share best practices such as time-blocking, correct daily activities, prospecting, business planning, tracking and role-playing. We coach, train and mentor them on a daily basis with a total focus on what is best for them based on what they want to accomplish. We lead them out of their comfort zones. We give them the tools and systems necessary to help them succeed, then we give them the gift of accountability to the highest standards of daily activities, service to our clients and production so they can reach their goals. Throughout the process, we continue to nurture them and teach them how to be successful.

Do you think this approach would be more joyful and productive? Do you think you would get a different result? I believe you will.

If you would like to have a simple plan for building a team, email Paulw@WorkmanSuccessSystems.com or call (918) 665-8559.

Workman Success Systems’ team coach Paul Wheeler started Accent REALTORS® as a licensed agent and broker in 1992. Leading the Accent Team with energy, experience and a vision for the future, as well as a better business model in the real estate industry, Wheeler and his team strive to continually improve their processes with a focus on learning and staying on top of market trends. His passion for real estate is only surpassed by his commitment to community service and his family. For more information, please visit www.WorkmanSuccess.com.