Here is an easy hack to find your team’s core values and how it retains top producing agents

Have you ever experienced a company service that doesn’t reflect their stated core values?

Core values are not just a list of great sounding words stuck on the wall of your office.

Integrity, Perseverance, Innovation… blah blah blah. Not that these are bad core values, but If the words on the wall do not reflect the feelings you get when interacting with the business, there is a failure somewhere.

Most times, the failure comes from the top down. Many business owners think they need core values to inspire and guide their people… and they are right. BUT, if the leaders of the business don’t have these values in their DNA, their words and actions… it just shows their people that they are just pretty words on the wall.

The only way for the core values to be adopted, maintained and expressed in every customer interaction is for the leadership to believe in them whole heartedly.

We need to base every decision we make on whether or not it fits our core values. We need to lead by example and behave as though these values represent the company’s soul and spirit, because it does.

We need to praise positive execution of the core values. We need to hold our people accountable in areas that they can improve so they meet the company’s ideals. A great way to do this is to create a core value balance wheel that you can review with your team at your accountability sessions. This is something I personally teach team builders in our One on One Executive Mentorship

We need to stand for something and fight against the anti values that we encounter in our business and lives. If we find people in our teams expressing the opposite of what we stand for… that is a cancer that needs to be corrected or  surgically removed immediately.

Environment is everything in this business… and its our job as leaders to keep it safe and healthy.

Have you ever been in a work environment that you hated? Have you worked for a manager or team lead that you didn’t respect?

Our agents are our customers. In fact, when we are running teams in commission sales businesses like Real Estate, Mortgage/Lending or Insurance… our teams ARE the business. Every system that we create in our business should be focused on helping our agents become more productive and enjoy real job satisfaction.

And you better believe that core values and team culture is a system that supports your agents as you share their journey in their careers.

Have you ever received a message from another team asking you to join them? If you are doing any kind of production at all, other team leaders want you to join their teams. Remember that your agents are your business, and the same goes for all the other teams out there. The more productive agents, the more successful the team as a business.

Have you ever heard the saying that people don’t quit companies they quit bad management?

Every team has a culture and environment. If you as the leader don’t proactively create one with intention to support, motivate and care for your people, a team culture will form and it won’t be one that helps you and your team hit their goals.

Strong personalities naturally create a culture around them. If we don’t guide our environment those strong personalities will do it for you and if you have not hired a team and maintained a culture based on your core values, it may not become a very enjoyable place to work for anyone including you.

Do you interview your new agents with your core values in mind?

Good hires that match your core values tend to stick around. Not only do they stick around for the long haul they also help you amplify the values you hold dear and encourage others to contribute to the team atmosphere with a positive attitude.

When we interview agents I like to read through the core values that we have for our team, I like to ask them their impression and interpretation. Have a conversation around these ideals and what they mean to your prospective hire.

Another way to get a good idea about their potential fit in your team is to talk about any experiences they may have had with experiences that reflect your ANTI Values. These are the opposite of your core values, the experiences you fight to keep away from your team.

Directing your conversations around their experiences and ideals based on your values and anti values will give you a really good read on who this person is.

It also gives them a very clear idea and understanding of what you expect from them if they join your team.

This kind of atmosphere and culture is a safe space for people to feel real connection with each other. A positive, motivated and aligned team is an amazing place to work. 

So how do you come up with your teams core values?

Not to inflate anyone’s ego, but you are the one pushing yourself to build a business that delivers your best life.

Your team core values are 100% based on YOU and your character. Knowing exactly what you stand for makes it easy to identify people that share your point of view.

When you Recruit and build with YOUR values in mind, you end up attracting like minded people… and a team of people that share your values and vision create an environment that YOU want to work in.

After all, if we really enjoy the people we are building with. It makes it a lot more fun pushing yourself to hit your growth goals.

The best part about building with your core values as your foundations is that you are not only building a team, you are building a tribe of friends growing and winning together.

Here is an easy hack to find your teams core values in a matter of a few minutes.

Create a list of 5 words that describe the best parts of your character or personality. Things that make you proud of who you are and what you stand for.

When you think of your core values, they should inspire real emotions. They are not just platitudes or nice sounding words… they should be something that comes from your personal code. 

Take each one of these core values and write down why each one is important to you. Expand on the idea and articulate why you chose those words or phrases. Think about where they came from and why they are important to you. What life experiences inspired you to write these particular values down?

Now take the opposite of that core value and write that down too to create your ANTI VALUES. These are the things that you really want to guard your team against. The kinds of experiences and feelings people get when they are treated unfairly, marginalized and disrespected. It’s not good enough to identify the positive… you need to identify what cancer looks and feels like on your team.

For example;

Winning together as a team    vs    Selfish and in it for themselves

Your core values can change and evolve over time as you progress on your journey of building a team of agents. We learn a lot about ourselves when we start serving others.

Just remember, our success is a byproduct of lifting others up. Your values should reflect that.

#BEMEGA My Friend

Dustin Pritchard
Executive Mentor

PS. If you are looking for guidance and mentorship while you build your team. You should register for our free course "From the Field to Executive". It shares with you the methods I use when personally Mentoring team leaders in our One-On-One Executive Mentorship program.