Territory Managing Broker

Florida 

 

Replacing ego with humility and servanthood brings so much more success, pleasure, and fulfillment to organizations and life.  This was a lesson I learned much earlier in life growing up in a small town in Maine.

 

Like most rural folks, we didn’t have a lot.  My dad cut wood, plowed snow, and fixed cars.  He built our house.  And a barn.  He hunted and grew a big garden.  To me, he was superhuman…able to fix or build anything, move heavy things that seemed impossible, come up with a plan for whatever needed to be done.  He always figured things out and took care of us and others.  He was my first example of a servant leader.

 

Serving and giving was part of my family culture.  I remember sitting on the porch one evening after supper and hearing the distant whine of a chain saw.  My dad got up and said he was going to head down the road to help our neighbor cut his firewood and get it stacked…after he worked all day.  He used the last few hours of late-summer daylight to help a man he barely knew.  When our garden yielded a bounty of heavy red tomatoes, he would load up his truck and give them away to practically everyone.  To him, living well and giving generously had nothing to do with material wealth.  He gave freely of his abundance, whether it be time, labor, or harvest.  It made him happy.

 

A lot has changed since then.  I grew up and went to college.  I started a family of my own.  When dad’s health started to fail, he didn’t need to ask for help…it showed up with an abundance of gratitude from the 62 years he spent giving of himself.  Although he didn’t get to see me start my career in real estate, I think he would be proud that his humble life and gentle ways are still guiding me today.

 

13 years in this industry has shown me that caring, heart-led leaders succeed by creating work environments where people feel comfortable, safe, and free to speak openly.  Leaders who support team members through their personal and career challenges will win hearts.  Team members become highly motivated to give their all when they’re treated like a person, rather than just a number.  The results are extraordinary.  

 

Being a servant leader means shouldering other people’s needs – a culture I was raised in.  This translates to business by making each person’s growth, development, and well-being, both personally and professionally, a priority.  The goal is to build a community where people’s talents and contributions are valued, whatever their position in the organization.

 

Brokers Without Borders is a place where these values live.  Our goal and purpose is to build a culture within real estate that gives back, embracing the "we" more than the "me". 

 

I think Dad would approve.