Month:November 2022

Thoughts on Leadership: Happy Thanksgiving!

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels find me at home, starting Monday with my typical WIG calls. On Tuesday, I visited a Bay area studio to record a voiceover for our HomeServices of America year in review video project and then at exactly 1:17 p.m. had my puppy pick-up at the San Jose International Airport. (Welcome to the family, June!) Today, I closed up the short holiday week and am looking forward to spending time with the family and little June, for which I am so grateful.

Read more: Thoughts on Leadership: Happy Thanksgiving!

And gratitude really is the name of the game this week. I feel grateful to have a job that’s my calling and for the opportunity to work every day with leaders who have become more like family. From service staff members to our CEOs, to our network brokers and owners, to our agents — everyone deserves my ultimate gratitude today and always. As I say, I love what I do largely because of who I get to do it with!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It’s non-denominational, making it more widely celebrated; and the Thanksgiving message of gratitude is such a fantastic way to commit to a positive mindset as we get close to the end of the year and get ready to start anew in 2023.

It’s not hard to get into the Thanksgiving spirit. We sit back, relax and eat delicious food. Plus, we have the Bills vs. the Lions, the Giants vs. the Cowboys and the Patriots vs. the Vikings to look forward to …

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

And Zig Ziglar reminded us, “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.”

Oprah famously remarked: “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

One of my favorite leaders, John F. Kennedy said, “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”

So, what’s the message? I received this thought in my weekly CEO update from Shawna Alt, CEO of First Weber, and I liked it so much, I want to share it with all of you: “Please take the time this week to enjoy the people that mean the most to you. Cherish them for who they are, not who you wish they would be. There is so much power in letting go. Let go of assumptions. Let go of being offended. Don’t let the past cause resentment that interferes with the beauty of the present moment. Choose forgiveness. Choose gratitude. Choose love.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by rethinkcouncil

Thoughts on Leadership: Learning from Veterans Day

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels find me at home, starting Monday with my typical WIG calls. On Tuesday, I participated in the early morning Berkshire Hathaway Energy call followed by a session of handwritten notes for the holidays. (Let this be a gentle reminder to start working on your handwritten holiday cards if you haven’t already.) On Wednesday, I joined the Global Leadership Meeting for our leaders in Europe and Asia then drove to Union City, California to present on the real estate environment and specifically, 16 actions agents can take in a declining market. Today, between succession planning calls, I sat down to write this post to you.

Read more: Thoughts on Leadership: Learning from Veterans Day

As you may have read, early last week I said goodbye to my beloved Kona – for those following the story, I take home my new little best friend on November 22. Then at the end of the week, I celebrated Veterans Day, not only for all brave veterans who protect our freedoms but also for my dad, my Pappy. When my dad turned 18 years old, he was drafted to the Army. He went through training and became a Technician 5th Grade in Company B, 134th Infantry Regiment of the 35th Infantry Division.

He landed on the beaches of Normandy, and his regiment was assigned to the Third Army. Yes, that was old Blood and Guts himself, General George Patton.

He was in General Patton’s Third Army during the Battle of the Bulge, a major World War II German offensive fought in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany from December 1944 to January 1945. My Pappy would go on to receive two purple hearts for his bravery fighting with Patton’s Third Army.

The most famous part of the Battle of the Bulge occurred around Christmas time in Bastogne, Belgium. Bastogne had a bridge and seven different roads in and out of the town; it was very important strategically. The upshot is the Allies had been surrounded and cut off in Bastogne and needed help.

There was a famous meeting held among all the field generals. The only general that committed to getting to Bastogne was Patton. He said he could attack in three days.

The only problem was my dad, and the rest of the Third Army were 100 miles away and had to hike for three days through tough winter conditions, including deep snow. You heard that right. 100 miles in three days in deep snow during the coldest winter on record. A distance greater than a marathon in boots and combat gear … walking. But they got there.

So, what’s the message? My Pappy’s story proves the resilience and perseverance of veterans –  and that’s just one of so many veterans’ stories. On Veterans Day and every day, the key is not just to thank these brave veterans but also to listen, giving them a chance to share their incredible experiences, so they may live on forever.

Posted by rethinkcouncil

Thoughts on Leadership: Lessons from Kona

By Gino Blefari:

This week my travels find me starting off en route to Minnesota for the in-person HomeServices of America CEO/Leadership meeting taking place at the Westin Edina Galleria. From there, I flew home, participated in meetings and sat down to write this post to you … without my beloved Kona by my side.

Kona passed away in my arms earlier this week and as a dedication to a dog that was so much more than a pet, I am writing this week’s Thoughts on Leadership for her. To me, dogs are the greatest pals we can ask for. One of the greatest feelings in the world was coming home from a trip, pulling up to the front door in my Uber and seeing my dog, Kona, through the window, wagging her tail like crazy as I walked up to the house and stepped inside.

Read more: Thoughts on Leadership: Lessons from Kona

It makes you feel so good, so loved by this animal in front of you that your heart can practically burst from the joy of it all. It’s just what dogs do.

The American Kennel Club outlines several science-based benefits of dogs:

  • Dogs reduce feelings of loneliness.
  • Research shows the bond between humans and dogs reduces stress and lowers blood pressure.
  • 10 minutes of petting your dog can reduce cortisol, a major stress hormone.
  • Dogs help us psychologically cope with crises – PTSD in military veterans has been shown to improve when they get a service dog.
  • Dogs encourage us to move – dog owners are 4x more likely to meet daily physical guidelines than non-dog owners.
  • Dogs can improve your photography skills – in a study by Rover, 65% of dog owners said they took more photos of their dog than their significant other!
  • Dogs help us connect – an estimated 40% of dog owners report having an easier time making friends when out with their dog.
  • Dogs make us happier – staring into your dog’s eyes raises your level of oxytocin, the “love hormone.”

And I truly loved my Kona. When I was at Intero she came to work with me every single day; she never missed a day. We’d go to Starbucks together; she’d sit under my desk during meetings when I was working from home. She was just there, a constant, loyal source of unconditional companionship and support.

So, what’s the message? I believe we are connected to our dogs in ways perhaps even science has yet to understand. About a month ago, when Kona started really deteriorating, I was feeling dizzy and off, something just wasn’t right. Of course it wasn’t. Kona was part of me and if she was feeling sick, I was too. When I left for Hawaii, a sense of foreboding followed, like stepping on that plane I knew that this was the beginning of the end.

I moved my return flight up – Kona was in bad condition – and she waited for me to get home, just like she always did on every trip I took before. That sweet, adorable pal of mine – a mainstay at Intero, a regular at Starbucks, a curled-up sleeper beneath my desk – waited until I got home to say her final goodbye. And when I did say goodbye to my sweet Kona, I wasn’t just saying goodbye to my dog, I was saying goodbye to my best friend.

P.S. This story has a silver – or golden – lining. I called the place where I originally got Kona to let them know how great of a dog she was and offhandedly during our conversation happened to ask, “Do you by any chance have an F1 Half-Golden, Half-Miniature Poodle puppy?” And the breeder pauses then says, “You know, as a matter of fact we have a whole litter of puppies right now!” And because I knew somehow this news was Kona smiling down on me from the great dog park in the sky, I said, “Can you just check if they might be related to Kona?” And guess what? The breeder replied: “They are. The parents of Kona were Toby and Goldy and the father of the litter is Cody, the grandson of Toby.” Right then and there I decided I’m going to get one of the girl puppies … and I was thinking of naming her Kona. What do you think I should name her?

Posted by rethinkcouncil

Thoughts on Leadership: The Value of Meeting

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels find me in Hawaii, attending a wedding and recharging.

Today I’m writing this post to you as I look out my hotel window at the wind-churned Pacific Ocean, and the waves meeting the sand reminds me about the value of meeting people face to face – our Thoughts on Leadership topic for today.

Read more: Thoughts on Leadership: The Value of Meeting

In-person meetings serve so many purposes. They:

  • Strengthen connections
  • Allow you to learn information as it’s being delivered live
  • Provide opportunities to spend time with your peers
  • … and so much more.

It’s why we put on the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Sales Convention each year. It’s why we organize the HomeServices Stronger Together conference annually. It’s why at industry events you’ll always find the top-of-the-top because they understand the importance of meeting for their personal and professional growth.

Steve Jobs, whose iPad, iPod, iPhone and iEverything provided the foundation for today’s hyper-digital connectivity, once said: “There’s a temptation in our networked age to think that ideas can be developed by email and iChat. That’s crazy. Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions.”

This concept actually reminds me of our daily accountability calls – many times in talking to my accountability partner toward the end of the conversation is when the ideas truly get spurred.

In person, you are privy to side conversations and comments, body language and real time feedback that creates an environment ripe for idea-generation.

How many times have you been at a conference and, while grabbing a quick coffee, bumped into someone you haven’t seen in years? You chat, you exchange contact information, and that person delivers a random nugget of knowledge that then helps you in your next deal, or casually mentions a referral they’d like to send your way … business is not only about structure and systems, but also about spontaneity and serendipity working together to create the alchemy of success.

Another benefit of in-person meetings is the sheer energy in the room. It makes you feel part of something larger than yourself. As we said many, many times during our HomeServices annual top-performer’s event: You are amazing when you’re apart, but WE are STRONGER TOGETHER.

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said: “Individual commitment to a group effort: That is what makes a team work, a society work, a civilization work.” And my mentor Jim Rohn said: “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Put these two concepts together and you can see why spending time with tens or hundreds of like-minded individuals will perpetuate the kind of continual improvement necessary for high achievement.

Further, when you’re in person, you can exhibit all the positive signs of someone willing and ready to connect. You can be friendly, maintain eye contact and project an optimistic self-image. Don’t forget to smile! Smiling is free and helps form an instant connection. While smiling sends a clear message about your upbeat state of mind, not smiling can be interpreted negatively as grumpiness, aloofness, or anger. And nobody wants to do business with a grump … or given the upcoming holiday season … a grinch!

So, what’s the message? Remember: Ideas flow where people go, and learning from others’ experience, skill and expertise is what growing together is all about.

Posted by rethinkcouncil

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