Posts tagged:Thursday Thoughts

Thoughts on Leadership: The 2016 NAGLREP Conference

This week my travels found me in Ft. Lauderdale, FL for the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Real Estate Professionals Conference. This meeting is the premiere forum for the LGBT real estate market and highlights issues that affect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender homebuyers and sellers. As an example, at the 2016 conference, NAGLREP released the results of its latest Member Survey, which found 20% of LGBT real estate agents surveyed thought the historic Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court ruling positively affected their clients’ decision to buy or sell a home. (Read more results from the survey here.)

Each year, industry leaders gather to celebrate accomplishments, discuss pressing topics and brainstorm ways to make a real difference for an influential, important and impactful area of the real estate industry.  This year’s meeting was exactly that.

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Thursday Thoughts on Leadership: Moving Families Initiative

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels found me in Pittsburgh to meet with the team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty and owner/CEO Ron Croushore. Attendance at the meeting topped more than 450 agents, managers and staff, and I spent five hours—one with managers and four with the agents—talking time management, principles for success, operating a brokerage and more. What an incredible experience and what an energized group! As I stood on stage addressing the crowd, a thought came to mind: This, like all our Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices members, is more than a brokerage. It’s a family, a community of like-minded individuals who understand the importance of learning and growing together for the benefit of all.

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Thursday Thoughts on Leadership: Business Planning for 2017

This week my travels found me first in San Diego, where I was invited by Sam Guillen and John Stenberg of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties to speak to the team. From there, I went to Irvine, CA and end my week in San Jose, CA, where Robert Cruz will be installed as president of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® (NAHREP) Silicon Valley. This week I also took the opportunity to finish my business plan for 2017 and will have my entire year mapped out by Saturday, Oct. 1.

Some might ask, a business plan in October? Yes, you read that right. Because over the decades I’ve worked in real estate, I’ve learned most real estate agents—and most companies—have a cash flow problem during January and February. The perennial issue makes sense when you understand that real estate works on a 90 day cycle; what you do today will pay off three months from now and concurrently, what you don’t do today will cause suffering and headache three months down the road.

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Thoughts on Leadership: Storytelling and Connecting at Summit Conference

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels find me in Rancho Mirage, CA for our 2016 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Summit Conference. The theme for this year’s event is “storytelling and connecting,” and the two ideas couldn’t have been more central to every activity, networking opportunity, presentation and gathering that together encompassed our Summit meeting. 

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Thursday Thoughts on Leadership: Lose Graciously

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels found me Irvine, CA at our HSF Affiliates headquarters then in Phoenix to meet with Mark Stark, CEO/owner of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Arizona Properties, Nevada Properties and California Properties. While in Phoenix, I had the opportunity to play a round of golf with Mark as well as Dennis Alaburda—agent with Arizona Properties—at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, a world-class course that has hosted elite events like the United States Mid-Amateur Championship, Arizona Open, Ping Pro Scratch and the Merrill Lynch Shoot Out.

Being out on the greens, cacti surrounding me, the rocky Sonoran Desert hillside just beyond, I thought about one of my all-time favorite golfers, Jack Nicklaus, an athlete I admire as much for his off-the-course philosophy about life and leadership as I do for his superb skills displayed while playing the sport.

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Thursday Thoughts on Leadership: What’s Your Story?

By Gino Blefari

This week my travels found me in Charleston, West Virginia to meet with the team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Great Expectations Realty and I had the opportunity to sit next to U.S. Senator Joe Manchin at dinner Thursday night then had a brief meeting at the office of Senator Shelley Moore Capito the following day. After West Virginia it was off to Minneapolis for meetings with the HomeServices of America, Inc. board and then Northern California where I had lunch with Carmine Gallo, best-selling author of one of my favorite books, The Storyteller’s Secret. Carmine is also a keynote speaker at this month’s upcoming Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Summit Conference in Palm Springs, Sept. 18-20 and I can’t wait for him to share his wisdom with the crowd!

Our theme for 2016 Summit is “connecting” and this fits squarely with Carmine’s philosophy: The best way to connect, he says, is through the stories we tell. Think about it. What is it we really remember from meetings, trips or big events? Is it the gate number for our flight? Is it the very date a particular conference call took place? No. Those are details and they’re easily forgotten. What we remember are the stories we take away from these experiences and the stories others have shared with us. Here are three traits of inspiring storytellers, as defined by Carmine in his book:

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Thursday Thoughts on Leadership: A Time To Give Thanks

By Gino Blefari

Today, I want to talk about Thanksgiving. We as human beings, Americans and yes, members of the HSF Affiliates and HomeServices of America, Inc. families, work very hard and always maintain a strong work ethic. Yet, as busy as we get, there are times when it’s important to step back, reflect and be thankful for all we have and all of the people in our lives we’re blessed to have around us. There are many reasons why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday (and no, it’s not just the food coma and football) but I want to share one story that is particularly meaningful for me as we approach Thanksgiving Day:

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