Thoughts on Leadership: Not of Decline But of Progress
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels found me in Baltimore, MD and Lancaster, PA to meet with the outstanding team at a local HSF Affiliates network brokerage. I delivered both my 7 Principles of Success and How to Create An Unstoppable Mindset Routine to the members of the brokerage and speaking against the backdrop of these extraordinary cities made me really think about the significance of both Lancaster and Baltimore’s rich history, and how some of the central themes in my talks are echoed in the cities’ past.
On Feb. 7, 1904, the city of Baltimore was struck by what is now known as the Great Baltimore Fire. More than 1,500 buildings burned as a result of the devastating inferno in a span of just 30 hours. Exactly 1,231 firefighters were called to Baltimore to get the blaze under control, though in the end 140 acres of land in Central Baltimore were completely destroyed, 35,000 residents were left unemployed and the city faced $150 million in damages (equal to about $3.84 billion today). By most accounts, the Great Baltimore Fire is considered the third-worst conflagration in American history. It’s also known as one of the greatest examples of perseverance in the face of certain despair.
Speaking to the forlorn members of his city—then a crumbling town of ash and despair—Major Robert McLane had this to say to the Baltimore News:
“To suppose that the spirit of our people will not rise to the occasion is to suppose that our people are not genuine Americans. We shall make the fire of 1904 a landmark not of decline, but of progress.”
The city of Baltimore came together like none other after that message, and not only rebuilt from ruination in a matter of years but also used the fire as an opportunity to adopt a city building code that required fireproof materials—such as granite pavers—to be incorporated into all city structures.
Lancaster boasts a similar story of resilience in the face of strife. After the end of the American Revolution, the city of Lancaster became an iron-foundry center, providing Americans with two of the most common products necessary for pioneers to settle west in the new Frontier: the Conestoga wagon (named after the Conestoga River running through the city), and the Pennsylvania long rifle, devised by gunsmith and U.S. congressman William Henry. In other words, for Lancaster, the aftermath of a deadly war was increased industrial productivity that directly shaped the very borders of what America would soon become.
So, what’s the message? Well, it’s one I deliver over and over in both my 7 Principles to Success and Mindset Routine talks; staying positive is easy when times are good but it’s when things get hard that you really need to maintain your focus and composure. Why? Because it’s the hard that makes you great. It’s the willingness to do the hard that makes you great. When things are easy, your abilities aren’t tested or stretched or pushed to their limits, and any sudden success achieved can just as quickly be lost. A true leader with the right mindset to succeed is one who looks at a war-torn town and sees industrial opportunity or one who finds his or her city burned to the ground and from those ashes, sees a chance to rebuild into something even greater than before.
GINO BLEFARI is CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC. You can follow Gino on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Real Living Real Estate and Realtor.com Team Up for First-Ever 5K Fun Run
Real Living Real Estate, one of the nation’s leading real estate franchisors and a member of the HSF Affiliates family of real estate brokerages, announced it recently raised funds for Habitat for Humanity Tucson during the franchise network’s first-ever 5k Fun Run, sponsored by realtor.com® that took place at the Annual Sales Convention, Real Living Connection.
The idea for the 5k Fun Run originated when Robert McAdams Jr., president of Real Living Real Estate, sought to create a new team-building activity that would involve conference attendees in the Tucson community. “Having a tie-in to a local non-profit and finding a key sponsor made this fundraising event even more powerful,” he said. “It’s important to us to give back to the communities whose real estate needs we serve and Habitat for Humanity’s mission to end homelessness is a perfect fit for our network.”
There is no better time than now! Learn about the Real Living difference today. #PowerOfUshttp://bit.ly/1X7oaI7 pic.twitter.com/Dq6rwVAXZz
— Real Living (@RealLiving_RE) March 9, 2017
After the Fun Run planning was underway, finding the event sponsor was next and for that role, McAdams looked to realtor.com. “Making dreams come true, one step at a time seemed too perfect of a connection for this exclusive sponsorship opportunity,” said McAdams, citing realtor.com’s recent ad campaign, all about helping consumers find their dream home.
After meeting with McAdams at the Inman Connect in New York, Leza VanBeuren, VP of national sales at Move, Inc., which operates realtor.com, made the commitment to sponsor the Real Living Connection 2017 convention and Real Living 5K Fun Run.
“We instantly recognized the parallels between the efforts of the team at Real Living Real Estate and our work at realtor.com – in real estate service, in direct involvement with local communities and our belief in the importance of home in our lives,” said Ray Picard, executive vice president at realtor.com. “Habitat for Humanity is one of our favorite organizations to partner with and we are proud to extend our contribution through our participation in this event.”
Gino Blefari, CEO of HSF Affiliates, applauded Real Living Real Estate network professionals on a successful event. “Congratulations to the network for its support of Habitat for Humanity Tucson,” he said. “Bringing the dream of homeownership to those who need it most speaks directly to the core values of Real Living Real Estate.”
Thoughts on Leadership: Learning from Mavericks
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels found me in Tampa, Florida for the biannual meeting of the Mavericks, a small think tank of CEOs who get together to exchange ideas and foster company growth. It was an inspiring conference, as it always is, and I had four key takeaways from the meeting that I want to share with you now:
1. Openness and transparency are vitally important among leaders.During this meeting, brokerage leaders share numbers from the past year, wins, losses … everything. All the figures were out in the open, readily available for us to assess and review. Why is this so critical? Because transparency fosters trust and creates solutions to problems that are steeped in pure fact. Transparency, I should note, is also craved by your team members. In a digital age when information is readily available at the touch of a tiny screen, all leaders must be transparent with their employees to fully connect and inspire them to grow.
2. Some of the best ideas happen when the meeting ends (or hasn’t started yet).We spent the better part of three days together as a Mavericks team and while our formal meetings were incredibly productive, it was during the breakfast, lunch, dinner breaks and downtime (even on bus trips we took together) that some of the best and most inspiring ideas were formed and shared. In her book, The Creative Brain, Harvard psychologist Shelley Carson has this to say about the flow of ideas:
“Everyone has a built-in censoring system that filters thoughts and stimuli from the outside world before they reach conscious awareness. Learning to loosen up this mental filtering to allow more novel ideas to flow through is one of the biggest challenges for people who don’t think of themselves as creative.”
Taking Dr. Carson’s idea back to the breakfast, lunch and dinner table, we’re in a less heightened state of censorship during the casual times than we would be when sitting in a conference room, therefore our filtering system is less active and the creative ideas can more freely be shared.
3. When it comes to positive change, accountability is key.At every Mavericks meeting, we make sure to have the previous host broker report on the progress made since we made suggestions for his or her brokerage. During this meeting, for instance, a broker/owner shared how his company has grown and advanced. As you know, the fourth discipline in the 4DX system is to “create a cadency of accountability,” because no matter how amazing, creative and innovative your plan or ideas may be, they don’t mean much if they’re not seen through to a successful conclusion.
4. New eyes see old things in new ways.It’s interesting how analyzing both the good and bad at another brokerage can open your own eyes about what’s working or not working at your own. When turn a critical eye toward someone or some business entity, you’re able to more clearly realize what you may be lacking in your own business strategy.
So, what’s the message? When you get together with your peers to create positive change, it’s amazing how quickly you can see results. That’s precisely the reason I encourage everyone to attend the Real Living Connection Annual Sales Convention and all of our events throughout the year; these events all represent opportunities for us to connect but they’re also chances for us to view our own businesses through the lens of others. Attendees are doing things to win business we may not have thought about and they can, in their own ways, expose the weaknesses in our strategies we wouldn’t have otherwise seen. Bottom line: Gathering with peers, collaborating and exchanging ideas—whether it’s in a classroom, conference room or during a coffee break—is really one of the best ways to grow.
GINO BLEFARI is CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC. You can follow Gino on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Real Living Northwest Realtors Shares Impressive Anderson Island Stats
The Real Living Northwest Realtors’ Anderson Island office sold more homes in 2016 than the next ten brokerages in the Anderson Island market combined – that’s a whopping 36% market share. Anderson Island is a little-known paradise in Pierce County, WA. 
The remote, southernmost island in Puget Sound is accessible only by ferry and is home to a network of trails, parks, and two freshwater lakes.
Stephanie McCarthy, owner of Northwest Realtors, said the Real Living Real Estate brand is key to Anderson Island brokers’ success. “Our motto ‘The Power of Us, the Freedom to be You’ allows us to offer our agents all the tools and systems of a national brokerage, while giving our agents the freedom to let their unique personalities shine through,” she said.
To learn more about the Anderson Island office and how they’re leveraging the brand, take a look at the full press release here.
Real Living Realty Professionals Donates Wheelchair Accessible Van to Local Family
Springfield, MA-based Broker/Owner Bob Molta and his team at Real Living Realty Professionals recently donated a wheel chair accessible minivan to a local family. The heart-felt gift will change their lives.
Three-year-old Catheryn Racine was born with spina bifida and has been on a debilitating journey of six different operations, numerous hospital stays and weekly doctors’ appointments. It was a struggle to transport Catheryn, so her family and dozens of loved ones couldn’t hold back their emotions when Molta presented them with the keys to the van.
Realty Professionals wanted nothing more than give to the Racine family. Molta told Western Mass News:
“This means everything to me, it is two years of culmination of work between ourselves and our company,” he said. “I can’t say enough of how proud I am of our sales associates for working and making donations for this van and making it happen.” The family is excited to use the van for not only doctors’ visits, but for a little fun, too.
Learn more about the Racine family and this donation in Western Mass News’ coverage of the story here.
Real Living Real Estate Announces New Social Media Center
Real Living Real Estate, one of the nation’s leading real estate franchisors and a member of the HSF Affiliates LLC family of real estate brokerage franchise networks, recently announced the launch of its Real Living Social Media Center, which distributes fresh and ongoing content to network members’ consumer and professional connections across Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
“We are excited to deliver the new Real Living Social Media Center to our network members and help them share engaging content with their spheres of influence,” said Robert McAdams Jr., president of Real Living Real Estate. “The platform is simple to use and will help our agents increase their visibility and thought leadership locally.”
The Real Living Social Media Center, powered by Back At You Media and free of charge for all Real Living Real Estate network members, helps professionals to create social media content such as listing announcements, text posts, images and links to articles, and to preschedule the material to appear at a later time. It also provides a steady flow of fresh content written and curated by Real Living Real Estate, including national real estate market updates, homeownership trends, brand updates, holiday messaging and more.
Matt Kaufman, director of marketing and technology at Real Living Real Estate, said the Real Living Social Media Center complements agents’ ongoing marketing and communication strategies.
“Our main goal in launching the Real Living Social Media Center is to provide every agent in the network with the tools and expertise to build a strong, credible social presence, regardless of their skills or experience,” he explained. “With a leg up on social media our agents can focus more time on what they love to do – help their clients buy and sell real estate.”
Gino Blefari, CEO of HSF Affiliates, congratulated the network on its implementation of Real Living Social Media Center. “Social media is an integral part of real estate communication—from property marketing to client interaction, branding and beyond,” he said. “The platform will help Real Living agents leverage social media in smart, interactive and effective ways.”
Thoughts on Leadership: The Mindset of a Champion
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels found me first in Las Vegas to speak with HomeServices Lending CEO and president Maureen Sammon and her team at HomeServices Lending’s Elite Producer Event. Next, it was off to Tucson to speak with our Real Living Real Estate network members for the annual Real Living Connection conference.
At each event, I spoke about the importance of a positive mindset for effective leadership and the topic couldn’t be more top of mind than after this past Sunday’s historic Super Bowl LI game.
As all of you know, the Patriots won the Super Bowl in a stunning overtime victory, claiming the Vince Lombardi Trophy I wrote about last week. The game—which many claim was the greatest Super Bowl played—boiled down to tactical errors made by the Atlanta Falcons and decisive execution on the part of the New England Patriots and their on-the-field leader, Tom Brady, and off-the-field leader, Bill Belichick.
In total, the Patriots ran 93 plays during the course of the game while the Falcons ran almost half as much—46 plays. In the fourth quarter alone, when the Patriots truly turned the game around, New England ran 35 plays to Atlanta’s 13. Yet, it wasn’t just play-making that was the active ingredient in a New England championship; it was also a mindset maintained by the entire team that while they might be down on the scoreboard they were far from out.
Famously, Belichick worked his team harder than ever in the days and weeks leading up to the Super Bowl—he even tried to start a “no days off” chant at the Patriots parade in Boston to reflect his leadership philosophy—and the results certainly showed.
“We put in a lot of work,” said Patriots receiver and special teams standout Matthew Slater. “We’re practicing in pads on Super Bowl week. We’re squatting 80% of our maxes on Super Bowl week. I mean, we worked for this. Our bodies were ready. Our minds were ready, and we just kept believing one another.”
To pull off a Super Bowl win, belief was truly the name of the game. Every single player on the New England Patriots had to believe they could come back. The team also had to believe in Tom Brady, who remained calm despite his team’s worst deficit of 28-3 in the third quarter. And Brady’s composure is the mark of not just a good leader but a great one. Any leader can lead through success. That’s easy. But it’s the hard that makes you great, as I say. The true test of a leader is when the chips are down, when this leader is facing the greatest deficit in a Super Bowl game ever and you say something like, “OK, we need two touchdowns, a field goal and two 2-point conversions to take the Super Bowl into overtime,” and without blinking an eye the leader would reply, “I got this.”
So what’s the message? Truer leadership has never been so clearly defined as the New England Patriots rallying together and winning this Super Bowl game. Yet it was no coincidence or no capricious stroke of luck that New England wound up the victors; it was a mix of experience, determination, perseverance and the belief that winning was possible. Brady was once quoted as saying, “If you don’t believe in yourself why is anyone else going to believe in you?” And that’s the truth. Leadership, success, victory … it must start always with you.
GINO BLEFARI is CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC. You can follow Gino on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Thoughts on Leadership: Winning is a Habit
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels find me first in Detroit where I spoke with agents, managers and leadership at Real Living Kee Realty. For each meeting, I like to deliver several principles for success, specific ideas to follow in order to win.
It’s no surprise winning is on my mind because I just received a text from my good friend and former All-Pro wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers as well as five-time Super Bowl champion, Dwight “The Catch” Clark, who’s on his way to Houston for Super Bowl Media Week appearances. Each summer, as soon as pre-season begins, teams have one Wildly Important Goal (WIG) in mind: Make it to the Super Bowl and then, win the Vince Lombardi Trophy. This trophy—a football resting atop a pedestal that measures 22 inches and 7 pounds of sterling silver glory—is only given to the team that has proven to be the very best in the world.
Why is it called the Vince Lombari Trophy, you may ask? Why not Super Bowl Championship Trophy? Well, it’s an interesting story. On Jan. 15, 1967, the first-ever Super Bowl was played between the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League—whose coach at the time was Vince Lombardi—and the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL. Green Bay won that game handily by a score of 35-10 and would go on to defeat the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl the following year, 33-14. After Super Bowl II, Lombardi retired as head coach of the Packers but not before solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest coaches and leaders of all time.
Still, for the next few years—until 1970 to be exact—Super Bowl winners would receive what was called the World Professional Football Championship Trophy. When Lombardi suddenly died of cancer in 1970, the trophy was renamed the Vince Lombardi Trophy before it was awarded to the Baltimore Colts after they beat the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V.
Some might imagine the trophy bore Lombardi’s namesake because he was the leader responsible for bringing his team to Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl I and II but it’s really so much more than that; the name, the man, the legend known as Vince Lombari is absolutely synonymous with winning.
Lombardi once said, “winning is a habit,” and for him, it truly was.
During his 10-year coaching career, Lombardi’s teams won 96 regular season games, which amounted to a .728 winning percentage. He also had an astounding .840 winning percentage in all the pre-seasons he coached and during post-season, was virtually untouchable with a .900 winning percentage, which included five NFL titles.
So, what’s the message? It’s one I’m sure New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady, Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Matt Ryan are repeating over and over leading up to Sunday’s big game; it’s the idea of habitual, unwavering devotedness to a single, achievable goal — a Super Bowl victory. That’s a powerful message we can all take with us, whether we’re attempting to win a listing, a deal or a new client. We must remain focused, steadfast and unflappable in our devotion to win. “Winning is not a sometimes thing,” Lombardi once said. “It’s an all-the-time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do the right thing once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit.”
P.S. If you’re looking for a good read to learn more about Vince Lombardi, I recommend When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi.
GINO BLEFARI is CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC. You can follow Gino on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Bob’s Blog: Introducing … TheRealBlog.com!
By Bob McAdams Jr.
This past year was another great one for us at Real Living Real Estate, with our network members across the country diligently supporting home buyers and sellers, their communities and of course, each other. It’s no secret why Real Living Real Estate consistently achieves such high levels of overall consumer satisfaction; our focus is and always will be on maintaining the best customer experience in the industry.
One of the things I enjoy most about my job is when I can sit down and connect with our network members, whether it be at their office or at a local restaurant, talking and brainstorming about how they can better serve their clients, grow their business and thrive in their marketplaces. I love hearing about our agents’ passion for real estate and look forward to strategizing on new ways to help their businesses grow.
One way to do just that is through social media, which brings together our Real Living Real Estate network under one common screen, one common hashtag (#PowerOfUs) and all of the incredible ideas that can be so easily digested and shared. With that in mind, I proudly present to you a new way for us to connect and inspire each other—TheRealBlog.com—your new online home for updates about Real Living Real Estate as you work to help your clients achieve the American dream.
Happy reading!
BOB MCADAMS is President of Real Living Real Estate. You can follow Bob on Instagram and Twitter.
Thoughts on Leadership: Face-to-Face Leadership
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels find me in Irvine, CA at our HSF Affiliates LLC headquarters for a Sales and Service conference. The conference brought together our sales, service, operations, education and business consulting teams for a collective, three-day event filled with presentations, team-building activities and idea-sharing. As you know, I’m a firm believer in setting Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) and not just setting these WIGS but also limiting them to only the very most important achievements you need to get done. These were our two WIGs for the meeting:
- Increase the collaboration between our sales and service teams relative to working with our affiliates to help them achieve their goals faster than they would in our absence.
- Expand on and improve the way we connect with potential franchisees for whom we share our Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices value proposition and its important tenets of trust, integrity, stability and longevity.
Beyond these two WIGs, it was an important conference for another reason: The face-to-face interaction of business associates who have in many cases worked together for years but haven’t yet had a chance to meet in person.
Trust cannot be formed through a cell phone or computer screen. Trust, a pillar of not only our particular brokerage organization but also a pillar to sustainable success, must be built through genuine connection. This genuine connection, I should add, is found when you can look into someone’s eyes, shake his or her hand and be present in a room to feel the energy and passion this individual has for the work he or she does. That’s real trust. That’s real commitment to a shared goal. Emails and conference calls will never replace what it’s like to sit right beside your colleagues as they explain, illuminate and ultimately, inspire.
Thoughts on #Leadership: Face-to-Face Leadershiphttps://t.co/2tcF2xxtjb
— Gino Blefari (@ginoblefari) January 13, 2017
So, what’s the message? I made it a point to sit through our entire three-day Sales and Service conference to hear every presentation given and proposal offered. In the end, I believe we achieved the two WIGs we set out to accomplish. How? Well, of course it was due in part to the strength of our great sales and service teams but it was also largely because of the face-to-face time we spent together that helped show us just how very strong we are. Business is done with people, not companies. And applying this concept to your own leadership style means the next time someone asks to schedule a conference call or video chat for your meeting, tell him or her you’d rather sit down in your office or grab a coffee instead. Trust me, the future success of whatever business endeavor you’re setting out to achieve will be better off because you did.
GINO BLEFARI is CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC. You can follow Gino on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.