Category Archives: planning

commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, planning, Team work, tips

Are you holding back your own and your company grows?

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Hands touching a globeAll of us who are employed or entrepreneurs want to be successful in what we are doing and sometimes we are our worst enemy.

Contemplating where I want to go and what I want to do when I grow up I ran across an active on the Small Business Center w/ Fox Business “10 Ways You Hold Yourself Back” by Steve Tobak. The column originally appeared on Inc.com that made me think.

Looking at his thoughts he put together what could hold me back I found several the items mentioned that he might be right on.

Living online was one of them and no, I don’t live online. I don’t have time to be online 24/7 even so it appears that way. I laugh at the FB or other game “virtual money” you can buy at every grocery store checkout lane.

Another one was looking for the golden goose or silver bullet. I personal call this putting all eggs in one basket to pigeon whole you and not looking outside of the box. It might be good for a while but it does not prepare you for changes in the business. The same goes for making yourself into a personal brand unless you are a self-help guru you are what you sell and you should focus on your clients and customers and not yourself.

Are you reaching far enough into the future and have set a big enough goal for you or your company and have you put your goal in writing with a step by step plan?  Are you focusing on one step at the time, jump all in, and get it done? When you are not you are not reaching your goals and for sure not an entrepreneur.

A servant leader has is down. They will ask others how they can help them. They don’t not run the 60 second elevator speech at them and ask them for business. The servant leader is looking and giving inspiration and positive reinforcement in others and is not in the market and hunt of Twitter followers.

Still the “old fashion” F2F networking strategy is the way to build long term and lasting relationships. When you have tons of online connections the key is to connect with them on a personal level. When some of the random online connections are not willing to connect on a personal level they might have to go.

One of the biggest driving forces of a successful person is that they have a goal or want stuff. Maybe like a new house on a secluded island or a 1000 acre farm in Montana. This will keep them on task and focused.

Communication, education, Inspiration, planning, Team work, tips

Central Indiana May 2013 housing stats

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Spring 2013 ended up on a high note for Central Indiana’s Real Estate market. In May 2013 vs. May 2012 1362 more homes were sold and the median and average sale prices of those homes are also up.

Today’s Indiana Real Estate Markets Report gives us the following statistics for May 2013 vs. May2012:

• Number of closed home sales increased 21 percent to 7,840,

• Median sale price of those homes increased 4.5 percent to $127,500,

• Average sale price increased 4.2 percent to $150,543,

• Percent or original list price received increased 1.2 percent to 92.8 percent,

• Number of pending home sales increased 18.9 percent to 7,625, and

• Number of new listings increased 11 percent to 12,556.

 

Overall:

• We saw an increase of closed home sales year-over-year for 23 consecutive months,

• Median sale price of homes has increased for 18 consecutive months,

• Average sale price has increased for 17 consecutive months,

• Sellers received a greater share of their original list price for the 15th consecutive month, and

• Number of pending home sales has increased for 20 consecutive months.

 

Indiana is not different than many other states in this Country. We all still very concerned about the low housing inventory. With raising home prices we should see an increase in the amount of homes available for sale. There is still the concern of the amount of bank owned homes that will be release into the market and the raising interest rate.

commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, organizing, planning, Team work, tips

Being a Servant Leader

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Being a servant leader is not a new concept it has been around and goes back to 33 A.D.(thank you Linda Fitzgerald, for correcting me) The phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in “The Servant as Leader”, an essay that he first published in 1970.

Organizations as well as individuals can be servant-leaders. When you are a servant-leader you focus mainly on the growth and well-being of others and the communities to which they belong too. Traditional leaders generally involve the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top”.

As a servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as to their best abilities.

For Butler University, Robert K. Greenleaf put the Ten Principles of Servant Leadership together.

Some of the qualities a servant leader holds are:team

  • Listening to others and values diverse opinions
  • Regularly seeks out opinions of others
  • Has Empathy for others and willing to help others with life issues not only work
  • Commitment to the Growth of People into leadership rolls
  • Build’s a community of trust
  • Encourages others
  • Has selfless qualities

 

Compare to principals of a traditional leader whose principals are guided by the accumulation of power and money servant leader is guided by the need and opinions of others and the community the servant leader serves.

commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, organizing, planning, Team work

The responsibility of Leadership

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meeting roomCalling yourself a Leader comes with a barrow of responsibilities. Many of us leaders are going to be tapped to run for many external positions for non-for-profits and other leadership type of organizations.

I ran across a post from 2009 on the STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS website called  “Leadership Is Responsibility, Not Power” Even so it was written in 2009 is still holds true.

Many Leaders still think their role to be position of power. The time that a leader ruled with an iron fist is over and a leader needs to be more someone of trust, who can strategize, show a clear goal and willing to take criticism.

A leader also should be looked at as a responsible, and need to be accountable for their actions or their teams action they are leading.

No matter if the Team is now their work team, volunteer team, board team….

Especially when a leader takes a position on a board or volunteers for a function they need to specially responsible and make sure all the T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted.

When you think you are ready to take a leadership position outside of your work make sure that you truly have the time and the energy to perform for the external leadership position. Missing the beat could not only reflect badly on you personally it also could reflect badly on your work and you might put others in a negative position, and you might be asked to step down from the external leadership position or not asked to run a second therm.

buying, Communication, education, Inspiration, planning, tips

Top 10 Foreclosure States in May 2013

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Real Estate is selling much better than in recent years and the interest is starting to go up but still on the low end.

Still there are states that have homeowners who are going through foreclosure. Let’s keep the kidding aside; there always will be homes and homeowners who might look down the foreclosure barrel.

The current top 10 states where there are still an abundance of foreclosures are:

  • Florida
  • Nevada
  • Ohio
  • Maryland
  • South Carolina
  • Illinois
  • Georgia
  • Delaware
  • Arizona
  • Wisconsin

The first thing I notice is the California is missing on the top ten lists and that is great news.

This does not mean that there a no great deals to be found in any of the other states. I just had within my neighborhood several homes come up through the Bank listing avenue that were great deals for owner occupant and investors alike and my state is not in the top 10 list.

You just need to get with your Real Estate Professional and run your personal numbers to find out if the deal you  are looking at is the deal for you.

Communication, education, Inspiration, planning, Team work, tips

To Photoshop or not to Photoshop a listing picture

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Thanks to a prominent TV Show and another REALOTR® touching up pictures with Photoshop, and getting caught, we again have the discussion about if or if not to touch up pictures to make a house look much better online.

A Colum published by MSN Real Estate that was written by bankrate.com called Not-so-real estate: Is it ethical to alter photos? had several good example of when and when not to touch up.

Quote from article:

Randy Cohen, who wrote “The Ethicist” column for The New York Times Magazine, calls it unambiguously unethical and deliberately deceitful. “You might photograph the backyard from a particular angle to emphasize the view of the waterfall, and no one would quibble. But if you deliberately remove a bush to get that view, you’re definitely crossing the line.”

The REALTOR® codes of ethics under Article 1 states:

When representing a buyer, seller, landlord, tenant, or other client as an agent, REALTORS® pledge themselves to protect and promote the interests of their client. This obligation to the client is primary, but it does not relieve REALTORS® of their obligation to treat all parties honestly. When serving a buyer, seller, landlord, tenant or other party in a nonagency capacity, REALTORS® remain obligated to treat all parties honestly.

Here now comes the argument. Is touching up a listing picture with Photoshop a possible violation of the code of ethics by possible not treating all parties, aka the buyer who looked at the house because the REALTORS® decided to Photoshop the picture?

When you asked the REALTORS® from NM he might tell you not to do it.

He touched up a sellers house to present it in a better light on the internet, received a sight unseen offer with the earnest money check from an out of state buyer.  As that buyer was finally able to look at the home in person an immediate complaint was filed against the NM REALTORS® and he almost lost his license.

Here are my thoughts and I am not an attorney:

When you have to Photoshop out a toy you overlooked in the yard as you took the picture you would be fine. Removing power lines, trees, bushes or straighten out a wall, would in my eyes go too far.  The code of Ethics clearly states that the REALTORS® is to treat all parties honestly and photo shopping real from real estate is not treating all parties honestly and many listing services now have the rule that they do not allow picture that were photo shopped.

Communication, education, Inspiration, planning, tips

Are you ready for today’s buyer’s wish list?

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Green HouseToday’s buyers are well informed and doing their homework before they even starts looking at any homes.

Your home needs to stand out from the crowed not only in “person” but also online.

Three major factors today’s buyer is looking for are the Price, Condition and Location of the home. As a seller you cannot influence the location of the home. You have a lot of influence over the Condition and the Price.

When it comes to location buyers are closely paying attention to the neighborhood the home is located at. They are deciding on the look and feel of the neighborhood. Is the areas well taken care off or do you see overgrown and “unkempt” yards. The other deciding factor is becoming more and more the availability and the ease of public transportation.

When it comes to price buyers crave the rock bottom pricing of the fixer uppers but would like to have the convenience of a ready-to-move-in home. Buyers also take more and more into consideration the cost of owning a home including taxes, cost of utilities and size. The larger the home the more you might need to spend on utilities. Many buyers have opted for a smaller home, that is maybe a more environmentally friendly home and might cost a bit more to buy. LEEDS certified home sales have outpaced in many areas the sale of “normal” homes.

When you have a floor plan that is broken down into formal room this, and formal room that, you might consider a small renovation if feasible. Today’s buyers are all for open floor plan and open connectivity. They no longer like to hide in the kitchen in the backroom when they have guest in the front room or outside on the deck.

More and more buyers are looking for a home that has two Master Suites due to some families combining households for the elderly parent or adult children moving in or just come to visit.

commitment, Communication, organizing, planning, tips

Tame the inbox clutter beast

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inboxCommunication and how we interact on a daily bases has changed. Mostly gone are the days we send lengthy letters or communications vial mail. We are in a society of connected individuals and our inboxes are paying the price.

Sometimes it seems impossible to look, and read every email that comes into our inbox and being able to tackle the overwhelming inbox daemon we are facing.

While I was tackling my inbox daemons I came across a blog John Battelle, Founder, Chair, CEO, Federated Media Publishing posted called “The Secret to “Cracking” The Inbox “.

I have found creating inbox rules for certain messages will keep my inbox clean.  For instance any article that comes in that is maybe just a great article to read and can be read at a later time/date goes into one file and a meeting request into another and will be responded to in the evening before I close out my inbox.

Unwanted emails, SPAM or Junk Mail go into another folder and are going to be blocked at the end of the week.

Emails without a subject line are automatically deleted and no one even gets to see them.

Every night make the point to clean out the inbox. It might take an hour the first time you do it. After a while it should be faster because you have created your personal inbox rules for your email.

commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, organizing, planning, Team work, tips

Don’t be afraid to network

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We all do it !!!  Networking!

Some of us better than others and some of us don’t realize we are doing it every day.

Just having lunch with friends or family is a form of networking. You are getting the word out about what you do and who you are looking for. It always comes up during casual conversation.

Watching the kids at a sporting event is a form of networking. You usually make connections on a personal level with the other individuals who are at the event. Going shopping can be easily an event for networking.

Some of us are connected through social media and that is also a form of networking.

OK…now what we do with all of our connections we have accumulated?

When you speak with active networkers they will most likely throw the Givers Gain tagline at you. It is much more than that and I found a good example in an article I have read on the website “Addicted 2 Success” called “13 ways to unlock the hidden power of your Network to increase your net worth”

  • Assess the barriers that are holding you back
  • Define your core passions and purpose with the Funnel Test
  • Create a mind-set of positive productivity
  • Develop a Give Give Get attitude…..yes givers gain is also part of the mix …..
  • Commit to shaking it up. Get out of your daily routine.
  • Accelerate your connections with technology
  • Cultivate relationships that support your purpose. Keep your core circle of networkers close and your secondary cycle close on hand.
  • Visit power pockets to accelerate networking
  • Hone your connecting skills and learn from hub players
  • Create content, products, or services to share your purpose
  • Develop partnerships to extend your reach
  • Learn to make successful asks.
  • Decide what brings you happiness and success: head, heart, or wallet?

 

Networking is a team sport and Jack Welsh put it best:

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. —Jack Welch

commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, organizing, planning, Team work, tips

What type of Boss are you?

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newspaperHaving been on both sides of the fence during my work career I recently stopped and contemplated about what type of boss I am.

Reading a lot of articles from different sources I came across an article that was posted in the Fox Small Business Center called “10 things great bosses do” and used their list to see where I am standing.

The 10 trades they listed were:

  • Holding yourself accountable
  • Don’t be full of surprises
  • Be prepared to fix things
  • Know and have a feel for your business
  • Get the job done
  • Manage effectively in every direction.
  • Be able to make quick and informed decisions, even when they are not popular
  • Be effective not productive and stay flexible.
  • Live for your job by being engaged, empowered, driven, and self-motivated
  • Make sure you keep your sense of humor, have humility, empathy and learn about your own limitations and fallibility.

 

Looking at this list I can see I still have room for improvement on the other hand I can personally see how far I have come.

 

In matter to grow a business we have to be willing to grow ourselves.