Making Capacity Count

Real insights, from real people, for real people.

Previously we have shared insights on the “doer” to “doer + leader” transition that many real estate professionals encounter. To navigate this transition successfully, one of the first steps is to create capacity to work differently. But many leaders face the next challenge: Using new capacity to deliver more. This month’s article explores how to dedicate reclaimed time to two priorities, efficient leadership and systematic client service, so that overall output is increased and rewards for effort hit the bottom line.

Making Capacity Count

If your people have successfully created some capacity, it’s vital they know what to do with it to capitalise on early success and avoid slippage into old habits. People become naturally motivated to develop a habit when they can see it is working, hence early results are important. So, they’ve carved out capacity. Now what?

Our experience of coaching professionals through the transition from “doer” to “doer + leader,” tells us that once people succeed in freeing up some time, they often don’t know how to use it differently. Instead, people describe wondering how to “be more strategic” which seems too hard to think about. That space often gets refilled with more of the same quick wins, reactive tasks, or distractions disguised as priorities. In short, old habits resurface. Time can get swallowed up by more meetings and more firefighting. And things don’t really change.

It's common to assume that this is a lack of discipline, but often it is more a lack of clarity over what’s needed, and a lack of structure in how to get there. Without a clear purpose for the time freed up, people will tend to fill it with what’s familiar. Generally, we are creatures of habitual tendency to seek the easiest option – even when assessing how to use our time!

We find that there are two capabilities that transitional leaders need to master in order to get off to the best start and demonstrate early success. This paves the way for leaders to continue and achieve positive lasting change in their ways of working.

1. Efficient Leadership

People are usually already dismayed with how long it takes to handle the people leadership side of their role. But this can be because their leadership is ineffective. Often recurring challenges may remain unresolved; many behavioural issues are left to drift; and unwanted behaviours are condoned through an inability or unwillingness to address them.

When “good practice” principles of people leadership are followed, leadership becomes effective and takes a lot less time (and mental toll) to implement. Learning to apply these principles requires initial dedication and effort, but once mastered results are visibly worthwhile.

Effective leadership is much more efficient than ineffective leadership. It’s therefore a priority to learn the essentials of a leadership toolkit.

2. Systematic Client Relationship Management

Most people, even the very best at client growth and building strategic relationships, do not operate systematically. This limits growth by reliance on what your people can remember to do and when, and not accessing their true ability to operate at scale.

Their mind is a busy place – the external world is becoming increasingly complex, and moving increasingly fast. Unless people adopt systems (whether tech-related or simply adding structure to how they do things) it will become increasingly difficult to keep up. And already some early-movers are gaining an advantage by focussing on managing relationships and not just transactions.

Adding some systematic nature to client relationship management enables your people do what they are best at – but more consciously and more consistently.

Changing How You Lead: Effective and Efficient Leadership
Key Point: Support your people to build repeatable practices into their week.
Here are some examples of how the reclaimed capacity could be invested into effective and efficient leadership:

• Establish team rhythms. Weekly planning, standups and monthly check-ins stop issues from festering and create space for leading in real time. Encourage leaders to make sure their team knows the purpose of each interaction, turns up prepared and shares information succinctly.
• Distinguish between meeting purposes. Is a meeting to disseminate information; discuss a topic or make a decision? Everyone should know beforehand.
  
• Re-engage with the importance of preparation. We witness that preparation has been somewhat lost in the pace and speed of our quickening marketplace. And that winging it has become a norm. Support your leaders to go back to basics and encourage them to role model and set out clear expectations for others to do the same.
• Delegate with feedback: Encourage leaders to learn best practice for delegating and giving effective feedback. Instead of just handing something off, they will then be able set up a task well including context, checking in at stages and giving constructive feedback until complete, resulting in better executive and upskilling others.
• Replace micromanagement with visibility tools: Ensure leaders set up transparent performance / task tracking including dashboards, shared trackers or simple routines. This encourages leaders to be able to give adequate trust and autonomy, whilst still being able to verify progress and intervene where necessary. It reduces frustration and removes the need to chase.