Login
iscover
Leaders know they need to be accountable and they need their people to be accountable too. But many confuse accountability with micromanagement. This creates a narrow view of success, defined by growth in numbers and not by talent developed. When this happens, an accountability gap emerges, says Laing+Simmons head of people and growth Jacqui Barnes, and the core purpose of leadership is lost.
Business owners understand the importance of leadership but too often misunderstand their core responsibility as a leader.
Many think tracking key performance indicators (KPI) is the same as developing talent. But focusing on today’s tasks and numbers is managing. Coaching is about tomorrow and beyond. This demands building talented performers through feedback, questioning, mentoring and real accountability.
Leaders may view talent development as HR’s job or the franchiser’s role but without it, their business stagnates. The reality is, talent development is actually the core responsibility of a leader.
That’s because in real estate, your results will always reflect the depth of your talent bench. And talent doesn’t just walk in the door ready-made. It is built by leaders who step up and own the accountability of developing it.
Accountability: it’s hard because it’s necessary
It is hard to hold people accountable. Some leaders avoid accountability conversations because they feel like nagging or they want to avoid conflict.
Leaders are not immune to a fear of conflict. Most real estate leaders come from a sales background and while they’re comfortable in listing presentations, tough conversations with their own team can be another story.
It’s natural, especially among sales people, to want to be liked. Many therefore revert to micromanagement, which creates a barrier to talent development.
Accountability done well isn’t about comparing numbers with KPIs. It’s about clarity and growth, and this requires clear standards and expectations. You can’t hold people accountable to something that is not defined. If behaviours, expectations or KPIs are vague, accountability feels unfair and inconsistent.
The best leaders use a defined accountability framework. This helps them remained focused on the priorities of talent development instead of being bogged down with the day-to-day, like listings, vendor calls and exchanges.
Without a structure, encompassing regular one-on-ones, development plans and mentoring rhythms, accountability becomes reactive and ad hoc. That inconsistency erodes trust and follow-through. True accountability becomes elusive.
Coaching v managing for long-term performance
At Laing+Simmons, we challenge our leaders to do a one-week audit to understand how much of their week is spent developing their team versus chasing their numbers. If less than 20 per cent is invested in one-on-ones, training or mentoring, then they’re not leading. They’re managing output and while this produces compliance, it does not enhance capability.
So, the question for today’s real estate leaders is, when was the last time you coached someone on their career and not just their call sheet? There are powerful pay-offs to focusing on the former.
Leaders who prioritise talent development build stronger pipelines, more resilient teams and better culture. Prioritising talent development means leaving nothing to chance.
At Laing+Simmons, we work with our office leaders to build a development playbook for their teams. These encompass developing a 90-day onboarding program, mentoring rhythms and clear pathways from associate to lead agent to business owner.
Of course, underpinning the talent development process is accountability. Shifting the way leaders take on accountability conversations can help.
For instance, instead of a leader asking, “How many calls did you make?”, they can ask, “What skill or strategy did you improve this week?”
Instead of an accountability meeting focused on pipeline growth, reframe this meeting to focus on capability growth.
Leaders must be accountable too
Leaders, too, must also hold themselves to account. Strategies might include adding a talent score to leadership KPIs, taking into account retention rate, promotion from within or percentage of the team with a 90-day growth plan.
There’s one critical question leaders can ask themselves to understand if they’re developing talent in line with their core responsibility long-term or simply managing for the short-term.
“If a member of my team left tomorrow, have I developed their talent enough to replace their value?”
If the answer is no, you’ve found your accountability gap.
You are not authorised to post comments.
Comments will undergo moderation before they get published.