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Steven Cross
Having a CEO from a non-real estate background has helped Fletchers clean up at the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) awards last week, according to director Tim Fletcher.
Fletchers took out the Large Residential Agency category, as well as director and auctioneer Tim Heavyside winning the Top Residential Salesperson of the Year.
According to Mr Fletcher, the secret to the company’s success comes from the top down.
“We’re the only company in Australia to win two awards, which is something we’re very proud of,” he told Real Estate Business.
“The reason we’ve done so well is because we have done something that no one else has done. Our CEO, Bradley Brown, who has been responsible for running our business, is not a real estate practitioner.
“I’ve been in the business 47 years, and throughout that time everyone has been a practitioner and trying to run a business. I don’t think they’re mutually compatible.”
Mr Brown was overjoyed the moment he heard Fletchers had won the Large Residential Agency for Australia, after topping Victoria for the second time.
“For Fletchers, the current back-to-back Victoria winner of the same category, to be recognised by the REIA as the best large firm in our great land is just an awesome feeling,” he told Real Estate Business.
“Not just for me, but for the 180 dedicated people in The Fletchers Group and our vast network of amazing suppliers.”
The journey to taking out the top spot has taken 10 years, according to Mr Brown, who acknowledges Mr Fletcher recognised the need for a separate CEO.
“When directors, Tim, Rob and Marilyn Fletcher, had the foresight to recognise that if Fletchers was going to continue to prosper well into the next millennium it would be with professional management as an essential ingredient, that is where I came into the picture - I was engaged to be a director and the firm's first CEO," he said.
“We began the process of seeking out leading agencies and agents throughout Australasia to provide inspiration for us to create our own true best practice methodologies for conducting our business, which we labelled 'The Fletchers Way'.
“I am a big believer in a holistic approach to leadership and leading change, so everything that can be changed and should be changed continues to be looked into and, where necessary, is evolved to ensure we achieve our ongoing vision 'of achieving best practice in everything we do'.
“We started our work in 2002 by mapping out where we wanted to be in 2012 and then began the process of building 'The Fletchers Way', module by module. Everything from prospecting to client for life, every aspect of the way we win and retain business, to the way we service our clients is fully spelt out for our team.”
Mr Brown is showing no signs of slowing down as he plans to take Fletchers to even higher levels.
“We will grow with a commitment to relentlessly ensuring we are reinventing ourselves as needed to meet best practice by providing leadership for our people with the assistance of our leadership group, and by having a strong and committed vision for the firm while seeing to the flawless execution of whatever changes are required to achieve that vision." he said.
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