Creating a value based culture…
In Summary
Working with a property company for 10 years to create a value based culture. Estate Agents have a notorious reputation and the company was determined to create a brand and an ethos “That was not like other Agents…”.
The core value was to “upserve”, constantly add value internally and externally. The team became trusted advisors and followed a blue print in each area of the business.
In a nutshell:-
- Brand integrity – strong guidelines
- Brand story – ethos to follow
- What Vs How – not what you do it is how you do it?
- Upserve internally and externally
- Trusted Advisor
- Blue print – process for each area of the business
- Long term view
- Intangible learning that became tangible
- What leads to how – and the how had to be practical
How? – a series of team workshops
- Working across barriers – process mapped tasks by departments
- How to be proactive? – used the 5 a day principle and employees kept logs of when they had been proactive.
- What does your business look like? – Visited other agents and used a mystery shopper to give the company feedback. This workshop used a lot of the techniques from the very successful programme “Mary Queen of Shops”
- How to live and work by your values? – the team described what would be happening at the office and in the afternoon took part in a volunteering project, creating planters for schools.
- What motivates each team member? – Using the Strength Deployment Inventory profiling tool.
- Park thinking – Workshop comparing the impact on the business to visitors (using the Disney philosophy of “Park Thinking”)
- Qualification of applicants – looking at the hard and soft facts and getting the right property match
- Process mapping – systems lead to goals. As a team deciding on what they wanted to achieve and working out how.
- Negotiating – the right language required when agreeing deposits. The interest behind the position.
As well as the team workshops:-
- Follow ups individually to all learning initiatives
- Coaching key members of the team
- Group recruitment & selection workshop – introduction exercise, assessment tools and speed interviewing – 7.00am – 8.30am
- Designed and delivered formal Induction workshop – with one month follow up (new starters have the best ideas and initiatives)
What? – key to this approach
- Long term relationship
- Monthly workshops – valid and relevant
- Learning and development that is strategic for the business
- 1:1 follow ups to workshops
A value based culture does not happen overnight and you need the leadership team involved and championing every intervention. They need to attend the workshops with their team members they need to be actively be part of the change. Identifying their own behavioural change and sharing vulnerability can be so encouraging for a team moving forward with a very clear vision.
Please do contact bev@nuggetsoflearning.co.uk
