“Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire already motivated people and inspire them.” Many of you may have already stumbled upon Simon Sinek, motivational speaker and all-around life-hack genius, on Youtube, shared from friend to friend on Facebook and it popped up on your feed, or you name it. Simon Sinek coined the phrase “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it” in a Ted Talk that went viral way back in 2009. In other words, in order to create a large buy-in for a product or service, it doesn’t matter what that product or service might be, you must begin with understanding your “why”. Seven Gables President Mike Hickman has framed his business with these words in mind making sure to keep his “why” close to his heart along the way.
“There are some basic beliefs that we have established as the core of how we lead and develop people,” said Hickman. “First, we are very clear about our ‘why’. We understand why we do what we do and what drives us. Others talk about it, but few really get it.”
With a collaborative team effort to drive and apply each one of Seven Gable’s core values in every decision made, Seven Gables was named the Most Innovative Brokerage by LeadingRE in 2017.
LeadingRE is a by-invitation-only network of only the best locally and regionally branded firms focused on upping the ante in real estate. Utilizing access to a global reach, local brands are able to provide world-class business resources and make national and global connections in an esteemed community of realtors.
At the annual recognition event, there were 22 awards given out and only three were based on real estate sales. Focusing less on achievements and allowing for a shift of mindset that honors the kind of person one might be gives the real estate industry a human voice. This is exactly the direction Seven Gables has taken to foster an environment that keeps their agents going home happy and coming back the next day understanding why they are working hard to help fulfill their own goals and also their clients’ goals.
“We hold a belief that happiness creates success, not vice versa,” Hickman said. “It’s proven in clinical terms that success does not create happiness. But how we create a culture that thrives on high-positive energy that permeates an entire company is important and very rare.”
Leaning on three pillars of business, Seven Gables builds culture, develops its people, all while striving to grow as a business. Developing a dynamic culture that encourages agents to ask themselves what their “why” is might seem like a simple innovation, but the reality is that results start with the end in mind.
