Throughout his leadership career at Keller Williams, Lucas Sherraden has experienced firsthand how dedicated coaching and relentless accountability exponentially improves the lives of agents. In an interview with Outfront editor Lalaina Rabary, Sherraden shares how leaders can stand strong for their people’s success and have purposeful goal-setting conversations that move their dreams from vision to reality.

LR: What does standing up for someone’s success look like?

LS: It’s helping someone keep their goals front and center and holding them accountable to the activities needed to accomplish them. It’s saying, “You said taking your family to Disney World was the most important thing to you this year. We’ll work together so you can make 20 calls a day and knock on 50 doors a week so you can board that flight.”

I know my own psychology and I’ll give myself a hall pass to justify why I don’t do an activity. A great leader says, “I’m not going to give you a hall pass. You said you wanted a big life, which means you have to lead generate today.”

Taking a stand for someone’s success is the most caring and loving thing a leader can do.

LR: You are very passionate about helping people live big lives. Why is that?   

LS: Because several people have taken a stand for my goals. I moved into real estate in 2009 after spending 20 years as a pastor. I started at RE/MAX and in one year, had only sold one home at $150,000. My commissions were $4,500 at the time and I was losing money quickly.

Taking a stand for someone’s success is the most caring and loving thing a leader can do.

A team leader at Keller Williams called me and said, “We ought to get together.” She coached me and after a handful of sessions, I transferred to Keller Williams. She told me that great agents go to classes, masterminds and hire a KW MAPS coach. I was $100,000 in credit card debt and scared out of my mind, but I trusted her.

In nine months, I closed 32 transactions for $6.2 million in arguably one of the worst housing markets. I earned $158,000 in GCI because my team leader said, “Your goals matter.” She didn’t negotiate with my limiting beliefs. She saw my potential and held me accountable to my vision because she cared about me.

The following year I doubled my production.

LR: Taking a stand for someone’s goals is admirable. Is it easy?  

LS: Not at all. It requires having fierce conversations wrapped in courage, love, compassion, and accountability. There’s a difference between being punitive and holding someone accountable. Accountability is awareness.

It also requires work on a leader’s part – starting with a willingness to be coachable. Coachable people can coach people. If someone is resistant to me coaching them, I look inward and see if I’m being coachable to the people I follow. Am I taking feedback? Admitting when I’m wrong? Acknowledging that I don’t have all the answers?

You don’t attract what you want.
You attract who you are.

LR: I love how much you’ve embraced feedback.

LS: I’ve had to. As a leader, I
cannot afford the luxury of having a fixed mindset. I know what I know. I know
what I don’t know. I know the difference between the two. That means I must
look for feedback, even if it’s hard to hear. Great leaders and teachers take
coachable wisdom from any source. I’m forever grateful for the feedback people
have given me. Now that I’m holding others accountable, I know what it feels
like to do that; it takes a lot of courage.

LR: Who else has been instrumental in helping you achieve your goals?  

LS: KW MAPS coaches. The road to anything worthwhile isn’t easy and to get to where you want to go, you’ll need a coach, not a buddy. Coaches take a stand for your greatness, especially when you want to cash it in. They also help you keep a clear mind when your wins tip you from confidence into cockiness. And when things go south, they stop the negative self-talk and help you develop a plan to get you moving in the right direction. No one has ever beat themselves up into greatness.

LR: You’re currently a regional director, operating partner, KW MAPS coach, and KWU course instructor. You clearly have a passion for leadership!

LS: I do. Being in leadership roles
has afforded me the opportunity to directly impact the lives of others and open
doors of opportunity for people I deeply care about.

No one has ever beat themselves up into greatness.

My mission is to inspire people to achieve their God-given destiny of greatness and create prosperity for every person I serve. If I can inspire someone to knock on a door, push for more, think differently about their relationship with money, or help alter the course of human history somewhere, someway – that’s a gift.

LR: What advice do you have for leaders?

LS: Always hold someone’s vision
in your head more than their excuses. Help them be realistic and never lose sight
of their potential. When you’re crystal clear about their vision, stay the path
and don’t negotiate. Care more about being effective than liked and popular. Questions
and statements to say out loud:

• What’s your vision?
• What’s the plan to get to your vision?
• When we get in trenches, I believe in your plan.
• All excuses are logical/reasonable. But they just won’t get you where they need to go. 

This article was originally published 13 October 2019 by Lalaina Rabary.
Source: https://outfront.kw.com/views/leaders-stand-for-success/
Image by rawpixel from Pixabay