Susan Schneider’s Blog

Dollars for Dumps

If we can have Cash for Clunkers, why not Dollars for Dumps or Moolah for Mansions…imagine if we could get government funding to help people dispose of their homes? A few thousand dollars could go a long way in helping someone prep their house for sale: a fresh coat of paint, new carpet or a garage door. Okay, it’s a little out there and I am not proposing a government bailout, but we could put the idea into practice by adding this to the benefits we give relocating employees.

The first 30 days on the market are the most important. Companies are really starting to understand that money invested upfront will pay off in the long run. I have heard it termed marketing allowance, listing allowance, etc. Typically, it consists of a lump sum or capped amount - usually about $2,500 - intended for the sole purpose of getting the home “market ready”. With some guidance from their real estate experts, the review of the broker market analysis and some of the issues sighted on an inspection report, the employee can make some small but noticeable enhancements to their home.

The value proposition is easily seen if you provide a guaranteed home buyout; if it doesn’t sell during the marketing period, the corporation will end up doing the work anyway. Yet even with a Buyer Value Option, this investment, if done right, can shorten the time on the market and be offset by reduced temporary housing, storage, etc.

The reality is that until the market begins to pick up further, employees really need guidance and financial assistance. We’ve already seen guidelines in listing restrictions; this is just taking the assistance a step further.

Find a Need...and fill it!

I felt the need to expound a bit on my last post regarding leadership being more than just a title. It’s easy to talk about leadership in theory, but leadership doesn’t exist unless it is put into practice. Leaders are not identified by the degrees that hang on their walls or an Ivy League school diploma - they stand out because of what they do. Leaders don’t accept the status quo - they look for needs and then they fill them.

Whether it is in your organization or in your community, you are surrounded by needs. Some of them are small, such as practicing patience with others, taking the extra time to talk about an issue or encouraging someone who is feeling anxious or unprepared.

Some needs, however, are much larger and will require a greater amount of our commitment and time. In most cases, it requires putting our own needs aside and deciding that our purpose is to help someone else or make something else better.

When we are caught up in our daily activities and tasks to be done, it is easy to become passive about the issues surrounding us. How many times have you sat in a meeting or listened to a conversation and thought to yourself, “there’s got to be a better way of handling this,” only to find yourself heading back to your desk afterward and deciding you just don’t have time to take this issue on? Or worse yet, you convince yourself that it is someone else’s problem. True leaders don’t define themselves by their job description. They choose to listen and act upon that voice in their head that says, “I can make a difference here.” This attitude exists in all of us. We just have to recognize it, decide to make it a priority and take action. And this takes discipline.

Personally, I have decided to commit part of my morning ritual to focusing on being open to hearing and looking for needs and filling at least one need everyday. Can you imagine the impact on the world, our industry, our careers and our community if everyone did the same?

More than Frog Kissing

I wish that instilling leadership qualities into an individual was as simple as giving them a “BIG” title on their business card. Can you imagine how simple that would be? Everyone could have titles like VP of Inspiration, VP of Visioning, VP of Implication Thinking and just the sheer embossment would immediately create success. Kind of like kissing a frog.

Quite frankly, I would like to get rid of titles. So sure, at times they provide some guidance into what department someone works in or what role they may play. Yet often, it is just a place card for moving up the food chain and unfortunately a lot of the important stuff, such as true leadership competencies, gets left behind.

Leadership, no matter the title or tenure, belongs to everyone in a company. We are all responsible for leading those around us - whether it is our peers, our clients or our supplier partners - to a successful outcome. There is nothing more heartbreaking than for someone to say they don’t see themselves as leaders…in anything. Now, I know that some people would describe themselves as more of a “team player” rather than a leader, but that is using a stereotypical approach to leadership. Leadership isn’t about standing at the podium in a large audience, having 50 direct reports, or like I said before, the “BIG” title. Leadership is simple, it’s about serving others. Giving the best of yourself, assuming the best of others, and having the desire to see everyone succeed.

It's not your Fault

I wish that I could send a note to every transferring homeowner who bought their house in the last five years. If I could, I would tell them that the fact their house is worth less than what they paid for it IS NOT THEIR FAULT. That I understand they are successful business people who are doing amazing things in the marketplace and the beautiful kitchen they renovated, which is not recouping its value, IS NOT THEIR FAULT and so on and so on.

While it might seem simplistic, I think homeowners today need someone to tell them that they are not fools. They weren’t reckless with their money when they bought their home and many are in the same position as they are. You may not be going through the same scenario, but you know the feeling all too well. We all want to get a great deal on critical items we purchased. Would anybody want to tell others that they completely “overpaid” for an item and they are proud of it? Or that their stock portfolio is in the tank because they bought AIG versus Google? No way! We love to share our “discounts” with others. Everyone likes to get the deal and tell everyone about it. Think about how many people went around bragging that they were one of the recipients of the free “Denny’s” breakfast.

I guess my general point is that sometimes we need someone to let us know that what is happening in this marketplace is just not our fault. Truthfully, I think it is very embarrassing for someone to have to admit they are “upside down” in their house. It is personal. So, while my chain letter theory might not work, we can all raise our “sympathy” bar just a bit and make a conscience effort to let others know they haven’t been duped!

Help Me Understand

In the past few weeks, I have blogged quite a bit about process over people and the need for context. Well, I would like to add one more discipline on dealing with or confronting tricky situations. The “Help Me Understand” approach is perfect when you feel yourself emotionally reacting to a situation or person, as opposed to say, banging your head against the wall or rolling your eyes.

Let’s say you have a transferee who is emotionally charged about the appraised value of their home, or an employee who feels that the company is not supporting them, or perhaps a peer who is criticizing the way you handled a situation. Your gut reaction may be to respond defensively. It would be easy to come up with several reasons why they might be wrong. It’s natural to protect our position, but what if you choose to take a different approach?

Instead, let’s say someone comes to you with the same type of issue and you respond by saying, “Help Me Understand why you feel this way.” Immediately, you have 1) given yourself a little breathing room to get your emotions in check, and 2) asked for further clarification on what they mean (remember, context is everything).

“Help Me Understand” is just one way of improving communication. I would also recommend the book “Crucial Conversations” by Kerry Patterson. Several of our Relocation Counselors have read it recently and they say it has dramatically changed the way they react and respond to difficult situations with transferees. It has truly liberated them from taking challenging issues personally. It has also helped them to recognize their role in educating employees the best way they can - with the facts.

Because we often move at lightening speed, we sometimes forget how critical “communication” is. Whether it’s done verbally or by email, the words we choose, the tone in which we say them, and our willingness to slow down and listen can make a positive difference.