Hiring is a struggle for many CEOs. They want to hire the best, but too often, they hire out of pain, too quickly, or without enough organization. Topgrading is a practical and effective process for hiring the best of the best, the A team players, who have as much dedication to your vision as you do.
What is Topgrading?
Topgrading is a method of hiring that follows 12 practical steps. The purpose of these steps is to weed out the A team players from all the other candidates.
When you use topgrading, you begin to build a team of high performers. The existing team members will either uplevel to the standard of your new hire or they will exit. Both results move you closer to becoming the top team.
Topgrading Tips for Real Estate Teams
You should be seeking out candidates that are better than your current team. If you currently have amazing sales agents, topgrading says to interview people who are even better. Remember, you won’t reach the top by settling.
Here are some rules to keep in mind as you implement topgrading.
1. Dig Deeper with References
Did you know that 40% of resumes purposely contain false information? Education, job roles, and references can all be false. Qualify your candidates by requesting references, contacting them, and digging deeper with questions.
Here are some example questions to ask:
- Would you describe the person as someone who shows up early, on time, or late?
- Would you call them the leader of a project, a team player, or someone who needs to be managed?
- Is this person the friend in your group that organizes events and fun things, is the life of the party, or never wants to go out?
You should also dig deeper in interviews. Ask for their opinions on strategies related to the role. Remember, shallow interview questions are easy to fake.
2. Cut Them Loose
It’s common for CEOs to hold onto people longer than they should. However, your vision is too important to sacrifice for someone else’s feelings. If you have an agent who is constantly renegotiating commission and payment structures but never talks about how they can contribute more to the company, say goodbye. The right people, A team players, are interested in opportunity and vision, both of which result in better pay.
3. Hire Listing Agents
This tip is specific to the current market. Listing inventory continues to drop and working with buyers is very time-consuming. Look for hungry, determined listing agents. To qualify candidates, look at what they’ve been up to for the past 16 weeks. A team players wouldn’t have stopped hustling during the pandemic. Speak to their last 3 transactional references and dig deep.
4. Avoid Secrets
Secrets in your team will destroy your business. You must have real conversations with your team about your leadership and what they think you can improve on. If they don’t feel comfortable sharing feedback with you, their input becomes secret and they build resentment. If you want to lead an A level team, you must be willing to uplevel yourself.
Topgrading is a game-changing hiring method that can skyrocket your team to the top. But, you have to invest in it fully and commit to not settling for B or C team players. For help implementing topgrading and upleveling your real estate team, contact us today.
