Alice Martin and I just completed our first national survey of REALTOR^® association executives together.  We have some interesting observations and ideas to share with you. 

But first, we have 3 simple questions:

• Who has the power to create your future?
• Is NAR going to fix what you feel is broken?
• What do you need right now to change your current circumstances and create a better future for yourself?

We appreciate the committed AEs who engaged with us through our national survey. If you were one of them – thank you! Your feedback was candid, enlightening and we believe, quite actionable.

We think some AEs are waiting for the change to occur and others may be biding time waiting for something better. Some of you expect that NAR will “fix” this by raising the standards. Others assume their members and leadership will somehow start to “get it” by appreciating you or valuing the services you provide. To all of this we say, “don’t hold your breath”.

Based on the survey, it is very clear that some association execs are much more bullish about their future.  They have some ideas and the majority are looking for some help in figuring out the best and fastest way to use their power to create a better future.  They are asking for some help on the HOWs.

Who do you think has the power to create your future? We strongly believe it starts with you – or at least those who see themselves as both Survivors and “Thrivers”. They will still be engaged in five years, because they leveraged their power and talents now to create movement, where things were stuck. The Thrivers make commitments to continuously improving things for their staff, leadership, members and ultimately the consumers whom they serve.

Are you a Thriver?   We encourage you to reflect on this question this week or weekend and see what comes up for you.

What are you doing to be the change in your world? 

If you think NAR is going to fix this through mandates, we respectfully disagree. In fact, when Alice and I were in our respective roles as association/MLS executives, there were many times we did not like the unilateral behavior of NAR. We assert that the power is with you at the local level. NAR is not responsible for fixing organized real estate – you are.

Some say, “But my leadership doesn’t get it!” We understand and believe it’s you problem to solve.

We have a lot of ideas to share with you on how to change that if you are committed to doing the work.

The key question to ask is, “Do you have what it takes to change your current reality?” It’s an honest and important question. What assets to do you bring to the table to be the change you want in your world? Write them down and let’s talk.

If you are still reading along, you are probably a Survivor and a Thriver.

Take a look at what AEs like you had to say in our recent national survey.  The executive summary with insights is available here.  It’s brief by design.  The purpose is to get you thinking and cause you to drop us a line so we can chat about you and your future. You have the power.

Alice and I are facilitating Roundtable Talks by conference calls in April and May.  We want to gather as many insights as possible before NAR Mid-year, so we can create solutions together with many of you.  We wish to help those who believe they have the power to change things and create a better future for themselves.

And we have some pilots in mind too — free solutions for a couple associations or groups of you.

If you would like to participate in the discussion(s) subscribe to my posts and get my posts delivered to your inbox. Be the first to know. It’s fast, free, and more convenient.

Or send an email today at kevin@kevinmcqueen.com to learn more about our Roundtable Talks.