How I Apply US Army Values To My Real Estate Business Daily

How I Apply US Army Values To My Real Estate Business Daily (And How You Can Too, Regardless Of Your Industry!)

Companies and individuals have to figure out on the front end what values they are going to uphold. Values are the guiding light that a brand is founded upon and helps the customer differentiate qualities and quantities. They allow us to present the same product consistently. They serve to let us know when we are off course like a compass. They tell us, “This is how things are done here.” For example, McDonald’s and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse are both famous and successful restaurant chains but there is no way that anyone could ever get the two mixed up as far as quality. I’m not knocking Mickey D’s but no one I know has ever said, “You know what, I’d like to go to get a 5 star Big Mac and I expect to pay $50 for it.” McDonald’s is regarded as a low cost volume provider and everyone knows it and is fine with it. They have their way of doing things (their values) and they make a lot of money doing it. So what we’re really talking about here is figuring out who you are as far as strengths and weaknesses, making the appropriate corrections as necessary, and then consistently delivering the product that correlates to the brand that is derived from your values.

When I went through Army basic training 16 years ago, our drill sergeants made us memorize the Leadership acronym which was laid out as follows: LDRSHIP

Loyalty

Duty

Respect

Selfless Service

Honor

Integrity

Personal Courage

Obviously, as a soldier, these terms revolved around service to the country, Constitution, and fellow band of brothers. Well now I am a civilian, a husband, a father, a friend, and a colleague. As I’ve gotten older, these values hold just as much weight as they ever did and I find opportunities to apply them everywhere. Essentially, I rely on these values even more any time things do not go according to plan. Whether you are rich or poor, you have challenges and your values dictate how you react and overcome those challenges. Personally, I try to think about who I’m setting an example for and what the story would be if I make the front page of the newspaper tomorrow and I’m planning on that news story being awesome. Stephen Covey talked about it in terms of imagining the eulogy at your funeral. How are you trying to be remembered? Seriously, the actions you are taking right now at this very moment are either driving you towards or away from what you want your life to be.

Whether you realize it or not, we all have the opportunities daily to set ourselves apart as leaders. Whether we are leading toddlers, spouses, employees, bosses, or customers to intended results, the values we live by will help dictate the probability of successful outcomes as our starting point. It gives us a framework that all of our actions and words will flow from (our compass). Mistakes will be made and challenges will come up.

As an example, I owe loyalty to my customers. They are paying me for a service and they deserve for me to be there for them when they need help. I have a duty to them to speak up when I see them headed in the wrong direction. I respect their opinions when we disagree. I show selfless service to them when I go above and beyond the extra mile and my expected responsibilities to assist them. They know my brand has honor and I stand by my work when I am there for them even though others have bailed on them. I show them integrity when I point them in the direction of what they are looking for even if my brand is not the solution. I use my personal courage to admit my mistakes or deliver updates that are not ideal.

Regardless of what your values are, make sure they are clear to you. If you’re not using a compass, how do you even know if you’re going in the right direction? It comes back to Plato’s “Know Thyself”. Define the values you want and design your brand around it. Once that’s done, it will be a lot easier to consistently travel in the right direction and not get sidetracked and distracted by shiny objects that sound great but don’t mesh and will end up wasting your time. If your brand is what you deliver, your values are the how to deliver it. This level of additional specificity adds clarity of purpose and boosts efficiency. It lets your customers know if they are coming in for a Big Mac or a filet mignon. Now get out there and make it happen!