Start With A Win

Todd Herman, entrepreneur and coach to performance athletes and CEOs, joins Adam for this episode of the Start with a Win podcast. Todd has developed tools to help unlock peak performance at the highest level, which he has recently outlined in his book “The Alter Ego Effect”. 
Growing up on a farming ranch outside of Calgary, Alberta, with two older brothers taught him an extraordinary amount of mental toughness, which he realized as a college athlete. He had found his mental exercises and tools so helpful that he began to volunteer with high school athletes to teach them about mental toughness as well. Soon, parents of some of those athletes were asking Todd to mentor their kids to further develop their resilience, and Todd knew that what he had was unique.
He started speaking at every opportunity to any group who would have him, and when he had worked with enough clients to have a data set, he realized that the main barrier to mental toughness is people getting in their own way by believing they are not capable of more. Todd began building out the idea of a performance-based persona that people could adopt for competition, which would allow them to remain true to their everyday self while also providing them with an outlet to exponentially increase their capabilities.
Todd is able to quickly achieve results with performance athletes and leaders by activating traits that already exist within them and helping them create a new identity to break down the barriers that they had put up for themselves. He wakes up every morning saying “come and get me” to any challenges and adversity because he knows that he has the mental toughness and grit within himself to face anything that comes his way.

Connect with Todd:
https://toddherman.me/
https://www.facebook.com/toddhermanconnect/
https://www.instagram.com/todd_herman/
https://www.amazon.com/Alter-Ego-Effect-Identities-Transform-ebook/dp/B075WPWMSK 

Connect with Adam:
https://www.startwithawin.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

Adam kicks off National Real Estate Agent Safety month by sharing the four keystone concepts of agent (and personal) safety. He has used these concepts as a member of the military, as a law enforcement officer, and now as the leader of thousands of RE/MAX agents.

1. Awareness – This is the primary key to survival in most situations. By paying attention to any physical signs of criminal activity as well as any gut feelings telling you that something is not right, you can avoid entering into danger.
2. Avoidance – Remove yourself from the situation by physically leaving and calling for help. You should have a plan for how you will avoid potential danger and trust your gut when it tells you to follow the plan. In the case of an open house where a person approaches you and makes you feel unsafe, just walk out of the house. You should have already instructed the homeowners to remove any prescription medications, valuables, and weapons from the house, and your safety is more important than possessions. Remember that the best fight won is the fight never fought.
3. De-escalation – Kindness is the first wave of de-escalation and talking your way out of things can help diffuse a potentially dangerous situation. Another tactic of de-escalation is to redirect the person’s attention or the focus of the conversation. If you feel unsafe, it is best to call the police and report what has happened – it is likely that this person’s behavior is a pattern that the authorities need to be aware of.
4. Response – If after following the steps of awareness, avoidance, and de-escalation you still find yourself in a potentially dangerous situation, your natural defense system will kick in and you are likely to fight, flight, or freeze. Analyze your surroundings and keep trying to either get out of the situation or choose to do nothing and hope the person moves on. However, if you do find yourself in a fight, fight with all your might by using whatever resources are available to you. You are legally allowed to defend yourself if you feel at risk of bodily harm, and your focus should be to protect, defend, and win.

In addition to these safety concepts, it is also important to be familiar with first aid. Have a first aid kit nearby and be prepared to administer basic first aid if the situation arises, either learned during a CPR/First Aid training class or by watching a few YouTube videos. You can have a positive impact on others by being aware and willing to act.

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

Dan Bertelson is the Director of Opportunities at RE/MAX Preferred in Monona, Wisconsin. His primary responsibilities are recruiting and retention and he leans heavily on being genuine, honest, and raw in his conversations with potential and current employees. Even though text and email would be the easiest communication methods for his line of work, Dan realizes the importance of breaking down barriers and conversing via video or in-person meetings, which just adds to his authenticity and desire to connect. Dan values transparency, humility, and truly caring for others, qualities instilled in him during his time serving in the military and law enforcement.

Links:
Dan Bertelson: https://www.danbertelson.com/ 

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

Elizabeth Mendenhall served as the 2018 National Association of Realtors President and she is the owner of RE/MAX brokerages in Columbia and Jefferson City, Missouri. Elizabeth also attributes her team’s success to the culture of volunteerism and building trust, which were essential elements for her team to carry on as she spent the vast majority of last year traveling for her NAR commitments. She described her recommendations to brokers struggling with their cultures or staff members, including involving staff in decision making and delineating roles and responsibilities. Anything you can do to get staff to buy into your culture and vision for the brokerage will be helpful. She also has some interesting thoughts about the future of the real estate industry, particularly when it comes to advances in technology.

Links:
Elizabeth Mendenhall: http://www.elizabethmendenhall.com/

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

Sandy Hancock hails from RE/MAX Results in St. Louis, Missouri, where she oversees 190 agents among all of her brokerages. She is very committed to making sure that all of her staff and agents succeed by setting up clear goals and expectations for them. By planning the vision for each year, Sandy wakes up each morning knowing what her tasks will be that day as well as what her staff are to be doing and how she can support them. She believes in providing her staff and agents with the tools and resources that they need and them empowering them to go about their business in the best way they can. Sandy exemplifies “tough love” by balancing tolerance and flexibility with holding her employees accountable, and she has found this culture to be beneficial for all involved.

Links:

Sandy Hancock: https://www.homestlouis.com/

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

Our guests on this episode of the Start with a Win podcast are Levi Rodgers and Richard Pacheco of the Levi Rodgers Group of RE/MAX Military City. Levi is Retired Special Forces and he got into real estate in the San Antonio area after being wounded in combat serving our country. Richard is active in the National Guard and he also serves as the Operations Manager for the Levi Rodgers Group. Because of their commitment to helping people in their community buy and sell their homes, Levi and Richard are also very involved with their community at large, reaching out to people in all walks of life and giving back in every way they can.

In fact, as a result of their service to their community and their service to our country, the Levi Rodgers Group was awarded the 2019 Freedom Award from the U.S. Secretary of Defense. One of only 15 recipients out of more than 2,000 nominees, Levi and Richard were able to participate in a ceremony at the Pentagon, which was a very affirming culmination of all of Levi’s dedication to freedom. 

While the transition from military life to civilian life was tough for him, Levi has found much success in creating an organizational culture that allows agents to thrive. He focuses on many concepts that he first learned in the military such as being in the right place at the right time in the right uniform, acting with integrity, looking for the win, and solving problems within yourself before trying to solve problems in others.

Links:

Freedom Award Recipients Named: https://www.army.mil/article/223172/freedom_award_2019_recipients_named

Website: https://www.levirodgersgroup.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeviRodgersRealEstate/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/levi-rodgers-17a138149 

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

Over the past two years, Bri White, a RE/MAX agent in Southeast Florida has seen 95% of her business come in directly through social media. What began as an attempt to maximize a low budget quickly became the keystone to Bri’s success, and she wants other agents to learn how to effectively use social media to their advantage as well.

When it comes to Facebook, the more you post, the more likely your followers are to see your posts. If your posts have energy, attitude, and authenticity, those posts could garner higher levels of engagement, causing them to continue circulating in people’s feeds for several days. Another thing that Bri has noticed is Facebook’s emphasis on Groups, and the ability to find your “tribe” or community to build connections and show your personality. Bri’s final pieces of advice for Facebook are: make sure that your profession has public visibility on your personal page and make all posts related to your business visible to the public, even when you are posting from your personal page.

On Instagram, Bri emphasizes the importance of authenticity and consistency. If you have a handful of pages that post appealing content, learn from them and try to apply some of their ideas or concepts to your own posts or stories. Bri has found that Instagram is a good way to connect with local businesses, and some local businesses are using Instagram’s Direct Messages as a way to connect with potential clients just like they would on LinkedIn.

Links:

Website: https://www.breezetokeys.com/

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BreezeToKeys

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BriWhiteRealtor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/BreezeToKeys/

Pixaloop: https://apps.apple.com/al/app/enlight-pixaloop-move-photos/id1381206010

Cinemagraph: https://flixel.com/products/ios/cinemagraph-pro/

“The Slight Edge”: https://www.amazon.com/Slight-Edge-Turning-Disciplines-Happiness/dp/1626340463 

“Compound Effect”: https://www.amazon.com/Compound-Effect-Darren-Hardy/dp/159315724X