Inman

How to strengthen your team’s bond

Mirko Vitali / EyeEm / Getty Images

Fostering an environment where our team can effectively work together to achieve our collective goals has been paramount to our success. If the atmosphere and staff aren’t properly nurtured, it’s easy for work environments to feel divisive. 

We strive to maintain a positive and collaborative work environment for our team by taking several steps to ensure our staff feels heard, appreciated and supported.

Encourage honest communication

We feel strongly that strengthening the lines of communication between us and our team is incredibly important to feel connected and remain on the same page when it comes to achieving our goals.

We schedule weekly — and often daily — team meetings, checking in on the status of a closing, an open house, transactions and more. We enjoy the feedback we receive from our team, and these meetings create an open platform for our staff to air any grievances and share their wins with the group.

Remaining accessible to our team ensures we are available to answer any questions, as well as manage any mishaps that may develop throughout the day. Tackle problems quickly with good feedback, and this will lead to a very healthy working relationship for the whole team.

Hold team-building activities

We make it a priority to schedule regular team-building activities and outings with our staff to continue to strengthen our bond. Whether it’s a sushi dinner, weekly happy hour or cup of coffee, we enjoy treating our team members whenever possible to further promote a sense of connectivity among our staff.

We approach these team activities as opportunities to check in and relish in the wins of the week. It’s an extremely important aspect of our culture and one we look forward to every week.

Our team-building outings encourage strong relationships between our team members and also help create a workplace that aids each employee’s well-being, growth and enthusiasm for work. 

Delegate to build trust

In the fast-paced world of luxury real estate, delegating tasks to our team is essential for our business to continue to grow while safeguarding our client’s satisfaction.

Providing our staff with the autonomy to own and manage certain areas of our business has fueled our momentum in achieving our goals and vision, in addition to building trust among our team.

By assigning our team members critical, decision-making tasks that directly affect our business, we show that we trust their understanding of situations, while always reminding them that we have their back regardless of the outcome.

This has garnered a great deal of trust amongst our team. Having a team that trusts from all levels paves the way for an empowered and successful team.  

All in all, creating a positive and enriching environment for our team begins with open lines of communication, where trust is at the epicenter.

Instilling our staff with a sense of empowerment to make good decisions is a catalyst for growth, and we enjoy strengthening our team’s bond through organized activities and outings, where we can have fun and celebrate our wins. It is through these various avenues that we’ve built a solid team and a strong foundation for our business.

James Harris and David Parnes serve as Directors at The Agency and star on Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles. They specialize in high-end residential real estate and investment properties in Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Holmby Hills, Sunset Strip, Hollywood Hills, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and Malibu.