[Antonia]
Today, we're here with Phill Broom, owner and director of Ray White Springfield. Phill, welcome.
[Phill]
Thanks, Antonia.
[Antonia]
Lovely to have you with us. Now you're close to two decades in the real estate profession, and it's fair to say that you've encountered some challenges in your professional career. And of course, and now you're running a very successful Ray White franchise. So I want to talk a little bit about the challenge of being a leader. We know that leadership in any industry can be difficult. But let's talk a little bit about how do you ensure that you're keeping your physical and mental being in check and also at the same time, being responsible for looking after a team? I know that I can find that difficult. So what can you share with us about that?
[Phill]
So my personal philosophy on me and then family, I guess, is important because it radiates outwardly. I have a big thing about ‘three buckets’ in your life that you can influence a tremendous amount of control over. So one is to have a bucket for mindfulness, so your friendships, your relationships, you in internal well-being, mentally, etc. doing lots of reading, lots of thinking, lots of talking whenever you can. Bucket number two for me would be exercise. So five to six days a week, most mornings, Monday through to Friday.
[Antonia]
What's the exercise involve?
[Phill]
Usually cycling, running and swimming. Occasionally, it's something else.
[Antonia]
Five times a week? That’s pretty intense.
[Phill]
It’s typically six, but at least Monday to Friday is a definite. For Saturdays, it depends on how early I start on a Saturday. And then the last one is one that allows you to be, for lack of a better way, grounded but also creative. So your outlet for ‘energies’, so to speak. So we'll spend a lot of effort and energy throughout our day concentrating on doing deals or helping people and assisting them. But, you still need a creative outlet or another such, I guess, de-stresser. So for me, I like cooking. I find cooking really quite cathartic and soothing. And over the last couple of years, the kids have started to want to be a part of it. So, you know, I'll get home at the breakfast bar and we’ll do all of the prep work and we'll be running through - “How was your day? What homework do you have?” Just general chit chat and “What obstacles did you face?” And they'll ask me.
[Antonia]
So that's, I guess, a really good segue way. Listening to other people's problems and I guess offering advice. That's something I think that as a real estate principal is a fairly regular occurrence. So talk to me about that. How do you help and support your team, whether it be with professional challenges or even their own personal challenges?
[Phill]
So we've got a fairly process driven manner of dealing with that. And when I say ‘process', because it sounds a little bit, you know, not personal, certainly somewhat obtuse and systematic, but it's really not. And that is, I meet with everybody on our team from a performance perspective, I meet with most of them two or three times a week. One of those sessions is purely “How are you feeling?” It's not just going and asking what's happening, but what's happening in your world - celebrate wins. I like to start all of the meetings with “Give me some good news.” Most of the guys are completely well versed now that they just start talking about stuff like - “Hey just want to let you know, had a really good win on the weekend, you know, did this, played soccer with my team.”
[Antonia]
So their personal wins or professional wins or a bit of both?
[Phill]
Look initially, it always tends to trend towards professional, but over time it becomes less and less. A good example. One in the team has been with me now for close to two years. And her journey has been interesting, like she had some challenges before she came across and joined the team. We worked really hard on getting through those. And from a personal wealth perspective, she's hit a milestone that she's never had before, which is just, you know, it was overwhelming. Crying and so happy, right? And then last week she bought her first new car ever. In her entire adult life.
[Antonia]
That's outstanding.
[Phill]
To help someone get to that, and I know it seems like an insignificant goal to some, but for her, it was meaningful and huge. And it's only onwards and upwards. We spend a lot of time reflecting on how does that make you feel?
[Antonia]
So you'll meet once a week asking them how they feel on the other two meetings you have with your team a week - what's involved there?
[Phill]
It’s typically structural. What's happening in your world work-wise? What have we got coming? What have we got going? Where are we stuck?
[Antonia]
Because you're big on process, aren't you? And something people might not know about you is you've previously worked as a real estate coach and mentor, and you've mentored some extremely successful agents. And I think a lot of that has been around teaching them how to be very process driven.
[Phill]
I think, process can seem alien to some salespeople, but it sets you free. It gives you a guide to which way you can go so you can direct your energies to where they're best served, right? And the question I ask a lot of the team is what's the best use of your time, energy and resources right now? Like, is it better to do this, this or this? And if that's causing you to have a block, then can we solve that by removing it from your daily regimen or can we delegate it away? We've got to get rid of it somehow, right?
[Antonia]
So creating that routine, whilst it might not sound very appealing in nature, it's actually a really great way of being able to manage your stress level and create a sense of calm and order.
[Phill]
Absolutely and I think one of the most reassuring things is - a little bit of practice and a lot preach. The last 10 years or so has been on processes and habits. And now all of a sudden, there's all these really cool books on it. And I’m like “Oh! That’s what I say!”
[Antonia]
We’re all talking about habits now, and process.
[Phill]
Yeah. So it makes you feel good. It gives you that sense of validation, right?
[Antonia]
So Phill to finish up - I guess, any final words of wisdom? Is there one key thing that you would say to someone watching this video that they could implement tomorrow that you think would make a really critical difference in this area of health and well-being?
[Phill]
I think when you're faced with something uniquely stressful to you as a human, you as a person, it sometimes can feel like it can't be solved or it can't be overcome. And one of the easiest rituals I found works irrespective of how challenging it was or difficult the scenario is just to chunk it down, break it into small little pieces to start with the edges and work your way in and eventually you'll unravel it.
[Antonia]
That's great advice. Thanks for joining us, Phill.
[Phill]
Thanks for having me. Can I go to sleep now?
[Antonia]
Yeah, ok!
