Building a foundation of trust will help real estate brokerages retain top talent and earn client loyalty that transcends market cycles. 

Drawing on my decades of experience as a leader in the New York real estate market, and on Brené Brown’s framework for building trust in relationships of any kind, I’ve found these five practices essential for building a resilient team: clarity, accountability, reliability, integrity, and grace. Building a consistent practice from these principles will create a foundational architecture that supports your team through periods of uncertainty.

Clarity: articulate expectations clearly

Rather than leaving your team to navigate unspoken assumptions, it’s important to articulate expectations clearly. I’ve found it helpful to be very explicit about things like performance standards, lead distribution systems, team roles, and client handoffs. Vague and unclear direction creates fertile ground for frustration. For teams to perform at their very best, clarity is non-negotiable, especially in volatile markets where agents are already facing a lot of ambiguity. 

Equally, setting clear boundaries can help teams collaborate without resentment. When someone repeatedly pushes last-minute tasks on a teammate or goes dark in the middle of a deal, trust breaks down. While it can be difficult to say no to an “always on” culture, your team shouldn’t need to answer every message instantly to prove they’re committed. Equally, seasoned agents shouldn’t be the fallback for every question just because they are always on (and they never complain).

Try this exercise at your next team meeting, and have each person share, to help set clear expectations and boundaries: “Here’s how I work best, here’s where I need support, and here’s what you can count on from me.”

Accountability is vital

Consistently holding one another accountable is a must for any high-performing team, where every team member has a role to play and responsibilities to meet. When someone fails to follow through on a client communication or a complex deal falls apart, both agents and leaders must be willing to own the outcome, and actively work to make things right. On a healthy team, everyone owns their mistakes. 

Real estate leaders can model this behavior by being accountable for outcomes, and also for the tone they set for the team, which should feel like a safety net in times of market volatility. Course correction should be a strength that helps everyone grow into their full potential. I recommend focusing team meetings on how to do things better, improve processes and support one another.

Reliability key to success as a leader

In real estate, where timing, follow-through and responsiveness can make or break a deal, being steady and consistent is a surefire way to build trust on your team. Leaders must model the behavior they want to see: arrive prepared, meet deadlines, and be the leader your team and clients can count on. You want to be so consistent that you’re almost boring. Your team should be able to predict how you’ll react to any news and every team member should expect the same consistent behavior from you. 

Integrity gives your team a compass

Integrity gives your team a compass in uncertain times, and if  you’re leading with integrity, it acts as a throughline in everyday decisions that you make—from hiring to transaction management. Each move should convey to your team that you’re in alignment with your stated values and purpose, even when it’s inconvenient or costly. For example, despite a downturn in sales, you might walk away from a potential client because the terms they’re demanding don’t reflect your team’s standards.

Give grace

Finally, grace allows teams to weather the toughest storms and not get crushed under their weight. Try to extend the most generous possible interpretation to everyone’s behavior, especially when tensions are running high. Offering constructive feedback without judgment, giving people the benefit of the doubt, and assuming the best in everyone has a surprising effect—it brings out the best in them, and builds a culture of empathy. 

Reaping trust dividends

Most agents understand that real estate is a long-game. They want to feel confident that their team or brokerage can help them sustain their business—even through the market’s inevitable downturns. As leaders, our job is to create a team that can withstand challenges, and that begins with trust. But you can’t simply ask someone to trust you, and expect that they will. Trust is built upon consistent action, which is why it’s so important to build these principles into a disciplined daily practice at your office and in your team meetings.

Juliet A. Clapp is a Senior Vice President and Northeast Managing Partner for The Agency. In this role, she will foster dynamic, growth-focused environments that boost productivity and navigate the challenges of competitive markets.She is a leader in the luxury real estate industry, with over 20 years of experience driving success and shaping the future of top real estate offices.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of HousingWire’s editorial department and its owners.

To contact the editor responsible for this piece: tracey@hwmedia.com

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