In the last article, I talked about how the operation of your brokerage is a form of governance. Over my 26-year career as a REALTOR^®, I worked in a variety of brokerages and learned a lot by observing and contributing to improvements in how the brokerage operated. Oh yes, I was very “helpful” and I readily acknowledge I have worked at learning to receive as well as to give advice.

It has been my experience during my time as a REALTOR^® that I learned the most from brokers who were extremely good listeners and even better at welcoming suggestions. These brokers had some of the best run brokerages and when groups of agents talked about what they liked about the office, they would say things like: “The broker really listens. He/she can’t do everything we suggest, but they’ll talk to us and explain what we can do.”

One of the narratives that I hear when I listen to members is that we don’t listen. In fact, we need to hear from you; we work hard at seeking member feedback! An example is the discussion I initiated about turning off comments on our CREB^®Talk articles.

I started the discussion not because I wanted them turned off, but because members told us they were frustrated by some of what they read and they questioned the value of allowing comments. Based on this member feedback, we determined that we needed to check in on how this tool is being used. You confirmed that it may not be perfect but it’s of value, and we heard you. We’ll keep an ear open for ways this form of listening can be improved.

I introduced the comments section to our articles many years ago as a way for members to engage and ask follow-up questions. Some of the most valuable dialogue has been member-to-member. My father, Jack Tennant, was the page 5 featured columnist in the Calgary Albertan and then the Calgary Sun. He simultaneously operated a successful chain of weekly newspapers in communities surrounding Calgary.

Journalists like my dad valued the opinions of people who signed their names to letters to the editor. He may not have agreed with them, but it mattered that someone would take the time to share their thoughts. These lessons formed some of my core beliefs.

It’s the same simple logic I applied to our articles. When I started my career as a REALTOR^® in 1985, we didn’t have CREB^® Talk. It was introduced later, as a print publication, without a letters to the editor section. About a dozen years ago we moved to the online version of CREB^®Talk, but it struggled to establish solid readership.

Based on member feedback, we introduced the comments below the articles and required members to log-in to make their posts. We quickly learned that comment guidelines were needed, and those were published and administered soon after.

Now, let’s focus some attention on our approach to listening “to” members and talking “with” you. When someone hears what you are saying, but doesn’t do the thing you are asking for, the conclusion is not that they did not listen. There is a difference between not being heard and not getting what you asked for that is confirmed with a conversation. 

One of the realities at CREB^®, like any other organization, is that we have limited resources. A lot of what we do is manage scarcity. I’m not suggesting we are a “have not” organization, but we do not have unlimited resources.

This becomes evident when we offer one of our many very popular training classes. There are only so many seats available, so we manage the registration process so members who commit to attending have a place to sit. This is something we explain, but it doesn’t always turn into a conversation.

It’s the same with our events. Each has a limited capacity, so we manage those limitations by setting and maintaining policies on block ticket purchases to avoid having empty seats. We do our best to advise members in advance and we listen hard when questions arise. We note the timing and root cause of the questions, and sometimes these interactions evolve into conversations.

Like you in your business, we’ll always respond best to the constructive ideas that focus on issues and not people. Listening and talking—having a conversation with members—is a key aspect of our governance culture, so it felt like the place to start this series.

Since we just had our Annual General Meeting (AGM), where we heard a lot from our members, the next installment in this series will explore the ABCs of AGMs and other ways we engage with our members.

Governance has many levels, and the focus in this article was more on operational governance or management levels of governance. 

In the next article we’ll go deeper into strategic governance; the connection between the members and the delegation of authority to the board of directors.

I look forward to continuing to explore the question: “What the heck is governance” with you, in the comments below, at CREB^®, at our events, on the phone, or you can pop by my office in the SW corner of the main floor at CREB^® Campus.

Alan.Tennant@CREB.ca
403-461-2987