More of Gino's Thoughts on Leadership--Live from Indiana!

It was great to see Gino Blefari, CEO of HSF Affiliates, in town for part of our Annual Business Conference activities over the last two days and I hope many of you got a chance to meet and chat with him. I’ve already shared a couple of Gino’s weekly blog posts, Thursday Thoughts on Leadership, in the Playbook and I encourage you to sign up to follow his posts—see below. Of course, in our business, leadership is critically important as we always achieve our best results and create long-term relationships when we lead our clients through a complex process, making sure we don’t cross that narrow line into pushing them. So Gino’s Thursday Thoughts on Leadership are always insightful and inspiring. And yesterday’s TToL came straight from Indiana.

Here’s Gino’s latest Thoughts: Win the Earnhardt Way

This week my travels find me in Indianapolis to meet with the talented team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Indiana Realty. Spending time with the agents and managers at Indiana Realty, including co-founders Kevin Kirkpatrick and John Dick, as well as Chief Operating Officer Craig West, was an incredibly rewarding experience, and all attendees were in warm spirits despite the cold weather and impeding snow.

While driving to the Indiana Realty event, I had the opportunity to catch glimpses of the Indianapolis skyline from my car window and it’s difficult to be in that city without thinking of its most iconic event—the Indianapolis 500. The race is especially front and center this year, as the Indy 500 is set to hold its 100^th running May 29.

The Indy 500, known as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, first began in 1911, with an inaugural race won by a man named Ray Harroun. Today, more than a century later, the race has featured some of the best, brightest and boldest to ever drive 200 laps around the famed course: Mario Andretti, Helio Castroneves and A.J. Foyt. One of my personal favorite racers was the late Dale Earnhardt, whose son Dale Earnhardt, Jr. still drives in competitive racing today today. Though Earnhardt, Sr. raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway he never actually participated in the Indy 500.

However, despite not being in the actual race, of all the celebrated racers throughout history, I’ve always been particularly fascinated by Dale Earnhardt, Sr., not only because he was an award-winning driver, inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010, but also because of his ever-present grit and determination to win.

“You win some, you lose some, you wreck some,” he famously said, perhaps hinting at his oft-mentioned aggression on the race track. Earnhardt was lovingly nicknamed “The Intimidator” because when he got behind the wheel, his competitors knew he was virtually fearless. It’s a trait we as leaders must always remember to embrace as we rev up our own engines, preparing for any kind of business race, even if don’t wind up being the first to cross the finish line. “Finishing races is important,” Earnhardt said, “but racing is more important.”

So, what’s the message? Fear being anything less than fearless. Put all things in perspective and don’t “let one bad moment spoil a bunch of good ones,” as Earnhardt once warned. Because winning is not a race but instead a mindset and if you believe you’ve got the strength and determination to succeed, then you’ve already won.

GINO BLEFARI is CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC. You can follow Gino on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, plus sign up to receive his Thursday Thoughts on Leadership at http://rethinkreport.com/2016/02/25/thursday-thoughts-on-leadership-win-the-earnhardt-way/

Thanks Gino! The spring selling season is at hand, so get out there and be fearless in your leadership!

David M. Hassler

VP, Professional Development

Gino's Time Management Tips

“To know and not to do is really not to know.” – Stephen R. Covey

Actually, to know and not to do is probably worse than not knowing, since if we choose not to do what we know—and that we know will improve our business—then we have squandered our investment of time, money, and effort in the learning!

As we work through Buffini Peak Producers training in the Keystone, Fishers, and Lafayette offices this year, all of the brokers involved in the class recognize that Buffini’s methods and systems will absolutely, without a doubt, enhance anyone’s business when they’re implemented. We also all recognize that the real struggle is in the ongoing implementation of these great tools and systems!

So, it’s time for a refresher from Gino Blefari, CEO of HSF Affiliates, and his 63 Points on Time Management he presented at our Annual Business Conference last year as we get ready for this year’s conference next week! Gino recognized this stumbling block that impacts nearly everyone and urged us to take control of our time and actions. Here are his first ten points:

1.  As you go through these points on time management, don’t think about whether you’ve heard them before. Think about whether you’re applying the discipline to implement them.
Wow, we all know how true this is!

2.  There are fundamental steps to great time management. Put these steps into daily practice and you won’t believe how much you can accomplish in a regular workday.
We’ve all probably done this before and know how true it is . . . so the key is how to stick with it!

3.  Email is there for your convenience. If it’s not convenient, don’t answer it—or even look at it!! Guilty! I’ve just started closing my email server on my laptop when I’m working on something and only checking a few times a day. Not easy but I realize how much time I waste running through email, 98% of which is of no importance in my business.

4.  If you touch it, take action.
Time management 101! If you can do this, you will immediately be more productive!

5.  If you spend just 15 minutes per day to revisit, readdress, or reread documents or emails, you will waste 97 hours per year where no action is taken.
The consequence of not doing number 4—and more than 2 weeks of work!

6.  The key to great email management is to institute a policy where you use—and request—very descriptive subject lines for all emails.
Wow, what a great idea! Let’s do it!

7.  When the subject of the email changes, the subject line on the email also changes. This is critical. Another fabulous idea! Come on, let’s do it!

8.  Concentration is like a muscle and it strengthens as you concentrate more. If you stop concentrating every time an email comes in or the phone rings, you actually lessen your ability to concentrate and you become less effective in any situation that requires concentration. This really means there is no such thing as productive “multi-tasking.”
Gino reminded us that if we try to catch 2 rabbits, we catch neither one! So true, and we all know it don’t we?

9.  If you don’t keep a list, you are most likely a very reactive person.
Another time management 101 point! And Evernote is the perfect way to keep your list and never lose it plus have with you all the time!

10. Keeping a list will double your productivity right away.
So true, so let’s give it a try!

So, to know and not do . . . !

David M. Hassler

VP, Director of Business Development

Gino's "Thoughts on Leadership" Vince Lombardi Style!

Each week, Gino Blefari, CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC, writes a great blog titled “Thoughts on Leadership." Since each of us is the leader of our own professional real estate brokerage business, Gino’s thoughts can be a great source of guidance and inspiration. His latest post—just before the Super Bowl last Sunday—is a wonderful look at what it means—and what it takes—to be a winner. (By the way, in case you missed, Peyton DID win!) Here are Gino’s thoughts:

This week my travels find me in Irvine, CA, where it seems as if the entire state is gearing up to host Super Bowl 50 on Sunday. And while my 49ers didn’t quite make it to the big game, it does take place right on my home turf, at Levi’s® Stadium in Santa Clara.

If you look at the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers roster, you’ll know Super Bowl 50 should be an interesting contest of the league’s two best defenses that pits prodigy quarterback Cam Newton of the Panthers against veteran quarterback, Peyton Manning of the Broncos. It’s also an intriguing matchup when you take into account the rumors circulating that this Super Bowl game might be Peyton’s last. In fact, browse any sports news website and you’ll be met with a hailstorm of headlines debating this very question. Will he or won’t he? Would a Broncos win on Sunday change everything?

Well, yes. Because if Peyton does decide to make this his final appearance on a professional football field, a Super Bowl win would cement his quarterback legacy in the history of the game. Win one Super Bowl and you’re good (OK, you’re really, really good) but win two Super Bowls and you ascend to football greatness. However, there’s an inherent flaw with this way of thinking, in diluting a years-long career into one single day battling to become a Super Bowl champion. Is it really fair to reduce decades of late-night game tape reviews and early morning practices, endless examples of stunning fourth-quarter wins and incredible, how-did-he-do-that passes into just a few hours of play?

Vince Lombardi, famed Green Bay Packers head coach during the 1960s, once perfectly summed up what it means to win. “Winning is not a sometime thing,” he explained. “It’s an all-time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit.”

In other words, of course a Super Bowl win is significant but if it does happen for Peyton, it would be symptomatic of the hard work and talent he’s put on display not only this Sunday but also since he first joined the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. Let me tell you this: One night does not a winner make. Winning, as Lombardi described it, is an “all-time thing.” You’re not a winner because you score more points than the other team during a single game; you’re a winner because you made winning a habit every time you stepped onto the field.

So, what’s the message? Whether Sunday’s game really is Peyton’s last, there’s a lesson on leadership to be learned in the attention this decision brings to the true spirit of a winner. As Lombardi once said, “The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.

Thanks, Gino—and Vince! “Winning is an all-time thing!”

David M. Hassler

VP, Professional Development