President Obama said something recently in an address to the USA's school children, and that was "No one's born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work." This is so true when it comes to work in particular. It can be difficult to believe and some people do of course have natural gifts in particular areas, but you do need to work at something to become good at it. Working in real estate is no exception.
Similarly, if something goes wrong or you mess something up, it doesn't mean that you're bad at what you do, it means you need to try harder or spend more time perfecting what it is you're trying to do. Having this type of attitude is referred to as growth mentality, and the theory behind growth mentality is that people do better when they believe that success if a function of hard work rather than just innate talent. To me, that makes it the perfect mentality for a real estate agent.
For those agents that have staff and need to manage a team, it's important to keep this type of mentality going. Real estate is about hard work, and it's important that everyone involved in a real estate office knows how critical it is to success. Even if you are a natural salesperson and can get along with almost everyone, it's hard work that takes you the extra mile. It's not a natural gift to have an up to date understanding of the market trends, or what your competition is doing. And these are things that your customers will want you to know. Having this type of knowledge at your fingertips requires work – and on an ongoing basis!
Another benefit of a growth mentality is that it links hard work and success to a greater good – it's not all about self interest and the desire to better our own circumstances possibly to the detriment of others. Looking at the greater whole is a key aspect of the attitude, and in real estate that's also incredibly important. Yes, you might want to win an award or have a great sales month, but it should be in conjunction with bettering the situations of those you work with and for. If you and your team are taking on a growth mentality, you'll see a direct connection to your work and the future of your business, and the happiness of your customers.