I have taught Real Estate to hundreds of real estate brokers and agents in Okaloosa and Walton Counties. Some of my students occupy positions at the top of their profession, and others are nowhere to be found. Some are no longer with us. Others never entered the business, and some did not even finish the class. The question I have asked myself, and now I share with you, is: How can you tell which one or two students, in a class of 40 or more, will excel - not just at the end of the school term, but down the road? Who will make good money over the years and provide a valid public and private service?
Asked another way, are there characteristics that are common to the students who succeed, and can I do a better service if I teach what really matters?
Before going further, I will tell you that every class, and every student, was vastly different. Some classes were more than 50 people. Other classes were much smaller. Some students were older, retired from something, and became the leaders in real estate. Other students were young. Some scored very well on tests, and some had a hard time reading the material. Still, from every category, some did not make it, and some whom you would not predict, did well.
Of all these different people with vastly different backgrounds, appearances, and reasons for being in the class, wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could tell which ones would succeed? If nothing more, if you could identify the traits that made that so, you could then teach whatever that trait is. What a great teacher who could know exactly what really matters and then spend time only on information that is relevant for students.
The truth is, that most of my wonder about the question was after I stopped teaching regularly, and after I could have done something constructive with the information; however, I do have some thoughts about the subject. I believe, for instance, that the same personality traits that apply to real estate sales people would work well for lawyers, doctors, and plumbers. I have my own idea of what those traits are.
My question is meant for discussion. Help me here. We are not finished teaching young people about every kind of life work. We can teach them basic knowledge of their chosen field, if they care to learn. But, we can only teach them to be really good if we know what causes success. If we could put that into a pill and give it to a student, what would go into the pill? I will tell you my answer to that question in a future article. In the meantime, I ask your participation. Please email me your thoughts. The Board of Realtors needs to know the answer to this question, even if it has no other priority.
I will not use your thoughts without acknowledging that they did not come from me, but I find the question compelling enough to warrant discussion. I would appreciate the benefit of creative thought from any who share the interest. If we answer the riddle together, I thank you for sharing my belief that the question is important.
