Resilience is a team sport – turning ME into WE.

At my real estate agency, we often get told we’re a resilient group. If you’ve followed our journey for any amount of time, you know the challenges I faced becoming CEO.
 
It was no ordinary career trajectory – having been trust into financial and personal chaos, while grieving the loss of both my parents. It wasn’t the standard ‘son takes over family business’ story. But the rollercoaster years that ensued gave way to something really beautiful that I’m so thankful for today – our shared resilience.
 
The thing is, it wasn’t just me who went through hell and back. Our whole team did, too. We went through a seismic shift together. Together being the operative word.
 
Going through loss as a group strips away the pleasantries and ‘office chat.’ It sheds the small talk and makes way for realness – both within the team and our in the community with our clients.
 
When there’s depth and support, real relationships form. They transcend ‘work’ relationships or just ‘clients.’ It’s like any relationship in life – it can strengthen under pressure when there’s a shared commitment.
 
Our path to togetherness, our resilience, was birthed through contrast. Tragedy united us, rather than broke us. We could have just as easily turned inwards to not let anyone in. In the business world, all too often we’re told to always ‘keep it professional’ and ‘save face’.
 
There’s a way to have both – to make it both professional and personal. One doesn’t have to cancel out the other. This is especially true in the world of real estate and sales, where image is everything.
 
Overcoming challenges = collective resilience
 
Teams don’t have to experience loss to create a culture of resilience. You can lean on each other and galvanise around a common cause. Support each other, celebrate your wins together, and go beyond the ‘once a month’ team event. Establish systems and workflows for daily check-ins and opportunities to align as a team.
 
People crave a sense of ownership and belonging. A resilient culture gives every team member a voice, a purpose, and a defined place within a company.
 
Resilience isn’t a buzzword. Team culture isn’t trendy corporate speak. It runs deeper than this. It exists in your people, in the way you show up with clients, and in every single interaction.
 
It’s supporting your team’s personal expansion just as much as their professional development. It’s understanding the many other roles they have, outside the office. Above all, it’s about being honest, open, and available for your people.
 
Resilience requires leading with vulnerability but it’s ultimately a team effort – the internal culture needs to mirror that back.