What does conscious culture mean to you?
Wendy Baird from insight180 reached out to Wendy and asked that question.
While many companies brag about a “work hard, play hard” culture full of good vibes and ping pong tables, that’s not really what we’re about. We’ve unsubscribed from that old school mentality and much prefer Simon Sinek’s version: “work smart and play always.” “Work hard, play hard” is often heard along with “kill it, crush it, grind” and is the language of hustle culture. Our preference is to be in alignment with our goals, clients, vendors and community. It does not mean that we don’t work very, very hard. But we are asking ourselves daily: what do we have to offer and what’s the best way to get into flow with that offering?
Conscious culture is one of the four pillars of the Conscious Capitalism movement, defined as “the ethos – the values, principles, practices – underlying the social fabric of a business, which permeates the atmosphere of a business and connects the stakeholders to each other and to the purpose, people and processes that comprise the company.” In simpler terms, conscious culture is about putting people before profit, something that is not always easy to do when you’re running a business.
As a founding member of the Central Maryland chapter of Conscious Capitalism, Wendy was psyched to sit down with Wendy Baird, president of insight180 and fellow Conscious Capitalism of Central Maryland (C3MD) founder, to talk about how she practices conscious culture and how it has impacted her business. Here are some excerpts:
C3MD: How is conscious culture working for your team members? Do they feel the same way?
Wendy: The real estate industry is very competitive and it’s a sales-oriented business. It’s especially tough right now: inventory is down and there are a lot of agents out there. We’re all independent contractors usually working on commission and, essentially, running our own businesses. This model makes it super competitive, but at The Wendy Slaughter Team we are not that way with each other. Here we feel a sense of camaraderie – the group dynamic of a team of agents supporting each other and the team brand.
For example, we have a team meeting this month and I’ve asked everyone to come to the meeting prepared with three tactics to share, “to be visible in the marketplace as a top producing realtor.” We’re all going to be inspired by each other because we’re always inspired by others taking action. People will be taking notes, sharing ideas, and someone else will take that same idea and execute it. That in itself is out of the ordinary for our industry.
For us it’s about doing the right thing which shows up in so many different ways. It shows up in how we collaborate and communicate with each other inside the team but then 100% it’s a differentiator for us on how we work with our clients and our vendors in the community.
C3MD: What are some of the benefits you’ve found in putting people first before profit in your business model? How do you put people first?
Wendy: Eighty-nine percent of our business comes from referrals – which is extraordinary – and I think that speaks volumes about how we’re treating people. That matters most to me. Another example, we have a plan called the Platinum Plan for people who have been in their homes for 30, 40, 50 years and they’re ready to move on to a rancher or downsize their home. We have all of these resources available for them so they can renovate and be in touch with vendors that can help them. On the other hand, sometimes we meet with people who aren’t ready to move or don’t want to and, honestly, they shouldn’t. In some cases, we find ourselves talking people out of selling their homes and instead referring them to a program that could serve them – like the “Aging In Place” program or a geriatric care manager who can come in and recommend some small changes to make sure their home is safe for them. And we can bring in a contractor to help put those pieces into place to help the home and the residents.
C3MD: In doing that your kind of working yourself out of a sale.
Wendy: Yes, but it’s the right thing to do. So much of the training that I see right now for newer agents are scripts to get people to list their houses. That’s hysterical to me! You’re going to walk into someone’s house and make them sell? That tactic may work for some brokerages, but it doesn’t work for me or anyone on my team.
C3MD: What culture-related challenges have you faced in your business model and how have you addressed them?
Wendy: One of the hardest things for me is hiring. I tend to see the really good things in people all the time and, at times, I’ve convinced myself they’d be a good fit for our team. I’m getting better at asking different questions of prospective new hires, like asking for specific examples, so I can dig a little deeper to help determine if this is the type of person who really believes in putting people before profit or if they are more of a transactional type of real estate agent. I’m not criticizing that way of doing business, it’s just not the right fit for us. It doesn’t work here because then we’re trying to force our values on them, like sharing tactics, and it ultimately ends in, “I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
C3MD: How do you stay accountable?
Wendy: Sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing, especially when sales are down, inventory is down, and a lot of agents are competing for the same business. In times like this it can be a lot easier to slip into the mentality of “just make it work.” But we’re all really good at making sure that doesn’t happen here, even though it would be great to have more clients.
C3MD: What advice would you offer to other business owners who wish to lead with conscious culture, but are concerned with how it might impact their bottom line?
Wendy: For us it has 100% impacted our bottom line in a really amazing way. We wouldn’t be where we are right now without the company culture that we have. And that’s because everyone on The Wendy Slaughter Team has a voice at the table and we all have shared core values. I would say implement a conscious culture as quickly as you can if you want to see a positive impact on your bottom line.
I would also recommend gathering with like-minded businesses, like joining your local Conscious Capitalism chapter. As business owners we do a lot of talking, and these meetings give us the opportunity to listen. Listening to others – especially listening to people outside of your industry – is such a powerful way to accelerate learning. There is often magic in the room and so much to learn from these gatherings!
Huge thank you to Wendy Baird of insight180 and Andrea Kagey for asking Wendy to share her philosophy about Conscious Culture! If you’d like to read the full interview, click here.
