Owner and Qualifying Broker at Rhino Realty Property Management and Rhino Realty B&B, entrepreneur, investor, advisor, author and speaker.
Many brokers are technically savvy but don’t have the personal touch that is so critical for dealing with people. We are all different but we can all benefit from deepening our knowledge and developing our skills through self-education and reading.
For some, it makes sense to continue formal education, but for most professionals already working a full-time job or running a business, reading is an inexpensive and simple way to develop oneself. If you’re not much of a reader, I recommend that you begin by reading books that interest you. Forcing yourself to read a book that doesn’t appeal to you will make it more difficult to embrace reading as a daily practice. It’s easier to develop the habit of reading consistently when you’re enthusiastic about your book choice. You can start with smaller books, of which there is no shortage in the business and personal development genres. These authors know that professionals are short on time, so a great book doesn’t have to be a long book.
It requires discipline to make yourself read a book that doesn’t grab your attention immediately, and trying to pull yourself through a long book that doesn’t interest you won’t set you up for success. This is not to say you won’t benefit from reading books you find dull. I’ve read books by dozens of authors whose writing didn’t appeal to me. But reading them was still worth my time. I always extract at least one jewel from every book. You may even choose to read only particular sections of some books because you want specialized information and the entire book isn’t relevant. It all depends on the genre and topic.
As you immerse yourself in reading, you’ll also discover books you don’t want to put down and can’t wait to get back to reading. As a result, your world may begin to transform from the inside out. You might experience “aha” moments that spark a new understanding of the subject matter.
How do you know which books to read? It can be overwhelming when faced with thousands of books to choose from. In my experience, the best way to find great books is to follow the authors who have already inspired you. You’ll likely start to see a pattern in the books you read and the people who write them. When you’re interested in someone’s business or opinions, you may find that you’re also interested in the topics of books they read. Also, once you become a dedicated reader, you may naturally talk to others about the books you’re reading and, in this way, receive word-of-mouth recommendations.
I recommend that you maintain balance in your reading selection. Real estate professionals are considered to be entrepreneurs. We determine our own hours and we get paid based on our results. Keeping abreast of trends and projections is critical if you want to be at the top of the field.
But, to develop a broad range of knowledge, I encourage you to read a diverse range of subjects, such as psychology, self-help, communication, history, autobiographies and spiritual texts. Personally, I like to read at least one real estate book per quarter, to keep up with current industry developments.
If you’ve been trying to read more and not succeeding, chances are you’ve got a pile of books waiting for your attention at home. Here are my top tips to carve out the time to either start or scale up your reading routine.
• Cancel cable TV.
• Limit mobile and all device usage.
• Block out time in your schedule each day.
• Incorporate reading into other activities by listening to audiobooks.
The point is that you may be born with a great mind, but even great minds require cultivating. Success typically doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time and dedication. Twenty years is a magic number when we talk about anyone noteworthy hitting their ultimate goals. In the process of pursuing success, they tend to influence their industries. This is not a coincidence. Being focused on learning what’s relevant to achieve your goals makes evolution inevitable. The trick is to give yourself the best environment for success to occur.
Forbes Real Estate Council is an invitation-only community for executives in the real estate industry. Do I qualify?