January 14, 2010. Chevy Chase, Md. Management.

My task as a manager is to help the agents assist buyers and sellers when those folks have a need to acquire or sell real property. I believe that the agent is the king pin and I am the assistant. The staff in in place to help the agent. Life is easy in my job and in my office. We have a two way street, in that we help the agents and they help each other. They work hard and keep the office solvent, in addition of course, making enough money to fund their families. The Bethesda Gateway office has never been about me or the other managers, but everything about the agents.

Leon, the young man who has become a manager called me for advice. I told him one thing. "Form an Agent Council to meet with eight volunteers once a month to provide you guidance and feedback". He mentioned that in his first sales meeting, and within thirty minutes, eleven agents came to him volunteering for the position. He has a daunting task before him, but no more that I had all those years ago. When I took the job as Manager,nothing was written down for any policy. I would be asked the same question five times a day. I thought I would go mad, but bit by bit, the committee wrote each part of the directions and explanations. After two or three years, we were able to pull it all together into a booklet we call an agent handbook, so if I am asked a question, I can direct the agent to the policy. Then all I had to do was pay attention to sales strategy and recruiting and training. My life became simple as a manager.