Month: August 2018

CEO Gone Wild – The Power of Strategic Disengagement

/ Adam / Leave a comment

woods

Two weeks ago, I did something totally outside of my comfort zone. I put an away message up on my email, I powered down my phone, and I went completely dark. From the rest of the world, that is. On Friday, before I left for vacation, I was already stressing about being disconnected from my email (and therefore my company and my team). But why? I trusted my team. They all knew what they needed to accomplish that week. Was it just habit? A security blanket? I had to push through the discomfort, so my wife, Sarah, and I committed to challenging each other to completely turn off from technology and just be with each other and our children in nature. I was in the wild, up a creek without a hotspot. Now, we’ve been to this resort before. I knew exactly where I could go on the 65,000 acre nature preserve to get a weak cell signal and fire off a few emails. But we decided to get out of our comfort zone and leave the rest of the world behind. So we did. 

The first couple of days were hard. Our phones are now an extension of us. They are an extension of our thoughts, our business, our imagination, our curiosity, our social circle, and more. Choosing to cut yourself off from that (even for as little as a week) can feel very strange, like loosing a piece of yourself. I powered through the first two days. I was tempted to pick up my phone and email my team with a new idea or Google what kind of fish were in the lake or research a new bike for my upcoming Ironman season. Resisting that temptation was a battle of wills with myself. Being in on this with Sarah, certainly helped!

Our phones were in airplane mode and only available to take photos of our incredible trip. When we went into town (where I knew there was a likelihood I would get a signal), I left my phone at the cabin. No need to risk it! From Saturday morning until Friday afternoon, we were unplugged. Disconnected from the rest of the world. Totally immersed in nature, in adventure, and in our family. This is the first time I have been disconnected like this since my first flip phone 15 years ago… 

Naturally, by giving my brain a chance to rest from constantly being on and bombarded with stimuli in the forms of news alerts, Facebook Messenger notifications, texts, emails, Netflix, Audible, and all those external “voices”, I was able to give my brain and subconscious a much-needed break. I know many of us take breaks from entertainment and communication for maybe a couple of hours a day, but when was the last time you just allowed yourself to be? No TV. No podcasts. No text, email, or social media. No phone. Maybe a book (physical copy only). Really, think about it. I bet the last time you were sans “entertainment” or some sort of external stimuli was years ago. And even then, for only a short period of time. Almost all of our waking ours are spent “on”.  Other than sleeping, when do we truly allow our minds to reset, to refresh and to reset?  

If you’re in that space, I challenge you to cleanse your mind and detox from all the “noise.” Of course, I’m a proponent of getting back to nature while you detox (after all, I’m a born and raised Vermonter). But if you’re really committed to going all-in, it’s going to be difficult to cleanse and clear your mind if you’re in a city or large town with full Wi-Fi and cell service, and constant stimuli from traffic, outdoor concerts, etc. Get outside, get back to nature, strategically disengage, and give your subconscious a break.

While at Kenauk Nature Resort, we spent hours fishing, hiking, and swimming. We cooked fresh food and hung out around the campfire. We read books and created our own adventures with only some sticks, some stuffed animals, and our imaginations. The only activity I engaged in that was semi-connected/tech-related was journaling and photography. I didn’t want to forget even a second of the memories we were creating or the way I felt without the constant pull of my email.

By giving myself this detox challenge, I was able to just be. It’s a hard thing to explain, which is why I encourage you to do this and viscerally feel what I’m talking about. This is a true cleanse. This isn’t a day or even a week away from social media. This is truly about putting your phone (i.e. computer, internet, emails, social media, text, etc) down and picking your head up and looking around at the amazing people and things in the world. It’s so easy to get trapped in a little 2.8 x 5.7 inch world. The world is much bigger than that. And smaller too. It’s about who and what is right in front of you.

Usually after any break from work or week-long vacation, I’m pretty ready to get back to the office. Business, after all, is my passion and my sport. It doesn’t really feel like work, so I never really feel like I need a break from it. But like I said above, while I may not need a break, my mind does. After this trip off the grid, I had clarity and direction and energy like never before. I had removed the distractions and extraneous noise and was able to just think and be for an extended period of time, which meant that when I turned back “on” I was able to see exactly what needed to happen with extreme clarity and a vivid vision. I was able to tackle problems with new creativity and articulate better than ever where we were going and how we were going to get there. I was refreshed and renewed. My subconscious was tapping into new levels that I didn’t even know were there because of the daily minutia and external distractions. It was a total detox of the mind, body, and spirit. We’ve already booked this trip again for next year. 

And you? Will you commit to a 21st century cleanse? I challenge you to try it for a minimum of five days and see how your life will change.

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Why Virtual Brokerages Will Make Real Estate Expansion Teams Unstoppable

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mega camp

As soon as I was out of the mountains of Kenauk Nature Resort and back in cell service my email and phone started blowing up. Earlier this week at Mega Camp (one of Keller William’s annual conferences) in Austin, John Davis, CEO of KWRI (Keller Williams Realty International), announced the creation of virtual brokerages. Cue questions, confusion, excitement, and general pandemonium. What does this mean for market centers? How does this effect agents? What exactly is Expansion? What does this mean for caps? Will everyone have access to this? How do I get you in my market center? How do I build an Expansion business and take advantage of this? What is a virtual brokerage?

Let’s slow down a second. Expansion (which we originally called Duplication) is when a real estate team owner, who is part of a brokerage, expands their business outside of their local market. Think of Expansion as a team without geographic borders. Gary Keller actually gave birth to this idea 15-20 years ago. Perhaps agents and the industry weren’t ready for it. Perhaps technology wasn’t ready for it. About 5-7 years later, Gary tried again and it failed for a second time! But, in 2011, Gary and I started to have these conversations about Expansion and it clicked for me instantly. You see, I was in a geographically challenged area, where I would always be limited to a certain size business because of the wonderful (and small) state that I live in, Vermont. We have approximately 2,700 real estate transactions per year – yes, you read that right. 2,700 transactions for the entire state. I don’t like to be limited, so when Gary floated the idea of expanding my team beyond the borders of Vermont, I was in.

Hergenrother Realty Group, Gary, a few other business owners, and I have been the pioneers for Expansion over the past 7 years. The first several years was all trial and error and failing forward. We went through several iterations and eventually solidified a model that exemplifies our passion for leadership and leverage. However, in the past 24 months, our competitors caught on to what we were doing and realized that they could provide an expansion model without all the complexities or challenges that Keller Williams has faced due to franchise rights and Market Center territories. We may have created Expansion, but our competitors were exploiting it.

In order to stay competitive and at the top of the industry, we needed to make a global change to the Expansion model. Enter virtual brokerages. Virtual brokerages are something that I have been pushing (rather fighting for) for over 18 months now. Last week in a private board room with Gary Keller, John Davis, KWRI’s legal team, KW’s CTO, and three other Expansion business owners, we were finally able to nail down the virtual brokerage model. Hence the announcement at Mega Camp last week. This doesn’t mean that Market Centers or traditional brokerages and independent agents are dead. They simply need to shift and adjust to the changing landscape of the real estate industry in order to stay competitive. Expansion only adds to the viability of Market Centers. And independent agents who tap into KW technology will thrive.

There are still a lot of details to work out, but here is what we know about how virtual brokerages will work and how they will impact the industry:

  1. BRAND PRESENCE > Essentially, KWRI will create a single “Expansion” brokerage in each state. Those individuals who have earned the right to have a seat at this new brokerage will experience the freedom to go anywhere within the state with one universal brand. This is huge. Right now, because Expansion businesses are locked into individual Market Centers, we need to have a different logo, rules, signs, websites, lead flow, agent name, etc. in each grid we are associated with. In some states, that can be 15-20 Market Centers. The branding complexities alone, not to mention the additional costs, are incredibly challenging especially as Expansion teams are scaling and building a massive company within a company.
  2. CONTROL OUR ASSET > In addition to the branding advantage, virtual brokerages will allow us to control our asset. Right now, Expansion business owners are at the mercy of each leader of a Market Center based on their often subjective rules, opinions, and uninformed decisions about how Expansion teams should run. Right now, Market Centers have all the control and are able to jeopardize a business in a location in a second. You can’t pour millions of dollars, like we have been, into an organization just to be subject to that type of economic risk. It makes absolutely no sense. Our competition agreed. They have all recruited Hergenrother Realty Group (HRG) and other top Expansion businesses, so we know the pitch and the amount of money (millions) they have offered us to switch brokerages. I’d rather keep it in the family. Virtual brokerages puts us on the same playing field with any Market Center or Regional Owner, with the same legal rights and autonomy to build our business as we see fit. This is a huge win for all parties! Now, we all understand the rules of the game and have a clear system for expanding and taking territory.
  3. MARKET CENTER SUPPORT > Market Center owners and leadership are now realizing that they must encourage these elite Expansion business owners to join their offices and provide a supportive environment. Since the announcement of virtual brokerages at Mega Camp, Regional Owners, Market Center owners, Team Leaders and agents have been calling, emailing, texting, and messaging us on social media asking us to explain Expansion and virtual brokerages (which is why you’re reading this blog) and basically bending over backwards to get us into their offices. I find this slightly comical because it’s as if for the past several years, no one but Gary and a few of us building these companies wanted to pay any attention or give us the time of day. No one wanted to change. No one wanted to learn and understand the value of Expansion. But then companies outside of KW were being created because of our unwillingness to embrace this change! That is unacceptable.As the Chinese Proverb goes, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” The time is now. Suddenly, everyone is waking up and realizing we better get our ass to the dance. Again, this is really a win for all parties, because it is where the industry is headed. Gary and I (and a few other people) have been doing this for almost 7 years. It’s time for everyone else to join the party. I predict that the number of Realtors will decrease from about 1.2 Million to under 700,000. And the company that nails Expansion will end up with half of them.

    Market Centers will continue to play an important role in Expansion businesses (I also own a Market Center and business centers, so I want this to work for everyone). Market Centers will provide the physical space, a cohesive culture, and a platform to build off of. Think of Market Centers as Whole Foods for Amazon. Why did Amazon buy a physical location? Because they realized that technology needs to overlap with physical space. It’s no longer one or the other. The companies that succeed will be the ones that embrace robust technology and layer that with a dynamic physical experience. This is where Market Centers of the future and Expansion will exist. For example, inside a Market Center you may have 200-300 agents, with 15 large teams (each with 20 team members). The Market Center of the future will embrace Keller Command, Kelle, and more to enhance agents’ businesses and allow them to scale with a predictable model.

  4. COMPETITIVE CAPS > Expansion businesses who have earned the right to the virtual brokerage model will have universal competitive cap structures. We are still working through various scenarios, but are excited to launch this soon. This will likely be a fixed cap for the Expansion team leader/CEO and then a very small team member cap. It could also be a single team cap per year, for up to 15 agents. The next block of , say 10 agents, may cost another cap per year per team. This is a major win for Expansion businesses. Market Centers will have the right to offer even more discounts or benefits to get Expansion teams into their Market Centers. In the past few weeks alone, I’ve been offered free caps for the entire team to put an HRG team in a Market Center. This is capitalism at it’s best.

So, why Expansion? Why not just join a traditional brokerage or even join Keller Williams as an individual agent? What is the value of Expansion?

Expansion equals execution in real estate. It is the next level of teams. Amazon is awesome. Amazon Prime is even better. HRG executes. We get agents into production – fast – through our models, systems, technology, agent services, accountability, marketing, training, referrals, and exceptional client care, creating customer loyalty and raving fans of our agents and our clients, through both our on-site and centralized services. We have created a culture where high performers come to be pushed and challenged and to grow even more. We back up that culture with our extreme commitment to personal growth through business success through our training and accountability. Ideas come to us to be vetted and the right ones executed on so that we all grow together.

Expansion, with the help of virtual brokerages, are taking the steps to put the agent’s business back in the forefront, not in the hands of Market Center owners. This has been Gary’s vision his entire life. Gary is an agent first, and so am I. Taking care of agents creates an incredible culture for them, and an incredible experience for customers. Expansion is simply supporting this vision from the inside and making it happen faster.

The opportunities with Expansion are endless. One of the elite Expansion teams (and there are only a few) will be then 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th largest real estate companies in the world. The only reason they will not be #1, is because they already operate inside the number 1 organization – Keller Williams Realty. In this case, I’m okay coming in second.

Interested in learning more about Expansion businesses, virtual brokerages, and how you can join forces with one of the elite Expansion teams, right now? Email hallie@adamhergenrother.com and she’ll connect you with the right resource so you don’t miss out on this real estate revolution!

 

Guest Blogger Hallie Warner – What Does an Executive Assistant Do?

/ Adam / Leave a comment

ea 2

Last week I talked to two very successful Entrepreneurs who both expressed interest in hiring an Executive Assistant (EA). Smart move. An EA can work wonders for a busy Entrepreneur. However, both business leaders were unsure exactly what this person would do. Fair enough. The Executive Assistant role is one of the least understood positions, in part because it encompasses so many different responsibilities and can differ greatly depending on the industry or Executive/Entrepreneur. My husband doesn’t even fully understand what I do (and I talk about my work a lot).

In the past five years or so, I have seen significant improvements in both the perception of the position and the training available for this career. Yes, executive support and administration is a career. One, I was happy to discover, that was actually very fulfilling and lucrative, because it was made for me (a Type-A, overachieving, organized, detail-oriented, intrapreneurial leader).

SO, WHAT DO EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS DO? WHATEVER IT TAKES.

Executive Assistants are the ultimate force multipliers and project managers. Their project just happens to be their Executive. From purchasing unique gifts for a business associate, to managing internal and external communication, to preparing speeches, to reorganizing staff roles, to managing social media, to creating business plans, and everything in between, we’ve got it covered. Executive Assistants are problem solvers and fixers. They are some of the most resourceful and connected individuals in your organization. If you have a challenge, bring it to your nearest EA, and I guarantee they will have a solution for you by the end of the day. Executive Assistants are leaders and seeing them as anything else is a complete underestimation of their ability and a disservice to you.

The Executive Assistant position is even more unique when you’re talking about working with a Founder, Entrepreneur, or public figure. Earlier this year, I attended a retreat just outside of Seattle where Monique Helstrom, Chief of Simon Sinek (i.e. Executive Assistant to, and Producer of, Simon), was a guest speaker. She was explaining a bit about her position and told us that she recently was talking to Brene Brown’s Executive Assistant about their respective roles. While, in theory, they are in the same industry (EAs to very prominent authors and public speakers) Monique said their roles were completely different. I think that is perfect illustration of why the role is so hard to define in any real specifics. A job description for Simon’s EA, Adam’s EA, or Elon Musk’s EA could all be very different. The Executive Assistant position varies so significantly depending on what industry you work in, how established the organization is, and the personality and behavior of your Executive.

Last summer, Adam published a blog called The 3 Most Important Things a Leader Must Do. They were:

  1. Casting the vision
  2. Providing focus, clarity, and direction for the team
  3. Removing roadblocks

That is a Leader’s (an Executive’s) 20%. Clear and concise. Well, what about an EA’s 20%? It tends to get a bit murky, but I think this sums it up:

An Executive Assistant’s 20% is ensuring the objectives, goals, and vision of the Executive is executed.

So, in theory, the Executive Assistant’s 20% is the Entrepreneur’s bottom 80%, right? An EA handles all the miscellaneous responsibilities, tasks, and administrative duties that allow an Executive to stay focused on leadership, strategy, and communication. But we all know EAs aren’t just going to focus on the 80%, part of their job is helping their Executive manage their 20%.

Adam has a really great analogy for this concept, that I like to call the 0-10 Principle. As a visionary, Adam has brilliant ideas on the daily. They may not be completely fleshed out, but he has the spark and then sees the end result crystal clear. It is my responsibility to take that idea from a 2 to a 9, bring the idea/project back to him so he can do his final finessing to bring it to a 10. Here’s what that looks like in practice. Adam wants to create an inspirational speaker series that raises funds for his Foundation. Great! That’s at about a 2. I will then take that idea, gather the necessary people, create a timeline, budget, put together a marketing plan, interview speakers, plan the event, and come back to Adam with a final plan, including the speaker line-up. He will offer additional insight, perhaps tweak the speaker order, and come up with an overarching theme for the night. Now we’ve got a 10.

That is how Executive Assistants help their leaders with their 20%. You can apply the concept to almost every aspect of your Executive’s 20%, from drafting a letter to include in the company’s annual report, to revamping their blog, to preparing for a quarterly offsite leadership meeting, to planning a 40th birthday trip for their brother. An Executive Assistant manages the people, details, timelines, etc. to make an idea come to life. This can happen on a large scale like helping them write a book or on a smaller scale like choosing the perfect anniversary gift for their wife. Let’s break this down even further and look at how an EA helps their Executive with their 20%:

FORCE MULTIPLY THE VISION. Communicating the vision is perhaps the most critical component of an Executive’s job. Casting the vision wide and often through strategic communication and branding initiatives generates new business, attracts talent, and boosts employee engagement. Branding and casting the vision go hand in hand.

  1. Schedule regular company updates. These can be in the form of Town Halls, a Letter from the CEO in the annual report, daily blog posts, quarterly video announcements, weekly emails, monthly company meetings, etc. What matters here is that there is a cadence to the communication and that the leader is casting the vision and keeping the team updated and informed regularly. It is the EAs responsibility to schedule these, make sure the cadence is kept and to even prep these letters, meetings, video content, etc. Make sure the CEO’s vision is heard often!
  2. Along with their marketing or brand strategy teams, EAs must specifically reviewing their Executive’s social media regularly to ensure the messaging is in line with the company’s mission and their Executive’s vision. Once the brand is established, EAs must protect it and ensure the messaging is consistent across all channels. How an Executive shows up at church, needs to be the same way he/she shows up on YouTube.
  3. EAs are in a unique position to pitch their Executive for interviews on blogs, national media publications, podcasts, radio shows, etc. They know their Executive’s story, they know their language and how they would answer questions. Submit for awards and as many media mentions as it make sense. EAs are able to craft the message that their Executive wants to be heard, and usually these opportunities lead to even bigger opportunities. Don’t be afraid to start small and build up the brand presence.
  4. EAs can help their Executives write a weekly blog or do a weekly YouTube or Instagram show. The key is consistently delivering the vision and positioning their Executive as a thought leader in his/her industry.

FORCE MULTIPLY COMMUNICATION. Casting the vision means communication with both internal and external stakeholders, so how can an EA enhance these activities to maximize the leader’s reach?

  1. Listen on calls and participate in meetings to listen for anything that their Executive says will be done, delivered, or followed up on. Does their Executive say he’ll make an introduction or get the name of a book to someone? It is an EAs job to ensure that promises made are promises kept.
  2. Managing internal and external relationships is critical. Maintaining a database that houses important, and sometimes seemingly irrelevant, information about people can be a lifesaver. This can be family members, employees, candidates, vendors, community members, former employees, competitors, business leaders, etc. As the EA and their Executive meet with people and conduct research or meeting prep, store any details about the meeting or the individual. Set reminders for anniversaries, birthdays, or important life milestones. I recommend using an inexpensive CRM so you can set tasks and follow-up reminders so you don’t miss an important date. Create a VIP list of people that the Executive wants to either maintain or create a relationship with. Then set up Google alerts that keep you in tune with what these people are doing, awards their company’s receive, etc. It’s a perfect opportunity for the EA to remind their Executive to reach out, call, email, or send a hand-written note. Executive’s will run into these players at conferences or networking and social events. Keep this information handy so it can be pulled out and given to the Executive as a quick refresher before they go to a community event so they don’t forget to congratulate a potential business partner on their recent merger.
  3. The art of the handwritten note is not dead! Incorporate handwritten notes into the correspondence with an Executive’s VIP list. It could be one of the most impactful ways to maximize an Executive’s reach and build relationships. Whether that is thanking someone for coming in to meet with their Executive, or congratulating a competitor on building a new office, handwritten notes get noticed. Pop a business card in there (because not everyone can interpret the Executive’s handwriting and signature like an EA can). To really maximize this, EAs should write thank yous and general notes to vendors or the concierge who went above and beyond helping them book a massage for their Executive when he arrived at his hotel. The more relationships that an EA is able to create will only help them help their Executive. And you never know when a kind word or just knowing the name of the right person at a restaurant will come in handy. Provide value, expecting nothing in return, and it will be returned tenfold.
  4. If an EA travels with their Executive for speaking engagements or hosts training events where their Executive is the keynote presenter, they must pay attention to the audience. What content is resonating? What content could be removed for the next training event? After the event they can update and refresh the Executive’s content accordingly. EAs are the eyes and ears while their Executive is presenting. Watch the room. Who is fully engaged and asking questions? Who is leaving the room every five minutes? Is there talent in the room? After the presentation (especially if it is a day-long event) their Executive is going to be fried, and may need to catch a flight home, and yet everyone is going to want to talk to him. Often an Executive will have a line of people who want to thank him or ask questions. The EA should position herself/himself near their Executive to take business cards, take notes on who to follow-up with, answer questions, or take photos. And perhaps most importantly, to grab their Executive and steer him towards the exit so he doesn’t miss his Uber!

FORCE MULTIPLY FOCUS, CLARITY, AND DIRECTION. This is all about leading and managing up so the Executive is making the right decisions, has the right meetings on his calendar, and is in relationship with the right people in order to achieve the company’s objectives. If one of the Executive’s primary goals is to ensure the team is on track and focused on what must be done that day, week, or month, then that’s the Executive Assistant’s goal too.

  1. When an EA is scheduling or drafting regular communication for their Executive make sure the message is clear and ties back in specific tasks that keep everyone focused.
  2. During key leadership meetings, note all action items and follow up accordingly. If no action items are clear, do not leave the meeting without everyone agreeing to what the next best steps are or what the course of action is and who is doing what.
  3. Perhaps most importantly, when the Executive is getting hit from multiple angles or when they start chasing a shiny object, remind them of what is important and what the team had agreed to focus on that quarter. Entrepreneurs are visionaries and will have endless ideas. Make note of them and if they aren’t part of the overall goals, table them for now. If the Executive asks about them twice, then it’s time to bring them to the forefront and get their buy-in that they should be moved to the 20% for both the Executive and EA to tackle.

FORCE MULTIPLY REMOVING ROADBLOCKS. Once the vision is cast and everyone is clear on what they need to focus on for success, help the team get there!

  1. Research tools and provide cost/benefit analysis to the Executive so they can make the best decision for the team.
  2. Make sure the Executive is regularly available for impromptu meetings. While EAs are often the gatekeeper, do not block access to the “throne”. Schedule in time for the Executive to walk around and check in with people. Do no over schedule them so much that they are not available for a quick question that if unanswered could hold up a project for days.
  3. Be the eyes and ears for the Executive and bring the challenges and solutions to him of issues that if not nipped in the bud could fester and create organizational issues. This could be employee morale, inefficiencies in staffing, or a clunky system. Speak up and help find a solution so everyone can keep moving forward.

An Executive’s 20% is also an Executive Assistant’s 20%. They may complete different tasks to get there, but they are still a part of making it happen. Own it.

Regardless of the exact responsibilities Executive Assistants have, I haven’t met individuals who work harder to accomplish a mission. While I am no longer Adam’s Executive Assistant (I passed the torch to our amazing EA, Amy, last year!), when Adam did travel without me, I didn’t go to bed unless I knew he had arrived. I emailed with him at 2am before he went off the grid to hike Kilimanjaro. I came into the office on weekends to work on a project, prepare for an event, or move offices. I got out of bed more than once to rearrange travel and get him booked on a new flight after delays or cancellations. It needed to be handled. I handled it. I’m sure this is sounding pretty familiar to my fellow EAs (and perhaps many Chiefs of Staff).

For people who don’t quite understand this unique role, they tend to think Executive’s are expecting too much or that these requests are unacceptable or intrusive. But what they don’t know is that very rarely does the Executive actually have to request that these things happen – they just get done of the EAs own volition. I knew what I was signing up for, in fact, I thrive on this. I work for an incredibly interesting and dynamic entrepreneur and I am helping him build multiple organizations; occasionally work doesn’t happen between 9am and 5pm, Monday through Friday. The trade-off? I get to work for an incredibly interesting and dynamic entrepreneur and help him build multiple organizations – the work is challenging, rewarding, and it doesn’t hurt that I have complete flexibility with my schedule and unlimited vacation and time off.

This is just a starting point for those Entrepreneurs who are looking  to hire an Executive Assistant or who want to establish a better relationship with their right hand. The nuances are endless. I have been the Executive Assistant, and now Chief of Staff for eight years with the same Executive, yet my job today looks nothing like it did eight years ago. The only constant is that I am still responsible for, and committed to, ensuring Adam’s vision is implemented.

Since we’re on the topic of the power of the partnership between EA and Entrepreneur, Adam and I are excited to share that we are working on a book about this very topic! Click here to get on the pre-order list and help us choose the title! 

hallie warnerABOUT HALLIE WARNER

Hallie Warner is the Chief of Staff to Adam Hergenrother at Adam Hergenrother Companies. With over ten years of experience supporting the C-Suite, Hallie has mastered the ability to lead and assist by assessing current needs, initiating change, and executing projects. As Executive Assistant, and later as Chief of Staff, Hallie has worked side-by-side with Adam for over seven years, ensuring that Adam’s vision is communicated and executed. Hallie also works closely with the executive team to manage special projects, hire and grow talent, and maximize Adam’s reach through training events and strategic communication. With a focus on business development activities, she works to maintain the company brand and create and manage key internal and external relationships to drive company growth. Hallie is also a coach and trainer through Adam Hergenrother Training helping others to become the best version of themselves, personally and professionally.

For more information on the Leader & Force Multiplier relationship, visit Hallie’s blog: www.LeadandAssist.com.

Creating Your Future Self Today

/ Adam / Leave a comment

future self 2

Cabin in the woods of Vermont with enough land for ATVs? Check. Beautiful, healthy third child? Check. Build, own, and hold an office building as an asset? Check. These are all things I wrote down on my Future Self worksheet over three years ago that came to fruition in the past couple of years. The Future Self is one of the most impactful tools that I’ve ever used to make my dreams for the future a reality. You can too.

One of the coolest things about the Future Self is that it gets you to think differently and be purposeful about your goals. The Future Self is your North Star, your navigation, that will bring your dreams into clear focus so that you are not simply floating through life with no paddle, and no direction.

The Future Self is about creating the life that you want. Think big! This is not a time to think small or put limits on yourself. Where will you be in three years? What do you want your life to look like by then? The Future Self is your guide for where you are going, for what you’re going to do, what is going to show up, and who you are going to become. The possibilities are endless. It’s your life; you control your destiny.

The Future Self is broken into six categories:

  1. PROFESSIONAL – While this part can be financial, it also includes your career and business. What is your next career step? What do you want your work-life integration to look like? Are you self-employed? Do you need to find a new company that aligns better with your values? Do you want to start a side hustle?
  2. FINANCIAL – How much money do you want to make? Do you want to make a specific amount per month in passive income? How often and how much do you want to invest? Do you need to get out of debt? How much money do you want to give each year? Do you have a net worth goal?
  3. PHYSICAL – How do you want to look and feel? Write down what you are going to DO to achieve that. This can be tied to a weight, body fat percentage, or a physical accomplishment such as running a marathon or attending a yoga retreat. How many days a week do you want to exercise? Do you have specific health goals like lowering your blood pressure or increasing flexibility?
  4. SOCIAL – This is the play part of your life – the fun, recreation, and non-familial relationships. How many vacations do you want to take over the next three years, and more specifically, where? How often do you get together with friends for coffee? How many play dates do you and your kids go to each month? Do you want to start volunteering?
  5. FAMILY – What does your family structure look like? Do you want to have children? Get married (or divorced)? Have a better relationship with your in-laws? Share you family goals with your family! Some of the biggest arguments happen when there is a lack of communication and clarity about what everyone wants out of the relationship or life. Make sure you’re in sync with your partner and your family.
  6. SPIRITUAL – Spirituality goes beyond religion. Spirituality is about understanding that the world is much bigger than you (believe it or not, you are just an insignificant speck in the grand scheme of the universe). There is more to life than you and to the external. Get outside yourself. Will you start a mediation practice? A gratitude journal? How many times will you attend church each month? Do you have a ritual for reminding yourself to keep an open heart?

There are a few best practices to keep in mind as you are creating your Future Self:

  • Think about what you want your life to look like in three years. Three year increments work well!
  • Write your vision out in the present tense, as if you have already accomplished those goals three years from now.
  • Make sure you are using very specific, measurable goals. Bring everything back to a number.
  • Place your Future Self where you can read it every day. Put it in your car, on your nightstand, on your refrigerator, or laminate it and put it in the shower!

By reading your Future Self each day, you bring awareness to where you want to go so your subconscious begins to pick up ways to help you achieve your goals and the life you want. More opportunities seem to show up, momentum builds, and before you know it you’ve accomplished your goals well before the three year mark. Every morning, when you read your Future Self, you have an exact idea of where you are going. This is your life! Take control and set the intention of where you want to go.

As a side note, 45% of our daily habits are unintentional and unaccounted for. That’s almost half of our day where we are just drifting through life, doing the same thing we did the day before because it’s a habit, it’s comfortable. Put your pants on – left leg first. Brush your teeth. Drive to work. We’re on auto-pilot 45% of the time! If you don’t hold your habits accountable and create new, more beneficial habits, then you will stay stuck in mediocrity. Hold your habits accountable by starting with your Future Self.

The Future Self gives you a road map and a flash light. Whenever you get lost, stuck, or frustrated, go back to your Future Self (though you’re reading it daily so you shouldn’t forget, right?) and remind yourself where you are going. If you can sustain the habit of reading your Future Self daily, you’re already ahead of 95% of the population. And before you know it, those ideas that were only words on a sheet of paper, become reality.

But there’s a catch. Just reading your Future Self (for a week, two months, etc.) isn’t enough. You have to do it every day for years so that it becomes ingrained in your subconscious. Opportunities are going to show up. They are going to be uncomfortable. You might not feel ready for them. But you must act! The universe doesn’t just dump success in your lap. You have to set your intention and when pieces of your Future Self start showing up, you have to have the courage to attack it with all you’ve got. If you never stretch (good stress) yourself then you will never grow. You must find the optimal amount of stress and then push hard, recover (grow) and repeat. That’s the growth cycle. Stress, rest, repeat.

One last note: You may read your Future Self for a year or two and feel like nothing major has happened. Stick with it. It could be that last month where everything falls into place. And, there may be three year cycles where you just don’t hit your goal in three years. If they are important to you, you keep them on your Future Self for the next three years, and the three years after that until you achieve them. Life is a journey, not an end point.

Want a blank copy of the Future Self (and a copy of Adam’s Future Self)? Email amy@adamhergenrother.com. Even better, share your Future Self with us! It’s amazing what opportunities seem to magically appear when you are purposeful about reviewing your goals and sharing what you want out of life with others! The more you focus on your Future Self, your future goals, the more real that version of yourself becomes. It will only be a matter of time before you are living the life you imagined.