It’s not every day that a CEO of a company with over 900 offices sits down and shares his inner workings, his leadership pillars and his approach to developing leaders within his organization. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of having a leadership conversation with Steve Caradoc-Davies, the CEO of Harcourts International: arguably one of the worlds leading real estate brands that employs thousands of staff.

You can enjoy the full podcast over on Apple, Spotify or YouTube. Here’s some of the golden nuggets that I picked up from the conversation with Steve, for all you high-performance leaders and game-changers.

 

Steve started off in South Africa as a real estate agent but got very frustrated with his average results, getting to the point where he was ready to say goodbye to mediocrity and hello to excellence. He talked about the importance of focusing on your life goals and progress along that journey with monomaniacal intention – the opportunities that arise from being laser-focused are simply outstanding.

Some tips for agents who really want to go from good to great:

 

1. Get clear on what you want. Define your goals.
2. Have a plan.
3. Take the nuggets.
4. Know what you need to measure.
5. Be around people who support you and share your vision.
6. Work hard but block out family time and personal growth time.
7. Have world-class focus.
8. Get comfortable asking for help. 

One common thread that came up in our conversation was the role of coaches and mentors in helping Steve become the leader he is today. “I realized at one point that I had a lot of personal growth to do, and that I needed to personally invest in that growth.”  Steve invested in coaches and mentors to help him shape his career into what it is today – and a great lesson he learned from the legendary Michael Gerber was, “Just because you’re a good baker it doesn’t make you a good bakery business owner. And just because you’re a good real estate agent, it doesn’t make you a good real estate business owner. Don’t spend your life building an asset that nobody wants to buy. Build a brand, not a job.”

Here’s some great leadership insights from Steve:

“Ensure that you continually seek satisfaction and personal fulfillment in your business ownership role and always select mentors that have a similar view on life to you. A question I often ask myself is ‘How can I add value to my team, and how can they add value to our clients?’. I think of business as a contact sport, relationships are the key to the success of the any organization. Staying in touch with your team is critical in developing rapport and respect. 1:1 conversations with staff members are vital and the greatest leaders in the world understand what individual team members need and put support structure in place to help those people meet their goals. I think everyone can lead, the best way to lead is to help others grow and succeed.”

I hope you’ve enjoyed this short summary of takeaways from Steve Caradoc-Davies, CEO of Harcourts International.

To listen to the full conversation head across to Apple, Spotify or YouTube.

Lead life on purpose, always.

Full Transcript

The following is the full transcript of this weeks episode of the Life On Purpose Podcast with James Laughlin.

 

SPEAKERS 

Steve Caradoc-Davies, CEO of Harcourts International from Brisbane, Australia.

James Laughlin, High Performance Leadership Coach from Christchurch, New Zealand

 

James Laughlin 00:00 

Welcome to Life on Purpose. My name is James Laughlin, former seven-time world champion musician and now a success coach to leaders and high performers. Each week, I bring you an inspiring leader or expert to help you live your life on purpose. Thanks for taking the time to connect today and investing in yourself. Enjoy the show!  

 

James Laughlin 00:38 

Before we jump into today's episode, I want to tell you about the purpose club. I started the purpose club quite some time ago so that I could coach people of all backgrounds. Not everybody has access to coaching. And certainly, it can be at all people's price range. So, I wanted to create a community where I coach my members each month and it's incredibly affordable. And I do a deep dive monthly live session and deliver my best techniques, strategies, and habits. And I impart great lessons on leadership, motivation, mindset, abundance, habit installation, and you're creating a lasting legacy. There's free replays in there from all the previous live casts, there's high impact worksheets for you to take home and actually work through throughout the month, you'll receive weekly planning emails with actual planners to fill out your week, you'll get a weekly self-evaluation email, where you can evaluate yourself on all different levels, relationship, life, business, wealth, career, everything that you want, you'll get weekly journal prompts to really get your mind tuned into that higher level thinking. And also on a monthly basis, you'll get planning worksheets and reflections for your month. So, if you would like to learn about it, please get in touch with me or someone in my team, you know, jump on Instagram jameslaughlinofficial, drop me a DM or you can email me [email protected] or just go to the website, jjlaughlin.com and check it out. Enjoy the show and I hope to see some of you guys over in the purpose club.  

 

James Laughlin 02:26 

I'm incredibly excited to welcome in this week's special Steve Caradoc-Davies. Steve is the CEO of Harcourts International. He oversees hundreds and hundreds of staff hundreds of offices globally and is doing incredible things at the helm of this great brand and great company. In today's show, we talk about what it takes to be a leader, how to handle a crisis, and how to really excel and be a high performer, whether you're a salesperson, whether you're a parent, whether you're an athlete or a leader in business. So, sit back and enjoy the show. 

 

 

James Laughlin 03:16 

Steve, a massive Welcome to the life on purpose podcast. 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 03:20 

Thanks, James. Nice to join you. 

 

WHAT DOES IT LIKE TO BE THE CEO OF HARCOURTS? 

James Laughlin 03:22 

Yeah, thanks for making the time have been really excited to connect with you know, you're sitting there as the CEO of Hardcourts, a brand I've used before, and I intend to use again in the future. So, what's it like to sit at the top and be the CEO of a company like Harcourts. 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 03:37 

But it's very humbling, really, I mean, at the end of the day, this is a company that's been around for a long time, it was founded back in 1888. And in the modern history of Harcourts. There have been some incredible people that have led our group and we still to this very day had people within Harcourts that have been with us for 30 and 40 or more years. And so, you know, there's a history, there's a culture, and it's just a massive privilege for me to be part of that. And I play a role today that doesn't make me special, but just as a massive honor to be able to serve our great team 

 

WHAT DOES HARCOURTS LOOK LIKE GLOBALLY? 

James Laughlin 04:09 

Amazing. And obviously, you know, I'm sitting here in New Zealand, you're over there and in Australia, but truly Harcourts is a global brand. So, what's the composition of Harcourts? What does it look like globally? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 04:20 

Well, we've got just over 900 offices in 10 different countries around the world at the moment. Global expansion is not our major focus, but sort of our group has expanded over the years, we've built some connections with great business partners in different countries as you can pick up from my accent. I'm from South Africa. And so yeah, that's Hardcourts sort of. Slowly expanded as it 900 offices at 6800 agents and we really thrive here in this part of the world you know, New Zealand's where Harcourts was founded. So, we got a dominant market share there and we've been across Australia for 24 years. And so, this part of the world is where our major focus is right now. 

 

WHAT'S YOUR JOURNEY TOWARDS BEING A CEO? 

James Laughlin 04:59 

Brilliant. And it's interesting. Yeah, let's focus on your journey because a lot of people often say, hey, James, the CEO is that you connect with the leaders like, how do they get there? Like, what's the journey. So, I find that different people get there in different ways. Some are very financial background focused, others are more at team leadership, others are more specific in an industry. So, going back to South Africa, what's been your journey towards getting to stepping into a CEO role? 

 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 05:25 

So, I started real estate when I was 19. Back in the family business started in administration and property management, then sales, which I absolutely loved, got into sales and management. And when I took over as manager of a family business, everyone walked out the door. So, I had to learn pretty quickly how to rebuild the business from scratch and then bought the business from my father back in 1997. And pretty much was an average real estate business owner and realized that there's got to be more to this. Yeah, I guess. I was driven to be the best version of what I could be so engaged some coaches and in different parts of the world and grew our business. We were founding members of a franchisor's old ventures with Jaime back in 1991. And then, yeah, grew our business to a team of at its peak about 35 agents back in the Western Cape of South Africa, and sued on the High Courts of Africa board, once Harcourts, entered into a JV partnership with us back in 2009. And growing our business, the number one Harcourts office in South Africa for six years, I got to know Mike Green really well across here in Australia, who was MD of Harcourts was at the time and 50%, shareholder. And the opportunity arose for me to take over from him. And as I said, just now it's an incredible honor, one of those opportunities that come across probably once in a lifetime. so waved it that up and yeah, decided to move my family across from Cape Town to Brisbane, and we've been here since early 2019. So that's the short version. I don't think I ever started out with the ambition of being CEO of a global real estate group. You know, one thing led to the next I've had goals along with my life. Just focus on those goals and get amazing when you progress along with your life journey doors open. And then it's up to you whether you want to take those opportunities or not. 

 

FROM BEING GOOD TO GREAT 

James Laughlin 07:15 

Great advice, really good advice. And let's go back to that point where you were saying you were running your own real estate business, and you were doing okay at it. But then there was a switch that something changed. So, when you talk a bit about cultures and whatnot, so what happened in that transitionary period, you went from, hey, it's going well, I want to make it go great. 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 07:34 

I guess I just got frustrated that my results weren't changing much. I felt that got into a rut, and you know, it was probably as good as the guy down the road. But, you know, I suppose if you were to categorize that, as average, I would have fitted into that, that bucket. And average isn't something that I like, I always believe all of us have the ability to be the best version of ourselves. So, I'm engaged, a real estate business coach here in Australia, actually, back in 96. And came across a few management and leadership conferences with a real estate lens on and met a gentleman called Michael Gerber, who wrote a book called The E Myth. And what he said really struck a nerve with me. And he said, just because you're a good electrician doesn't mean you're a good electrician business owner, or just because you're a good baker doesn't mean you're a good bakery owner. And just because you're the real estate agent doesn't mean you're a good real estate business owner. I thought that's, that's quite true. And it dawned on me that I really had to develop a set of leadership skills and management skills if I wanted to be a good business owner. And then he also said something that struck a chord with me, he said, The problem in real estate is, well, in any business where the business owner is, the main asset that that particular business is, is that when you get to 60-65, or whatever your retirement ages, and you want to sell this business that you've put your whole life into, no one wants to buy it, because it's all about you. And does that make any sense to spend your life building an asset that no one wants to buy? And I thought, well, that makes a lot of sense. So yeah, switch a little light on inside, I realized I had a lot to learn. There was a lot of personal growth I needed to engage myself in and I needed to invest in that growth. And so, I started that journey. Michael Gerber and his team in California coached me for 18 months, and I continue with my business coaches, here in Australia. And yeah, just experienced some fantastic growth and everything grew from there. 

 

James Laughlin 09:29 

Incredible. That's probably one of the kinds of through lines sort of all the different people that I connect with an interview in terms of leaders across different fields, one of the connecting through lines across the model, they all talk about mentors, or coaches or you know, people that are further down the track that has given them that advice. So, I love that that's also been a part of your success. 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 09:48 

That certainly has been, I think if I hadn't stepped out of my comfort zone back then I'd probably still be an average real estate business and a little town, making a reasonable living but I've had such an incredible journey and it all started with personal growth. 

 

THE KEY INGREDIENTS IN THRIVING AS A NEW BUSINESS OWNER 

James Laughlin 10:01 

Amazing. And let's look at being a real estate agent versus being an owner like a business owner. So, what are the key ingredients? If you were to set a new business owner who just started their own business, what are the key ingredients to help it thrive? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 10:20 

My advice would be you have to be clear on what you want. So not every business owner necessarily will make a good business owner, it depends on what you want out of life. What I really loved about real estate sales is, hey, we, you know, we get pretty well paid for what we do, and good agents get paid exceptionally well. And I believe they're absolutely worth it. But, you know, if you're in business to make people happy to make a difference in their lives, if that's what you thrive on, then you've got to find that in whatever your role is. So as an agent, I really enjoyed that. When you put a family in a home or your cell, someone's home, and they've got all the memories and the emotion that goes with it, and you navigate them through there and you impact their lives in a very positive way. I absolutely thrived on that. When I focused on being a manager and a business owner, I had to find that satisfaction without personally working with clients. Now I didn't listen and sell then. So how was he going to find that, and I realized I was going to get the same satisfaction out of helping my team. And if I could help them grow if I help them achieve their goals and dreams, and then I get the same thrill. And so, I had to focus on that. So, there was a mental shift I needed to make, I had to be clear on what I thrived on what made me happy. And I needed to make sure that I found that satisfaction in my new role. 

 

James Laughlin 11:34 

That's really interesting. It really, for me, it reminds me of human needs psychology, that you know, when you're if you're looking at your profession, that profession, if you're loving life, and it's an amazing job role, it meets all of your key human needs. And so, you already knew that you're like this has to meet my need for motivation and excitement and contribution and growth. And not all leaders are aware that those needs need to be met to have fulfillment in their career. So, do you think that came through maybe education in South Africa through your family, or maybe through a mentor that awareness that you need to meet these needs? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 12:11 

Probably all of the above. James, I think a lot of it will depend on how one's raised, what the values are that you're raised on. I selected members of sorry, mentors that had the same view of life. So, you know, when, when their values align nicely with mine and the way I was raised, and that was a really good fit. And so not every mentor is a good mentor for you. You need to find mentors that align with your values. And if they can help you thrive in that environment, with the same sort of mindset, and help you achieve your goals, then that fits really well. So, it's, I think it's equally important if you're going to find mentors and coaches in life to find mentors and coaches that align with your way of thinking with the values that you have as well.  

 

WHAT'S YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A CEO? 

James Laughlin 13:00 

Yeah, great advice. And sitting as a CEO. So, what is your greatest challenge as a CEO? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 13:09 

Well, there are many, probably the greatest challenge is to continue to adapt to the change around us at a pace. I mean, this is an ever-changing world. But it's probably never changed as much as it has in recent time. And at the pace that it is. So, you know what we did five years ago, today wouldn't be good enough. The leader I was back then wouldn't be enough. Now. Our value offering that we delivered to our team to our network five years ago wouldn't be enough now. In fact, three years ago, we wouldn't be good enough now. And you know, even 12 months ago, so how do you innovate, evolve, adapt and continue to add the value that people need? So, whether that's me being a leader of my own corporate team, how do I add value in my team's life? Whether it's us as a business, adding value in the life of our network of our team, members of our sales agents and property management, and business owners? Are we adapting fast enough to continue to add the value that they need in their life? And then, ultimately, are we as a group, adapting fast enough to deliver on the needs of our clients, because if we, if we do that, then our business will continue to grow, and will make a positive difference in the lives of others. But if we don't, if we're slow to change, or resist change, or ignore change, then you know, ultimately, the need for us as a business and for me, as an individual is going to shrink with time. So, you know, it's to continue to adapt at pace and to add value. 

 

HOW DID YOU ADJUST TO THE PANDEMIC? 

James Laughlin 14:42 

And let's think about the last couple of years with the pandemic. For you. How have you had to adapt? What are one or two things that maybe you guys have had to consider or change or adjust over the last few years? 

 

 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 14:55 

I think business is a contact sport. So, you know, it's the relationships that we forge with everyone with our clients with our teams, and obviously, COVID-19 has made that really tough. I've pretty much been stuck in Australia and as beautiful a country as it is, I've been unable to get out to a team to our network. And now when you're not able to be face to face with people that that connection can be a major stress. So, it's about finding other ways to connect as best one can. So, you know, as soon as opportunities arise to travel and be able to get face to face, I've certainly taken those I was fortunate enough to get across to New Zealand a couple of times this year, whilst the New Zealand bubble was open with us. But you know, when those bubbles close as opportunities close, then we need to find other ways to try and do that. And if you can remain connected. If you can maintain alignment amongst people, I reckon you're on the front foot of things, when you ignore the importance of that, then very quickly, as connections weaken the relationships weaken, and it's so much tougher to deal with stuff. If that connection isn't there. 

 

HARCOURTS' VISION 

James Laughlin 16:01 

So interesting. The whole idea of connecting and you know, connecting with a vision, I find that you know, companies that are thriving through crisis are the ones that can keep all of their that the majority of their staff connected with overarching vision. So, if we looked at, say, hardcourts and their overarching vision, what is that vision where you guys headed? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 16:21 

So, our vision was set a number of years ago, and it hasn't changed. And it's that the Harcourts real estate experiences recognize the finest real estate experience for our teams, for our business partners, and our clients. And I love that vision because the finest experience implies that it's ever, ever-changing as the world changes as expectations change as the definition of a fine experience in real estate changes. So, we have to change, we have to grow, we have to innovate ourselves, push ourselves to get better. And so, I absolutely love that. And that's a vision that certainly drives us. But our purpose is equally important. Our purpose is to help others achieve success. And I love that too, because it's not about me, it's not about the corporate team. It's not about the shareholders, it's about others. And so that applies to our corporate team that applies to our network out there, it applies to our clients out there. And if we focus on helping others achieve success, and live our values of people first, as opposed to me in as a business, we're going to thrive, we're going to add value, we're going to make a difference in their lives. And we will continue to push ourselves to deliver that finest experience. And as we do that, so I find base will grow our fans will grow, our connections will grow. As long as we are adding value in people's lives making a positive difference in their lives, then, as a business, we will always grow. 

 

James Laughlin 17:38 

Hmm, great. I love that approach. And say if I was to come and join the hardcourt team, and I was new to a new environment, new culture, how would you impart that vision with me? How would you get me to connect and buy into that vision? 

 

 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 17:53 

Well, our corporate team members and all our new officers have quite a rigorous interview or recruitment process with us. And one of the steps and is a discussion on the values that we have. And really explaining what those values mean to us. drawing a picture as to what the Harcourt culture is. And in making it really clear that it's so important to us that when we partner with people will be there on the corporate team, as employees or in our network as agents were office owners that their personal values or your personal values need to align with ours. And it's not that our values are right or wrong, or better or worse than others. But if they align with yours, then you will feel this is the right team for you. You will feel safe, secure, supported, you'll feel that you're working shoulder to shoulder with people that that are just like you. And when we provide people that safe environment where they feel part of a team where they feel understood and listened to and when they know what to expect from others. People thrive and people grow, right. So, as I said whether you are a corporate team member or somebody joining our network, we have a discussion with you about our culture, about our values, we paint that picture really clearly. And then you need to opt-in. And if there was any doubt, if you felt maybe that our values didn't align with yours, then my expression is will rather pass you know, at some point in time, it's going to be unpleasant for you, it's going to be unpleasant for us. And none of us really want that. So maybe the Fit isn't right. But if having explained our values, our culture, if there is a strong alignment, then you'll know it's going to be a great fit. And when we fit because we're aligned in culture and values and purpose, we can conquer absolutely anything. 

 

James Laughlin 19:34 

That's powerful. And when you think of values, because a lot of companies how do we figure out what our company values are? How do we not just go and copy someone and paste it and put it up on the company wall? What advice would you give to someone who's running a company who wants to really do values and vision sessions if you want to call it but just focusing on values and vision? Where did they start and how do they actually end up getting values that are very connected to who they are? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 20:00 

So, from my own Harcourt offices, this is before I joined the corporate team, I sat down in a room with some of my long-staying team members. And we discussed why are we here, why we're in business, what it means to us to be part of this team. What our career means to us. And once we got that really clear in our heads we wrote it down on a whiteboard, we condensed that to a few key thoughts. And I know that Mike Green and Gilbert Enoka, went through that exact process a number of years ago, with the Harcourts plan in mind. And at the end of the day, you have a set of values or statements that, stand for something that stands for who you are, and why you're here, and why you do what you do. And then once you've reduced those to writing, and you can explain what they mean to others, you'll get a really quick sense as to whether that represents why you're here, and what your business and what you really stand for. And I love the Harcourt values because I've been into hundreds of pockets offices right around the world. And when you walk into every single Harcourts office, the values are massive as across the wall, in every single Harcourts office. And the values are on the wall because they mean something to us. They're not just words that they're very, that we strive to really live by now, we're not perfect, they don't get it right all the time, but we strive to. And that's an expectation that our network has of us that as a corporate team, those values we're going to strive to live by, and we have that expectation of our team members of the network as well. And our customers can have that as well. So, when we have aligned with a common set of values of means something to us, it's amazing what we can do, it unites our team. And we have a saying within Harcourts, it's one team, we have an annual internal team every year, but it starts with one team. And that's because we all one team when our values are aligned when our purpose is aligned when our vision is aligned. But when we if we were not aligned, it would be very difficult to operate as one team. And this is a world we have massive challenges, massive pressures, and opportunities, we need to take those, but we can only do that when we work together as one team. 

 

James Laughlin 22:14 

Powerful. And what's your approach when you think of the team culture? What's your approach to nurturing team culture, hardcourts? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 22:23 

Harcourts has always been really big as far as culture is concerned, we've got a culture counts program so that it's a program that our leaders really share in. We believe in business planning, we believe in quarterly reviews, we believe in monthly one on one, we believe in weekly one on ones we believe in, really developing the potential that our individual team members have. And so as long as we follow the rhythm, the process, and the structure that we've got internally, and we train that same structure to our various Harcourts officers that we can do that we can help individuals on that team to really grow, to focus on what's important, to focus on our roles and our plans. And that is a very much one-on-one thing as well. So, you know, we have team meetings, but we have lots of one on ones because ultimately, it's about individuals that make up our team. And if we don't understand our individual team members, what their goals are, what their dreams are, what they'd like to achieve, and we can support them in their journey. And you know, if you recall, our purpose is to help others achieve success. So, if we don't know what success means to them, we're not going to know what we need to do. So as many one-on-ones as you can really have made them meaningful, showing genuine personal interest in all members of our team, both inside the corporate team and our network mean that we have a clear understanding of what everyone's goals are, and we can align towards helping everyone achieve those goals. 

 

James Laughlin 23:47 

And in your role, how many direct reports do you have a one-to-one with? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 23:52 

At the moment, I've got 11 we've had quite an exciting restructure across some of our Australian team so, but we live in that report through to me. And I've had in my previous life, my real estate businesses, I had many more I was a sales manager. So, once they die, I had my sales agents in my admin team had about 40 There was a lot, and I was super strange. But yeah, there's an ideal number that each of us might have. And that might vary from person to person. I think what I've learned is, sometimes less is more. So, if you can dedicate sufficient time to really manage your team members properly and go deep, not just wired, then, you know, you can add the most value and you can get the most out of your team. 

 

 

 

 

James Laughlin 24:38 

And a conversation like a one-to-one conversation with you. I'm reporting to you. You're my CEO, is that we're looking at KPIs is that more coaching? Is advisory is a combination of everything? What does it look like? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 24:51 

Yeah, it's both really so. Hey, there are some team members that report to me that have been in business a lot longer than I have when of our team members has been in the company for, I think it's 38 years now. And she's just incredible. And I learned a lot from her. So, I'm not so much advising her. In fact, she gives me a lot of advice, but it's listening to her understanding what she'd like to achieve supporting her in it. And then I've got other team members who have only been with us, maybe five or six months. So, you know, I play a very different role there. So, there might be coaching, I might be advising them, you know, there's maybe a mentorship role that I would, I would play there. And it's definitely not a case of one size fits all. I think the best leaders in the world understand what the individual team members need and then put in place, wherever the support structure is to help them as individuals achieve their goals and our management style towards those individuals may well change. 

 

THE MOST CHALLENGING CONVERSATIONS 

James Laughlin 25:47 

And in those, say, one to one and maybe its hardcourts, or maybe in your previous life, what has been some of the most challenging, like conversations or situations that you've had to navigate and those ones to ones and you've got someone at the other end? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 26:01 

Yeah. Hey, there have been many difficult ones, I think the most challenging ones are when you've, you've tried to coach a team member, through a dip, maybe performance has suffered, and you're trying to coach them out of it. And you know, despite your best efforts, realize that the journey has to come to an end as much for that person as for you. And, you know, finding a way to part ways that align with the way we really want to treat people, we want them to feel that they matter. And they absolutely do. But sometimes, you know, whilst there are opportunities for journeys to align, there are also times when those pathways need to part. And so having those discussions with team members have, you know, over the years have been tough. I always find a one on one or one-off with asking how the individual is how things are going. And I've learned to have a couple of boxes of tissues handy. And, you know, I asked because I really care. And I think it's important that leaders do care. But I think when you ask the question, you need to be prepared to listen to those answers. And, you know, sometimes team members have offloaded. And you know, people go through terribly difficult and challenging times in life, and that, whether it's family issues, or health issues, or mental stress, you know, whatever it might be an offload, and then it's about actually switching off from everything else around you. At that moment, the business doesn't really matter, that individual matters, but they telling you matters, it matters in their world. And so, it's changing channels, to really be present, listen, enjoy to genuinely care, and you know that, that can be quite taxing at times, not because one doesn't want to, but because you have to dig deep and you there's often a lot of emotion that you have to work through. But being there for your team members, genuinely caring, and being there, when it matters most. The loyalty that breeds, it's priceless. So being able to switch off from the business side of things and focus on the people side of things, at times can be quite tough. 

 

James Laughlin 28:06 

Yeah, imagine. And it's interesting. You know, I think when we look at team meetings, we often think, okay, the more the merrier, get them all in there, let's be time-efficient, but like, what I hear from you is like, the more one to one connection you can have the deeper you can go. So rather than spreading a wide, you're going you know, an inch wide and a mile deep with that individual, and then that permeates across the whole network. 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 28:27 

Yeah, it does. I mean, I have it, having team meetings certainly has a place. You know, and there's great alignment you can get as a team when you have a team meeting. But without the one on ones, the team meetings really don't mean that much when you have a team meeting, but the foundation has been laid by all those one on ones. You've got loyalty, you've got support, you've got understanding, you know, you've got alignment already. It not just pulling everyone together in one place, almost. But your one on ones is the foundation. Everything grows from that.  

 

James Laughlin 29:01 

I agree. That's interesting. Steve, like a lot of my leadership clients that I coach, one thing that they say, and I've heard this, a number of them are it's lonely at the top. And I said what do you mean by that? Well, hey, James, I can't share everything that I'm going through and experiencing because there's a sense of confidentiality, and I have to take it all on my own shoulders. So, for you, Steve, who do you go to? That you can offload, or you can be one-to-one than a mentor. 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 29:28 

I talk to myself a lot. I've had some incredible coaches over the years that I've been really able to share everything with and that's been very helpful. And my wife has been absolutely incredible. So, I share some things with her, but I don't want to burden her with all of the stress either. And then I just think of some of the friends that I have as well and you know, friends have been there, and they genuinely care. So, they've asked, and obviously anything confidential I haven't breached but yeah, I've had a lot of very valuable input from key people over the years and they've shaped the way I think so. But at the same time, sometimes being a leader is a little bit lonely because there are some things you just can't share. And that's fine. And you know, I wasn't joking. I do talk to myself a lot. That makes me crazy or not James, but sometimes it's talking things through, and sometimes talking aloud actually helps 

 

James Laughlin 30:25 

Makes you very human Steve. It's to me, I think that's a master skill as a leader as being able to process your thoughts, your emotions, your potential decisions that got to be made, whether you journal it, or whether you discuss it. I think it's a real healthy habit. 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 30:39 

Yeah, absolutely. 

 

HOW DO YOU MANAGE STRESS? 

James Laughlin 30:40 

What about your own habits? So, managing stress, you know, I sat down had a cup of tea with Ronan O'Gara, so a bit of a rugby hero in Ireland, I was talking to him about his leadership and how he led teams and coached, and he managed his own stress. And he said, look, if I don't manage my own stress through daily habits, I ended up you know, exploding, and not being very pleasant. So, he had different habits, and one of those was exercising. Extremely vigorous exercise. Sweating every day really helps him as a valve to let off the stress. So as someone who's running a large company, how do you let off the valve? And how do you manage that stress? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 31:19 

I feel quite efficient. I'm certainly not as healthy as I should be. But there are other ways that I do let off a bit of stress, I love the ocean. So, we have a little boat I go out on and just enjoy being out there. It's peaceful, it's quiet, it's beautiful. So that's a nice time just to switch off. I really value family time as well. So, spending as much time with my family as I can is good. And then when I'm with them, I try to be as present as I can be. I'm still working on that. It's not always easy just to switch off but try to be as present as I can't be with him. And then I love to travel. Obviously, things have been a bit tough in the last two years, and I'm desperate to go overseas as soon as I can. But saving for holidays, planning holidays in advance. I just got some incredible memories. So yeah, those time that I spend with people that I love in amazing places, whether it's skiing in the French Alps or yachting in the maid, or just chilling out on a beach with a good book, spinning downtime a few times a year, I find that really helps me. When I do that, I come back super recharged, refreshed, and ready to rock and roll. And you know, we've been very fortunate we live in Queensland. It's a beautiful part of the world. I was able to do some of the audits in the Whitsundays last year. And in August, which was great, but I'm pretty desperate for that overseas holiday at the moment. 

 

ALL LEADERS HAS WEAKNESSES 

James Laughlin 32:44 

I hear you. Totally. And let's think about people who are wanting to move into a leadership role. Perhaps it's the CEO. And they think you know what, I don't have a financial background. I don't have I don't know how that all works. But I'm really good at this. So is there an area that you're like, you know, what, James, I'm very strong in this? But as a CEO, this is not my strength, is there a certain area? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 33:09 

Yes, I think someone can be a master of all trades, I think we've got some strengths. I would say to anybody thinking about getting into a leadership role, and perhaps I can just take a step back, I think everyone can lead. And I think the best way to lead is to help others grow and achieve their best. And whether you're a receptionist in an office or an agent or the person who does the marketing, whatever, if you're able to influence and impact the people around you and help them grow and achieve their best and enjoy their job, then in a way you also lead. But if you want, let's say a more formal role as a leader, it would be clear on what your strengths are, I believe you can move a person from a C to a B from a B to an A, it's really hard to move something from a C to an A, requires a lot of work. So, if you are a B in an area, whether it's financing, whatever it is, then get the coaching and the training and the help to move yourself to A. If it's a considerable weakness, and it's unlikely you'll get yourself to the level you, you'd ideally need to be important to somebody else who has that, that absolute strength, right? So, for me, when I ran my own businesses on the finance side, I was fine. I'd been coached and trained as to how to do that come into Harcourts. It's a very different kettle of fish. It's a global company, we've got multiple entities and budgets, and P and L and all the rest. You know, it's certainly at a level, way more advanced than anything I've done before. But we've got such an incredible team here with amazing strengths on that side. So, I really lean on them. And I'm, I think being humble is a very important quality that a leader needs to have and sometimes have thought if you don't know, say that you don't know if you don't understand put your hand up and say I don't quite get there. Could you help me with it? I'm not the most experienced corporate person. So, you know, in my role that I've been in two and a half years, I asked for help a lot. And when I don't know something, I'm not embarrassed to say, I don't know, if I don't understand so lean on people that have the skills and the experience that you might not have. Be clear on what your own strengths are and focus on those strengths. And if you're an A, at any one of those strengths, then that means you are world-class. And that's fantastic. But to be world-class and everything, they are very few people, I think they could say that they are. So, be proud of what you're really good at and focus on that, where there's room to improve, to get to a really acceptable level, get the help that you need. And where it's an obvious weakness, hey, try and fill the gap as much as you can. But then partner with people who can fill that gap for you. 

 

James Laughlin 35:49 

Great advice. I love that. And what's your what do you think? If you have someone who says, hey, Steve, what's your number one strength, what is that?  

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 35:57 

It's without a doubt, being able to understand people and connect with people adapt my management style, or my approach, or remember, with clients, you know, deal with a whole of different kinds of clients, you have to be able to adapt the way you work with clients. So, it's understanding people, learning to connect with people, and then helping them with that their individual needs, whether that's your team members, or whether it's clients wherever it might be. So, I think people skills are a key skill. And I think business hangs on that when your people skills are strong. When you understand what people need, and you can fill that need to meet that need, then you've got a product, or a service people will want, and they'll pay for it. So yeah, I love people, I love making a difference and other people's lives. So that's what I thrive on. That's what makes me happiest. So, I focus on that. 

 

James Laughlin 36:45 

That's great. And in terms of the leaders, you have within your network, you've got lots of great leaders. In fact, here in Christchurch, Cameron Billy and Brandon Hark to two guys that I've met and connected with the grid at what they do. I would say they're great leaders. What do you do to enhance their leadership skills, just a company that supports personal growth and professional growth? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 37:07 

Yeah, we do. So, their immediate leaders, whether it's in their business, their business partners, or whether they're in a corporate team, they immediately as well have a detailed IDP plan. So, what the skills are experienced gap sign and how they'd like to grow. I don't know, outside of the direct reports that I have, I don't necessarily have a hands-on role in that. But for our biggest officers and our top agents around the group, obviously, I'll make a concerted effort there to understand what's happening in their world, and where I can add value, I will. But most of the time, it's recognizing people's hard work. You know, you mentioned Cameron, he's been our number one agent for many years in the global Harcourts group. And he's incredible at what he does but recognizing and acknowledging his hard work and the work of his team that goes a long way. You know, he's got incredible skills, he's got incredible experience, he's been in business a long time, as do many of our top agents, and, and office owners. So, it may not be a skill that I can help them with. But you know, we, if it's just noticing what they do, I reckon that that helps. And as I said whether it's your top agent in your group or somebody who's joined your group, for the first time, we had an office, I've been in Brisbane yesterday, picked up the phone, and welcomed them aboard. And that means a lot in their life as well. So, you don't have to move people's worlds rock their world, sometimes as simple as picking up the phone. And just saying, hi. 

 

James Laughlin 38:41 

That's great. And for, say, like there's an agent who's just starting or a couple of years in, and they're looking to the Cameroons of the world. What advice would you have for those agents because you've got a background in the field, like on the tools so to speak? What advice would you give to them to say, hey, these are a couple of things you've got to focus on. If you want to do the work and get the result? What is it that sets the Cameroons and those top leaders apart on the field? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 39:05 

I think everybody needs to be clear on what they want to achieve and what their own goals are. So, I remember going to Harcourts' conferences and listening to some of the top agents speak and they were operating at an incredible level. This was in my early days. And I think to myself, I'll never get there. And so, it's easy to lose heart and think, well, you know, there it's such an incredible level, I won't get there. So, you know, is there any point listening to what they're saying? But I've learned that there is and take the nuggets, right? So, I think some of the common things that I've seen across the most successful business owners and sales agents across the world in our group are, they all have a plan. They all have goals. They all know what they need to measure. And they all surround themselves with people who support them and share their vision. And they all work hard. And now work hard doesn't mean working 16 hours a day and neglecting your family and burning out. Working hard means understanding what it is you want to achieve how much you prepare to work in terms of hours or days or weeks, whatever that might be locking out personal time with the family, rock that in. But the time you do work, make it count, have a plan know exactly what you need to do. And like I said, I've seen that across, you know, the most successful business people in our group. And it's the same for them, they all have a plan, they all know what they need to do. And they all stick to their plan. Also, something common amongst most of them is they're not embarrassed or uncomfortable to ask for help. So even people at the top of the game, they're areas that they've identified, they can get better at. And, and you know, being humble enough to ask for that helps them grow, we all want to grow, right. So even Kim, you know, this year, he wanted to sell more than he sold last year. So that means he's got to grow. Somehow, he's got to find an area in his business where he can grow more. And it's the same for all of us doesn't matter whether you know, real estate for five months, or 50 years, all of us want to get better next year. So, we all have to grow. 

 

 

 

James Laughlin 41:14 

And that's really a defining factor in a high-performance leader. And I run a high-performance leadership mastermind earlier in the year. And we brought our former Prime Minister John Key in, and some of the members, the members of the mastermind, are leaders in the finance the leader leaders in sport, but the one thing they all have in common is like we need to grow, we need to get better we have a desire to continue to be a high performer. And high performance is not winning a World Cup once it's how do we maintain and sustain that high performance. So, I totally agree with you on that. You mentioned, you mentioned family. And you mentioned a little bit about health like I could be a bit better on that front. So, I want to just spend a moment chatting about that. So was a study was done in North America with CEOs. And they were asked, you know, what's your top three priorities in life? And 97 plus percent of them said the family was in the, you know, the top three. And they said, Okay, can you do a time audit over the next month, let's look at your next month, let's do a time audit day by day. And they soon discovered that over 80% of those CEOs were spending on average 3% a day with their family. And that worked out to like 43 minutes a day. And so, what they really valued in terms of hey, this is my priority, and their actions were incongruent. So, for you as a CEO, I know family means a lot to you've already mentioned your family in the beautiful things you do with them. So how do you ensure that you get quality present time with your family? 

 

HOW DO YOU ENSURE YOU SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY? 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 42:47 

Quite simply, I just lock it in. So, on weekends like I'm in a fortunate position, I don't generally have to work. But there are times every day where I check emails, and I check messages. And if there are things I need to urgently do, I'll absolutely make sure that happens. And I relax more and can switch off from business more if I know that I'm up to speed with it, what is actually going on. So, I get up early in the morning, I check my emails or return any calls that I need to call, and then I can switch off for a while, then I've got a little time in the middle of the day, we're all saved maybe 15 minutes or so on so we can catch up on what needs to be done. But the times outside of that, when I'm with my family, I do need to switch off. So, I like those on the weekends with my family, or good evening time with my family as well. As I said, I lock in some really good holidays throughout the year as well. So, rock those times out. Make sure when you're with the people that you care about that you present, and that you're within. And then when you're working you are working hard, and you're focused on that 

 

James Laughlin 43:46 

Be Where Your Feet are. I love it. Yeah. And yeah, what gets scheduled gets done, you know, when it's not on the schedule often just doesn't happen. Very true. And you mentioned about the health Senate could be better. So, in what way do you think your health could be better? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 44:02 

I'm spending more time I'm just getting fit, I guess. And I guess not being out and about as much as I used to be. And then as you get older, right as you get older if those habits aren't, you know, really ingrained in your way of life, it's easier to ignore the things you should be doing. So, it's the same thing though. You know, if you want to improve in business, you have a coach that helps you with that if you want to, if you want to go to the gym on your own, you can easily not go but if you've got a gym buddy that you're meeting there, then you're not going to let them down. So, it says with it anything in life if you plan it, if you lock it in, and if you partner with somebody else, it's that much easier. So, I probably since I moved to Australia haven't really been able to get into that routine as much as I was in the past. I also enjoy sports where there's a score, I'm just why did why I say tennis, golf, things like that. And you're young you're short, I love to ride You know, of course, COVID hits. So, you know, my normal routine just didn't get up and running. But hopefully, life gets back to normal in the very near future. And I'll be able to lock those things in.  

 

James Laughlin 45:10 

Fingers crossed. And I agree with you. It's interesting. I've got a client, who has a bit three or 400 staff, and his health was starting to tick a little bit of backseat. One thing he did that was a breakthrough for him, is he got a personal trainer to come to this house at 5 am, three days a week, and he paid for it, I think like two months in advance, he paid for two months' worth of it. And so, he committed right, put the money upfront, and committed to this instructor, so it's a good way for him to kind of hit the ground running. 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 45:37 

I've got a personal trainer online from the UK around about this time last year. And it cost me money. So, I thought, Okay, I'm going to pay for it, then I'm going to do it. And I did for like four months, was really good. I had to report in, and you know, send all the KPIs through and weights and you'll see the meters and all that stuff. And it was absolutely great. I was really, really focused. The problem is he didn't come to my house because he was zooming in from the UK. So, when I headed up, I just switched him off. If he was going to come to my house, I probably would have had to let him through the front door. And I'll probably still be doing it right now. 

 

LEAD YOUR LIFE ON PURPOSE 

James Laughlin 46:10 

I love it. Oh, that's I love that. I love that you operate. Like that said to me, you've got high performance in your DNA. It's just right there. Yeah. Well, I've got one last question. I always like to ask this at the end. And that is if you had to give advice to your children to lead their lives on purpose, what advice would you give them? 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 46:33 

I think as we get older, we realize that we can be comfortable with who we are, we don't have to be like anyone else. Be comfortable with who you are. Be proud of who you are. Be clear on what you want to achieve in life. And yes, when you're younger, that maybe not be so clear. But as we get older, so they get clearer and clearer. Have your values and principles really clear in your mind and stay true to them. It doesn't matter if other people don't share them. Stay true to who you are. They don't have to be like anyone else. If you need help or spread. Stay really humble. And if things don't work out as planned, that's okay. You haven't failed, learn from what didn't work out as planned. Use that next time. And you'll always get another opportunity. Stay on your feet when you get knocked down, stand up again. And move on. There's a lot to be experienced out there. When you share your success and joy with other people. It's not about me, it's about us. And if you take that mindset forward, not only will you achieve what you want to in life, but your impact in a very positive way on the lives of many others around you as well. 

 

James Laughlin 47:37 

That's outstanding advice. Lucky kids. And for everyone listening you know, please listen to what was just said as Steve just imparted some golden nuggets with you around leading a life on purpose. So, Steve, I just want to say a massive heartfelt thank you. I know you're a very incredibly busy leader. So, to get time to connect with you. I feel honored. When you get across to Christchurch or anyone New Zealand, please do reach out I'd love to come and connect with you in person 

 

Steve Caradoc-Davies 48:02 

That'll be great. Thanks very much for your time, James. 

 

James Laughlin 48:03 

Thanks a million. 

 

James Laughlin 48:23 

Thank you so much for listening in today and investing in your own personal growth. Please hit that subscribe button. I would love, love, love If you'd leave me a rating and review as it really helps me to impact more people. I've got some amazing guests lined up in the coming weeks and folks, it's that time. Get out there and live life on purpose.  

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