What Gives Candidates the Advantage?

Part 2 of 2

IRVINE, CA—From attending industry events to financial achievements, there are certain elements that distinguish candidates for brokerage positions and give some the advantage over others, Martin Pupil, president of Colliers International western region, tells GlobeSt.com. In part 1 of our two-part exclusive chat with Pupil, we discussed the importance of corporate culture,  what firms are looking for in a candidate, what those who are considering a move to another company should look for and the type of brokers his firm is now recruiting. In part 2, below, we discuss the features that set candidates apart.

GlobeSt.com: Do candidates you meet outside of the office at networking or industry events have a leg up on their competition when it comes to landing a position at Colliers?

Pupil: I wouldn't call it a leg up, but it definitely can be an advantage. Let me give you an example. We recently hired a new managing director for one of our larger brokerage offices. We had met previously at various networking and industry events. As a result, when that person came in for the interview, I was already familiar with his personality, his demeanor, and how he conducted himself in professional situations among his peers. I had already formed the opinion that he would be a fit culturally, so we could move on to assessing his tangible management skills. It saved a lot of time and energy.

GlobeSt.com: So it is really important to have met or observed a prospect at a networking or industry event?

Pupil: Yes, to watch their interaction with others, listen to what they have to say and how they say it, in order to form an opinion on their cultural fit. Remember, we are looking for builders, not operators, so they have to fit that mold. It allows us to save time and energy. 

GlobeSt.com: What about hiring someone based purely on their financial achievements—their ability to close deals and make money?

Pupil: Of course that's a major part of the hiring practice, and we'd be negligent if we did not sit up and pay attention when they tell us they were the biggest producer in their current or former position. But still, they must be a fit culturally or it eventually won't work. I've seen over and again that often the biggest money-makers sometimes don't fit into a company's corporate culture. When that happens, it can poison the well for everyone else and lead to a mutiny of your other brokers, the entrepreneur builder brokers, who are the heart of the organization.

GlobeSt.com: Would you, or have you, ended a relationship with a top producer who just didn't fit the corporate culture? If so, how common is that?

Pupil: It's not very common, but any senior executive will tell you that, yes, they have had to end a relationship with a top-producing broker. Thankfully, if you make the correct decision at the outset, you don't have that problem.

GlobeSt.com: What is the main reason a relationship with a top producer would be terminated, in your opinion?

Pupil: It's not an opinion—it's a fact and it goes to the heart of what we are discussing here. Although such situations are rare and require much review and consideration by senior management all the way to the top of an organization, when a relationship with a top producer is severed, in 99.9% of the cases, it's because they aren't now, and likely they never were, a cultural fit within the organization. And, when that occurs, that's on us as senior hiring managers. Just like a candidate who must look at the whole picture, we, too, must look beyond just the financial achievements of an individual when hiring—however tantalizing and easy that may be. It's not a one-way street. The question in these situations that must be asked is, “Is it worth it to retain a top-producing broker only because they bring a lot of revenue into a company, but alienate everyone around them with increasingly costly and irrational demands?” The answer is no, especially when you pencil out what it is costing both financially and on an emotional level within your organization.

GlobeSt.com: That type of decision obviously takes some courage on the part of a company's leadership team, especially if it involves going all the way to the top of an organization. Would you agree with that?

Pupil: What I think takes even more courage and a dose of common sense is attracting, identifying, motivating and retaining the right people and giving them the tools and the setting they need to build a career. Specifically, I'm talking here about the people in our organization, many of whom have been with us for two or three decades, who have dedicated themselves not just to their own success, but also to the success of the whole organization. And, really, what that means is they have dedicated themselves to each other—to their associates, colleagues, and co-workers who make up the organization. At Colliers, I am proud of the deep and unified culture that is uniquely ours—that we have built and continue to build.