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People are everything to Elders Lifestyle Group, and looking outside of the industry has made hiring an easier task for the rapidly expanding NSW Mid-North Coast company.
In an episode of Secrets of the Top 100 Agents, David Gray, the CEO of Elders Lifestyle Group, delves into the strategies and business ethos that have been instrumental to his network’s growth, discussing his unorthodox yet forward-thinking approach to recruitment and retention.
With the Elders Lifestyle Group now numbering 17 offices, Gray shared that this growth benefited the network by enabling them to recruit specialised personnel to its leadership team.
“I’m lucky enough to have a head of every department,” said Gray.
“It’s easier than running my business as a one-man band, because a one-man band is head of marketing, head of accounts, and head of everything.”
In cultivating his team, Gray stated that he looked to recruit personnel who would bring unique qualities and skill sets to Elders Lifestyle Group.
“I’m looking for people that are different from me. We can’t have another one of me in my business, you need lots of different people.”
Through this mindset, the CEO has looked to hire personnel from different industries entirely, stating his belief that “real estate people are too real estate”.
“We haven’t hired anyone from the car industry, but I think they’ve got the perfect mix of technology and service. We’re nowhere near understanding that yet.”
“They sell a $40,000 car, and sometimes we sell a million-dollar property, and I think they still out-succeed us.”
Gray also details he frequently hires candidates based on their potential compatibility with the wider team.
“My group GM, the head of nearly our whole business, I hired her on the spot and I said, ‘I’ve got no idea what you’re going to do but I love you, I think you’re amazing. You’re going to fit our team’.”
“Now she’s a group general manager of what’s soon to be 20 offices and 280 people. And she’s killing it.”
To provide guidance and structure to the group’s diverse workforce, the CEO also relayed that he made a concerted effort to meet the needs of Elders Lifestyle’s personnel.
“Accountability, career paths, one-on-ones, the structure stuff I wasn’t necessarily great at, that’s what people really want and need. That change in our business has really seen an uplift.”
Through his dynamic approach to leadership, Gray’s operational mindset reinforces the important role that personnel play in a network’s success.
“If you’re not giving the career path and structure, they will start to decline. And I think you lose a little bit of respect for yourself as well,” the CEO concluded.
Listen to the full conversation with David Gray and Juliet Helmke here.
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