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We work in a highly emotional environment. We work with many different people with various personalities, expectations and behaviours.
The scenarios we work within can be highly charged.
It’s often a big life shift which sees people require our services to sell their home. Catalysts include divorce, bereavement, downsizing, job relocation, or a financial change. It’s no secret each of these scenarios is accompanied by their fair share of stress.
The time frames we work within are tight. The moment the agent appointment form is signed, the clock effectively starts ticking down.
In this environment, it’s inevitable that at times we will come across people and situations that get the better of us. There will be people who annoy us, exasperate us, irritate us, upset us, and for lack of a better expression, simply just piss us off.
So, what happens then? Because that irritation is a negative energy that we need to deal with. It’s something we need to find a coping mechanism for so we can convert a negative into something positive.
We all get a little peeved from time to time
It’s human to get frustrated and to occasionally find the actions or reactions of others irritating.
The reality is there will be some people who will simply never be satisfied with the service or result we provide, no matter what we do.
Just when we think there is a standard set of rules for the game, they shift the goal posts and alter the playing field. And yes, that is indeed exasperating.
It’s about expectations
Look a little deeper and you’ll find that ticked off feeling often comes down to expectation. You were expecting one response to news or an action, and you received another.
That proved annoying. It was irritating that you did not get what you expected or wanted.
It’s about control
Ultimately that irritation also comes down to a sense of control. The outcome you anticipated proved beyond your control. Things didn’t go to plan.
Something unexpected got in between where you hoped to be and where you ended up, and that’s frustrating.
It’s about perspective
But it’s also about perspective, and I’ll take a deeper dive into that in a second or two. You can embrace the moment of frustration, stamp your feet, slam the nearest door, reel off a list of expletives, and throw all your toys out of the cot.
But just like a toddler throwing a tantrum, that’s a response that is indicative that you didn’t get your way.
Just like that toddler, by the time you’ve finished metaphorically flailing your arms around and beating the floor, you will have lost a whole lot of valuable energy.
So, what’s the alternative?
Don’t get sucked into the negativity
It’s human to occasionally get frustrated and there will be times when we simply cannot satisfy a client.
Because the environment we work within is so emotionally charged, there will inevitably be situations that are beyond our control. There will be days when someone won’t be happy, and that can potentially frustrate us for a whole host of reasons.
Perhaps they’re never satisfied, no matter what we do. Maybe they just can’t see it from our perspective. Maybe their expectations are simply too high.
I get it. I’ve been there and, early in my career, I too let the negative emotions associated with those scenarios get the better of me. In fact, it took me a long, long time to overcome the habit of getting sucked into that negativity.
In the process, I wasted a whole lot of valuable time and energy. But ultimately, I learnt a valuable coping mechanism to channel the negative into a positive.
Turning peeved to positivity
It is possible to channel a negative into a positive. How? Well, those moments of challenge when you’re dealing with a tough client, person or scenario that peeves you off have the potential to deliver some of the biggest breakthroughs you will enjoy in your career.
Because of that person, you have the chance to come up with innovative solutions, strategies, or ideas.
They can be a catalyst for you to get better at what you do. They provide you with the invaluable experience of having to dig deep, get creative, and shift your perspective.
When you use those negative scenarios to think laterally, innovate and improve, you can thank the people who ticked you off in the first place.
Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency.
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