Capital Rivers Commercial

Our Office Chemistry: Tight Spaces Make Tight Teams

Our Office Chemistry – It’s more important than motivation, effort, and perseverance.

I am willing to argue that the most important quality to have at work is Team Chemistry. If you don’t have chemistry or a connection to your peers, then eventually your success is capped. Maybe even worse, your time together just runs out. If you don’t enjoy who you work with, then you aren’t motivated to work together in an office environment, and you miss out on the opportunity to collaborate. If you aren’t collaborating, then you aren’t helping each other solve problems and solving problems and overcoming challenges is essential in commercial real estate. You have to preserve, push on, and find a solution. Teams help each other find a solution and that is why our office chemistry is tied to our success.

Tight Spaces Make Tight Teams.

We have an office, not offices. We overlook the intersection of 29th and K St in Midtown and our space is probably cooler than we really are, but even our office space contributes to our team chemistry. There are six people on our team and our desks occupy a 2nd floor upstairs flat. It can’t be much bigger than 450 square feet. We don’t have offices, cubicle walls, partitions, or really any privacy. If you want to, you know exactly what each member is working on in our office. It’s natural collaboration at its best. Best practices are being shared and strategy discussions are occurring throughout the day from others just listening in. I’ve listened to one broker on the phone frustrated because a large deal was falling apart and before that phone call was over another broker had provided a solution to keep the deal moving forward. You might not be the specialist on a certain topic in our office, but your input might make all of the difference.

Every Member Contributes.

Team Chemistry is every team members’ responsibility and some individuals are better at building chemistry than others, but we all need to contribute in one way or another. You could be the one that tells her that you aren’t going to let her fail. You may be the team member that shares his knowledge and experience. You could be the one that tells him how great he will be when they are just starting out. You may be the one with honest and supportive feedback. You could be the one that high fives a small moment or celebrates the big win. There are many roles to play in building a team – you just need to recognize which role and when it’s needed.

Team Experiences.

I’ve been fortunate to be a part of great teams in my career. Great working teams turn into great friends. Friends working together lead to higher levels of success. Our office team is tight, and we are getting even tighter. We learn more and more about each other every day. A great sign of a strong team is when personal stories and life moments start to be shared and you know more about each other than simply their kid’s name or what city they grew up in. Ryan Orn, Senior Associate at CRC, represents local, regional, and national Tenants and Landlords.

Building great office chemistry eventually becomes second nature. Until you reach that point, make sure you put office chemistry high on your list of priorities at your firm if you want to reach higher levels of success.

ROLES OF A GREAT TEAM

  • The Innovator
  • The Stabilizer
  • The Inspiring
  • The Resource
  • The Honest
  • The Wise
  • The Collaborator
  • The Patient
  • The Humble
  • The Entertainer

TIPS FOR BUILDING GREAT TEAM CHEMISTRY

  • Team building is just like anything else, effort pays off. You have to try to build a great team.
  • Be patient. Don’t give up. Teams don’t unite immediately.
  • Take responsibility. Admit mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes.
  • The smallest event can positively change a team.
  • Be honest but be cautious of others feelings when giving feedback.
  • Include each other in decisions. Get feedback from all team members that are present.
  • Disagreeing is important but disagree with respect. You need different ideas and perspectives.
  • Schedule out of the office team events.
  • Hire for chemistry and the right team members will find you.

Have Questions About Commercial Real Estate?

Here at Capital Rivers we are dedicated to our core values that help make your commercial real estate transactions, development projects and property management strategy more successful. We’ll approach your project with loyalty, forward thinking, hard work, and passion. Reach out to us if you have any commercial real estate questions.

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