Getting out of your comfort zone

Living and working in the idyllic Adelaide Hills region of South Australia might seem like a dream, but for sales agent Nicole Walker, staying on top means never getting too comfortable.

To keep evolving, the Ray White Mount Barker agent leapt at the chance to join the Pathways Program, Ray White’s high-performance coaching initiative for Premier ranked agents or higher. The program is led by head of recognition and performance Bianca Denham and delivered by a national team of trainers and real estate experts.

More than 300 agents across Australia have completed the program, and participants consistently outperform the broader Ray White network.

Nicole said being challenged by external influences like trainers and structured programs helped push her and her team to grow.

“Ray White has always made it clear that growth is outside of your comfort zone,” Nicole said.

“Pathways has made me accountable for my structure, discipline and maybe 'my comforts' that made me question and grow in areas.

“The suggestions and answers other participants gave made me see other agents' perspectives and ultimately taught me some valuable insights.”

Nicole made a conscious effort to carry the lessons of Pathways beyond the program itself, especially when it came to team building, marketing and goal-setting.

“Making staff accountable to their KPI's, call backs and daily tasks was a huge one,” she said.

“And staff goals – knowing what was their driving factor so that I could help guide, support and encourage them was something I really appreciated.

“I don't think we would have had the growth we have had since Pathways without it.”

Despite some early scepticism from others, Nicole said the results spoke for themselves. Since completing the program, her team had sharpened their focus and pulled together around a shared sense of purpose.

“I genuinely think people, not only agents, get complacent in their jobs and ability to grow if they have achieved all they have wanted to,” Nicole said.

“It really demonstrated that regardless of where your career is, you can always grow.”