Managing, Mentoring, and Making a Difference

Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.

Carp’s Corner is approaching 900 posts over the last 11 years. Less than 5% of those have been about a single person, so when someone gets the spotlight in a post, I like to use the term #Blogworthy. It simply means that the subject of the post is someone worthy of the digital real estate based on the service they provide, an action they took, or the person they are. Today’s post is about one of those people. And don’t stop reading now because you don’t know Jane; I’m almost certain that you have someone like her in your life.

Jane Nipps is a legend in the Central Ohio real estate industry. I am very proud to call Jane my friend, my manager, and one of my favorite mentors. Today is the last day of Jane’s illustrious run as a branch manager and while she will probably always have her hands in something real estate related (coaching, sales, consulting), I felt that using today’s Monday Morning Match to pay tribute to my friend was fitting because she is undoubtedly #Blogworthy.

One of the areas where Jane was unmatched was in her creativity and style. Over the 11+ years that I was the Director of Training, I visited every single office’s business meetings. None had better attendance than Jane’s office. People came out of respect and because they knew Jane wasn’t going to waste anyone’s time. At the meetings, she shared the usual market and company information but she always added in some inspiration, emotional stories and lots and lots of humor. Her Group Therapy Sessions (GTS) were supposed to be training classes but usually took on more of the descriptive title of “group therapy”, as rookies and veterans alike would come to share positives and negatives from the previous week and we’d always leave the GTS sessions feeling AOK!

I was 7 years old when Jane was first licensed as a Realtor in 1974. Jane earned her broker license in 1982. She was the first female manager in the company and has managed an office since 1985. She has helped more than 300 agents either begin their career or join her offices to take their careers to new levels. In 2009 when I helped develop our Pro Start Academy, Jane was one of our faculty members who were extremely passionate about teaching. She brought an unbridled enthusiasm to educating associates on the scripts and dialogues need to build confidence and earn trust.

One of Jane’s most memorable meetings every year was usually held a few weeks before Christmas. That was when The Christmas Fairy would show up in her place. That’s because Jane would put out a box after the Thanksgiving break where associates and staff members could put their “wishes” and, if they were lucky, the Christmas Fairy would do her best to grant these wishes. Sometimes the wishes were charitable in nature, sometimes they were community-focused and other times they were completely gratuitous and materialistic. The Christmas Fairy even brought me a six-pack of Ohio IPA’s last year which was a welcomed treat. The humble generosity and imagination of the Christmas Fairy (along with her deep Southern drawl) will be deeply missed when the Christmas Fairy doesn’t show up this year.

Jane announced her retirement a few weeks ago, and while no one was surprised (see the longevity and commitment above), everyone was saddened. Who knows what she’ll do next? I don’t even think Jane knows but I can assure you it will involve staying active in her three daughter’s (Courtney, Lindsey, and Samantha) lives, as well as their families and her grandchildren. I know it’ll involve gardening, and reading, and probably some wine, too. As bittersweet as today will be, it’s a tremendous career to reflect on, appreciate, celebrate and be glad you were a part of it. I know I am.

Who is your Jane? Who is someone in your career that helped you along the way? Do you have someone you’re thinking of now – maybe still active or possibly retired? Is there anyone who has helped you build relationships, solve problems, and have fun during your career? Whoever your “Jane” is, do what I’m going to do; Say thank you, give her (or him) a hug, and be glad I got to be a small part of her career while, whether she knows it or not, she got to be a big part of mine.