HOW IMPORTANT IS CULTURE? AN INSIDE LOOK AT KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY

My posts on this blog are usually real estate news or important real estate transactions. I have never discussed the company I am affiliated with in these pages. But today I am going to.

I work for an exceptional company. After having managed my own real estate firm for 35 years, I decided to join Keller Williams in January 2010. I have enjoyed every day of my association with them since then. In fact, I regret that I didn’t do it sooner.

Why? Because the company has an exceptional culture and is run by extraordinary people. It is no wonder that the company has achieved such great success. Culture has everything to do with inspiring people to be successful. It also creates loyalty and pride. The culture at Keller Williams is so unusual, that Stanford University did a study about it.

From Stanford University: 

Keller Williams is one of the most successful real estate franchises in the world. The leaders of the company attribute its growth in large part to a cultural model that emphasizes profit sharing, interdependence, and success through the efforts of others. However, in general, the impact of culture on performance remains an open question for the broader business world. Stanford University directly conducted a large-scale survey of Keller Williams associates to understand how associates view the company’s culture and whether perceptions of culture are associated with performance. They find evidence of an exceptionally strong and unique culture. Stanford reviews their findings in detail and ask:

• Does a company with a strong business model perform better if it also has a strong culture?
• How important is it that associates feel their company “cares” about them?
• What role does leadership play in shaping culture? What role does the average associate play?
• Are there costs to having a strong culture?

This Closer Look is a follow-up piece to How Important Is Culture?: An Inside Look at Keller Williams Realty (April 2015).

Click on the above link to read the Stanford University report about the effect that culture has played in the exceptional success of Keller Williams Realty.