Some agents just have \u2018it\u2019 \u2014 or so the story goes. But what if ‘it’ isn\u2019t something you’re born with, but something that can be developed? According to Laing+Simmons Head of People & Growth Jacqui Barnes, spotting potential is only the beginning. Real leadership starts when you turn raw talent into consistent performance. With the right coaching, culture, and intent, the traits of a great agent aren\u2019t rare \u2014 they\u2019re buildable.<\/p>\n
Great agents have certain behavioural traits, but merely possessing those traits does not make an agent great. They need to be harnessed, says Laing+Simmons Head of People & Growth Jacqui Barnes, and leadership is the active ingredient.<\/p>\n
This agent has \u2018it\u2019, that one doesn\u2019t. Many of us have had conversations like this.<\/p>\n
Conversations that are grounded in the view that talent is a fixed thing.<\/p>\n
What if potential is not something to be discovered, but harnessed?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n If we adopt this perspective, our job as leaders becomes clearer. We are responsible for turning promise into performance.<\/p>\n The patterns of behaviour, the traits, exhibited by high-performing agents appear early on.<\/p>\n Recruitment is about identifying this raw material. It\u2019s at this point that the real work begins.<\/p>\n The gap between promise and performance is a leadership opportunity.<\/em><\/p>\n Leaders must consider the systems, culture and coaching needed to close the gap.<\/p>\n This typically depends on clear expectations, consistent feedback, development opportunities and a supportive culture.<\/p>\n These are strategies leaders can implement to shape agents with promise from day one.<\/p>\n Similarly, there are strategies leaders can use to understand which traits to look for and how to spot them.<\/p>\n At Laing+Simmons, we undertook a profiling study to understand what makes a high-performance agent.<\/p>\n The sample included agents writing over $500,000, with some writing up to $1 million.<\/p>\n We found there is no specific mold for the ideal agent, but there are certainly common behaviours.<\/p>\n They are highly independent, take initiative and figure things out for themselves.<\/p>\n They are direct communicators who get to the point and handle feedback well.<\/p>\n They are goal-focused and action-oriented, unafraid of numbers or targets.<\/em><\/p>\n They don\u2019t need social approval and speak up if something doesn\u2019t make sense.<\/p>\n They\u2019re comfortable working solo, while still being able to be a team player.<\/p>\n And they\u2019re intuitive decision makers who trust their instincts.<\/p>\n How we spot these traits in an interview is key. Laing+Simmons has developed an interview guide with specific questions and scenarios to uncover an agent\u2019s promise.<\/p>\n For example, to understand if an agent is highly independent, we might ask them \u2018when you\u2019re unsure what to do next, what\u2019s your first move?\u2019.<\/p>\n Then we listen for self-starter behaviour.<\/p>\n For leaders, knowing how to turn promise into performance means understanding what promising agents actually want.<\/p>\n Managing is keeping people on track, while coaching is helping them figure out how to go further, faster, on their own terms.<\/p>\n Promising agents don\u2019t want control, they want coaching. They\u2019re not looking for management, they want guidance.<\/p>\n After all, they are already self-driven, purposeful, direct and resilient.<\/p>\n The job of leaders is to help them become what they\u2019re capable of, to build their talent with the right coaching, support and accountability.<\/p>\n Leaders can reflect on their approach by asking themselves if they\u2019re telling the agent what to do, or helping them figure it out for themselves.<\/p>\n Are they investing in their development or just measuring their results?<\/em><\/p>\n The right environment is needed but building the right environment isn\u2019t about grand strategies.<\/p>\n It\u2019s about consistent, intentional leadership moments.<\/p>\n And the more intentional we are about building talent, the higher people can rise.<\/p>\n