The “Purple Cow” Association – Is That Us?
A REMARKABLE REALTOR® Association
Have you ever read Seth Godin‘s book, “The Purple Cow“?
In this book, Seth writes about being ‘remarkable’. And the ‘purple cow‘ is just that, remarkable - interesting – different.
Matt Rathbun of The Agent Trainer wrote a really interesting post last week about “The Purple REALTOR Association®”, and it really got me to thinking about our own state association.
We all want the things we do and the time we give to make a difference, to make a difference in a positive way. In short, we want what we do to be ‘PURPLE‘ – remarkable, different, interesting, good, positive, etc. And I think most of us want that for the organizations and associations we belong to as well.
In his post, Matt wrote:
A remarkable Association is one that is noteworthy, has a following and is forever reinventing itself. This stems from true leaders and not managers.
We all see that leaders are “often risk takers”, they dare to be different – some in small degrees and some in larger bold degrees. However much they step out of the box, those leaders dare to be different, to actually lead and not manage.
The real estate industry is quickly evolving and so at its core it’s looking for leaders to create and lead us forward. Most anyone can manage, given some easy systems and little training – leadership requires much more.
In “The Purple REALTOR® Association“ post, go read the paragraphs on “The Sneezers“, “The Atheists“, “The Glory Days“, “Remember Who Your Friends Are“…. that whole post is worth reading several times. Then think about our own association, the New Hampshire Association of REALTORS®.
We need to let the leaders of our association actually lead, and not get mired down in the pettiness that can arise when egos clash, when micro-managers surface and try to take us down bad paths, when bickering over trivial things leads to lost valuable time.
Several years ago, while taking part in the first inaugural NHAR Leadership Symposium led by Roger Turcotte, I learned a saying that I’ve never forgotten since then – “If a leader doesn’t lead, a leader will emerge“.
Don’t we all really want our own association to be one of The Purple REALTOR® Associations??
“Be remarkable and the members will follow you!”
Submitted by:
Ann Cummings
I am glad NHAR had an excellent leader last year and a great president in 2009 followed by another high energy knowledgeable president in 2010
Very well said! It’s posts like these and current and past leaders like the ones we’ve had that make this organization so great.
Jim – We are lucky in that we’ve got and have had some great people in leadership positions. That most assuredly helps us to have a great state association for sure – and having terrific experienced staff who really care helps as well!
Ansel – Thanks! NHAR is a GREAT association. We’ve had some rocky times over the years, and in most instances we’ve been able to use those times to just keep getting better and better.