“Destructive Abundance” is the state where protecting the results is prioritized above protecting those who produce the results. Companies get in this state because the leaders only care about the score but forgot why they decided to play the game in the first place.
I just arrived home from Keller Williams’ annual convention that we call Family Reunion. I’m not the most social person in the world yet at events like this I do get the opportunity to talk to hundreds of people about their business and the market’s they’re in. A phrase I realized I said way too many times was destructive abundance. Many agents have done so well for so many years they’ve lost track of why they started as well as the people and/or the activities that created the success. If these people aren’t careful it will be the downfall of their entire organization.
In “shifting” times the most potent thing a business owner can do is execute the fundamentals of their industry better than anyone else. All of the creativity has to go. A leader must reconnect with why they started and leverage that passion to get through tough times, they must pour into the people that helped them get there, and finally they may have to get back into the trenches and double down on the activities that make the largest impact.
Don’t be fooled by the giant pipeline you’re building. Don’t assume your best people will be with you forever. It isn’t going backwards when you’re doing what needs to be done to move your business forward. Your role as a leader is changing. Don’t let destructive abundance be your downfall.