John Houlihan

From good-to-great, from great-to-excellent, what are the characteristics of your best mentor? Beyond the obvious traits of experienced and being a good-listener, what words would you use to complete, "The best mentor I ever had was..."

Perhaps you have several mentors, past and present, worthy of mention.

Recently, I visited a long-lost teacher. He did not remember me. Yet, I certainly have remembered the contribution he made to my life. The years have aged him. Although wrinkled and stooped, with a touch of parkinson's, it was a youthful smile on his face when he heard that he had made a difference.

The best mentor I ever had took me under his wing, and patiently tutored me in geography. Having relocated from The City Of Seattle to the small town of Grimsby half way through the school year, I was new to the subject. He saw this; he took action. (Traits: Action-Minded. Patience.)

Classroom bullying of the "new kid" stopped. Student friendships were made. The following year I was elected as Vice-President Student Body. Never did anyone know that he was "tutoring" me, on his own time. This teacher went on to be the school's Principle. I went on to a full life.

Would you join me by posting a thought or two? How would you complete, "The best mentor I ever had was ..."

Just eleven months ago, the news came in. The prior three months, he knew something was wrong. Diagnosis: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease (circa 1938). Now it was known to us as Deane's Disease. None of us thought ALS would take him so quickly.

ALS took his life, but not his spirit. I have been thinking about Deane's legacy; the one he left with me.

Five Things Deane Taught Me: [1] When you LAUGH, laugh out loud. [2] When you HUG, hug with might. [3] When you SPEAK, always have an encouraging word. [4] Each and every day, REACH OUT. Look for that one person who needs what you can give, and give it to them. [5] Each and every day, be GRATEFUL.

My friend Deane. Away, but not gone.

He LISTED with me. He SOLD his house. A family emergency took him out of town 2 days before COMPLETION. "Would I be there for him?", he asked. Would I supervise the movers, making sure all of his possessions were removed? Then he said, "Be sure to dig up Joe." Huh?

OK...fess up. Who out there has done this? More importantly, does it work? I did not know to believe him, so he sent me to http://www.fisheaters.com/stjoestatue.html . Asking around my office, some knew about Joe; most did not. Have we found a way out of the current real estate mess?

How do REALTORS treat other REALTORS? How do you want to be treated? Considering The Golden Rule, what single trait do you consider foremost in REALTOR-To-REALTOR relationships? Let's build a list. As an example, I follow the put it in writing decree. Recently, a breed of new real estate licensees are asking me to "float" a number pass my seller. I always respond, "Put it in writing." This educates them to a standard of business practice, and allows them to communicate with their buyers that real estate matters must be in writing. Which of your ethical traits would you pick as foremost? Which one do you augment by your ethical treatment of the cooperative REALTOR in your real estate transaction? To paraphrase, "Ethical is as ethical does." Our collective contribution to this list will heighten awareness and encourage best practices.

The Real Estate Board Of Greater Vancouver, in partnership with the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, has taken on an initiative to raise a greater awareness of ethical behaviour among member REALTORS, and to raise the current ethical standards of real estate practices to an even higher standard. Their initiative has successfully trained thirty-four seasoned REALTORS in presenting a two-hour seminar on ethical leadership. Participants in the seminar receive the "ETHICAL REALTOR GUIDE". This guide highlights the characteristic traits of an ethical REALTOR and offers the measurement that matters.

Recently, John Houlihan facilitated a leadership seminar for selected REALTORS from RE/MAX Masters, West Vancouver. Other seminars will follow. I will keep you posted.