Are You Going to Finish That?
It’s a funny thing…within the first 10 minutes of coaching, I can usually tell whether I’m dealing with a doer or someone who is hoping for the magic bullet, or worse, someone who is waiting for the work to be done on their behalf.
And discerning whether someone is a doer, hoper or waiter isn’t about talent. It’s not about confidence, either. And it’s definitely not how good they sound talking about success.
It’s whether they’ve finished what they started.
In coaching sessions, the pattern is clear. Some people are actively engaged. They are asking specific questions, referencing things they’ve already implemented, talking in detail about what they’ve done and what’s next. Others are still circling. Still refining. Still ‘almost there’.
It’s the same industry, same access to information, same training and same market. But very different outcomes, and that difference almost always comes down to completion.
Talent isn’t the edge you think it is
There’s a common belief in real estate that brilliance is the separator. That the agents getting ahead are somehow more gifted, more natural, more polished. They’re not. They just finish what they start.
They don’t overthink every step. They don’t wait for the perfect plan or the perfect timing. They don’t need certainty before they move.
They start, and they keep moving until it’s done. That’s the real edge.
Why doers can explain their process so clearly
Ask a doer to walk you through their listing process and they can usually articulate it almost verbatim.
Not because they memorised it.
Because they’ve done the work to pull it apart, examine it, rebuild it and apply it. They’ve completed it.
Completion creates clarity.
When you’ve finished something, and I mean really finished it, you understand it at a different level. You can explain it. You can repeat it. You can improve it.
That’s why execution always beats potential.
The trap of the ‘talented’ agent
There’s a trap that talented and capable agents can fall into…They tweak. They polish. They second-guess. All in the name of “getting it right.”
But what they’re really avoiding is the final 10 per cent.
That last stretch forces decisions. It removes the safety of being unfinished. And it exposes the work to real feedback.
So instead of finishing, they keep adjusting. And nothing moves.
But here’s the thing; done, more often than not, is better than perfect.
If you can’t finish it, find someone who can
Here’s a practical reality check…If you can’t logistically finish what must be done, then you need to engage someone who will.
That might mean bringing in someone to document your listing process properly instead of endlessly tweaking it in your head.
It could mean handing your database cleanup to an assistant rather than promising yourself you’ll ‘get to it on the weekend’.
It might even mean engaging a coach, VA or operations support to build systems you keep talking about but never finalising.
This isn’t weakness. It’s leadership. Doers understand that progress matters more than personal pride. They don’t need to be the hero of every task. They just need the task completed.
If something keeps stalling, ask yourself why. If the answer is capacity, skill or focus, the solution isn’t delay. It’s support.
Finish the thing
Before you move on, do this: Write down three unfinished actions you’ve been avoiding. Then write down three ‘busy’ items you could have delegated, or simply not done at all. That exercise alone will tell you where momentum is leaking.
So forget the polish. Forget waiting for motivation or clarity to arrive. Finish the thing. Because in this business, completion isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the differentiator.
About the Author
Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency, Australia’s first multi-brand real estate network, ‘the only fully integrated solution for you and your people to create an unforgettable experience.’
For all enquiries and more information on how the Agents’Agency can help you take your career to the next level, click here to get in touch.
