Sandra Bullock won endless awards for the 2009 movie, The Blind Side, and this weekend, I finally watched it. I had been putting it off for some time because I usually buck anything that everyone is overly excited about. But as the movie ended, I thought about how it applied not just to my personal life but my professional life and yours.
I won’t recap the events here for those who haven’t seen it, rather I’ll point to the golden nuggets. You see, the movie is based on a true story and Leigh Anne Tuohy is a straight shooter. From the minute she sees Michael Oher walking on the side of the street, she insists that he get in the car. When she goes to file papers for legal guardianship, she insists that they help her. When Michael’s coach is missing a key ingredient in connecting with him, Leigh Anne insists on stepping in. And when her sister questions her taking Michael in, she insists that it is right and that her sister should be ashamed.
What Leigh Anne has to teach any business professionals is that by insisting on doing the right thing, the moral, upright thing, despite any Code of Ethics written on a scroll in a far away land, and not because anyone is looking, but by doing the right thing, great things come your way. Leigh Anne just tried to help a lost boy and he became a famous athlete.
Relating to Realtors
Protecting consumers is a virtue that is easy to talk about, but so many Realtors fall short. How many agents have you known to sell a house that they knew was too much for their clients or fudged over some details to get buyers into a more favorable commissioned house?
How many times have you told a client that right now is just not the time to buy? How many times have you told a client that they would benefit more by waiting to list next year?
When was the last time you insisted on doing the right thing without a second thought and without regard to yourself. When was the last time that you unconditionally protected your client’s blind side? This is what Realtors can learn from the movie.
In the words of President George Washington, “happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.” Leigh Anne Tuohy and her family is a testament to that and we hope your career is as well.
Melissa Zavala
March 7, 2011 at 11:38 am
Lani: It is precisely because of the problem that you mention here that agents (and car sales people) do not have a great reputation. Also, this is probably the very same think that prompted the FTC to come out with the new MARS disclosures–agents taking advantage and collecting money unnecessarily while not covering the clients’ blind side.
Lani Rosales
March 7, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Great points, Melissa and right on about MERS!
Jill Kipnis
March 7, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Clients’ interests should be the primary obligation for any Realtor, and is also spelled out in the National Association of Realtors’ Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. The story of Michael Oher and Leigh Anne Tuohy is inspiring in its own right, but the analogy to the world of real estate will hopefully inspire the representatives of home buyers and sellers as well.