TEAM : synonyms – join forces; collaborate; get together; work together: By Dan Lyons

One of the things I was very conscious of when I started this company, was having a place where people felt comfortable coming to visit. All too often you can get a very nice looking office, but inside it’s as dead as a dodo, no atmosphere, dead silence, nothing to make you feel that here is a place I can discuss my lettings needs, or come if there is a change in circumstances. An awful lot have made me feel, even as a fellow professional, that I just want to get out. I have always felt, in whatever period of my life or career I have had, that your job, whatever it is, should have as many characteristics of you as possible, which is why I have always worked very closely with my staff (TEAM), to see what everyone feels about most aspects of my company. When you do this, you not only get a flavour of what other people think needs changing (mostly for the better), but you are allowing those who work with you to feel valued, put their stamp on proceedings, become an actual part of the company rather than just an employee. I consider myself lucky in that I have not come to this industry from a corporate background, I’ll never be the shiny suit wearing yes man, it’s not me, and I would not expect my staff to be either. I expect each of them to impose their own character on my company, the same as I do. I want my staff to feel, the same as my customers that their opinion is valid, and will be taken note of. Case in point, the whole of my back end system is the result of amazing work from a succession of key staff members over a period of four years, and has culminated in us being so efficient, we’ve saved hundreds of hours of paperwork, meaning we can focus on what we are here to do, letting and property management.