Welcome to Episode 78 of our podcast, Courageous Conversations, hosted by Leanne Pilkington.
In this episode, our guest is Will Ainsworth, Head of Training and Growth at Openn Negotiation. He talks about his personal battle with depression while in the real estate industry, the importance of making decisions and seeing them through, his tips for both time and mental health management, and what it means to be a good leader.
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00:50 – Will’s background in real estate, the passing of his alcoholic Dad, falling into depression and seeking treatment (around 9 years ago)
03:00 – Giving himself reflection time on his future once COVID-19 hit; choosing to be a better Dad/husband/friend
03:30 – What it means to be making decisions and avoiding procrastination
05:00 – Not making a decision is a decision in itself; you’d rather make a decision than none at all.
06:00 – What depression is like for Will personally; ‘my brain is like a whole bunch of cobwebs that I just can’t push through’
08:00 – Will’s method of getting things done without mapping the plan out, and why this is effective for him
09:40 – How Will currently manages his depression; how he detects it, and how he treats himself
11:40 – Finding activities that generate mindfulness, but you must know yourself to discover what works
14:10 – Will’s coaching; what he is observing with today’s real estate professionals
15:00 – Considering your time management as ‘choice management’ (i.e. do you actually not have time or are you not prioritising the right things?)
16:20 – Will’s mantra when he was in real estate: ‘it’s a marathon, not a sprint’
17:30 – The agents who struggle can very well come down to the leaders or management; it’s important systems and procedures are implemented strategically to uplift the agents and their business
18:25 – Business owners who aren’t good leaders; how high performance can get in the way and come across as controlling, which isn’t a good leadership trait.