Royal LePage is widely recognized as one of the leading real estate companies in Canada with over 18,000 agents coast-to-coast. Every year, the corporate brass go out of their way to recognize the top 1% of the company's sales force called the National Chairman's Club. 
 
Team Broady has attained "Chairman's Club" status every year consistently since 2014. It's an achievement we're very proud of and it serves as a constant reminder of how lucky we are to work with such amazing clients. We absolutely love what we do, and we couldn't think of a better place to do it than in the West Island of Montreal!

Each year, Royal LePage organizes a Chairman's Club Retreat as a way to recognize the achievements of these top realtors. Libby has always attended these retreats, which are held in different destinations around the world. 

This year's retreat was held in Portugal, starting with 3 days in Lisbon, followed by a train ride to Porto for the last 2 days of the trip. Libby had registered for the event and booked her flights back in December - and was keen to join the group and catch up with so many people who she has met by attending these trips for so many years. But in early January - about three weeks before she was set to leave for this trip - Libby got hit with a severe case of vertigo. 
 
Unfortunately, this meant that she was in no shape to travel. She had to cancel her flights and bow out of the trip. These trips however, are extremely valuable networking opportunities and our team relies heavily on our relationships with other brokers and partners across Canada. Whenever we have a client moving from Montreal to another Canadian city, it's extremely important that we have a trusted contact that we can refer them to and vice versa. So rather than let this trip go to waste, Libby suggested that I go in her place. 

I had never attended one of these Chairman’s Club retreats before, and to be honest, I had no idea what to expect going in. I must admit, I secretly thought the Chairman’s Club was a bit of an exclusive, elitist "clique" - and that I probably wouldn’t fit in and that it likely wasn’t my tribe anyway. But I decided I should be there to represent our team - one of only two teams from the entire province of Quebec who attended.

Boy was I wrong about this group!

Any pre-conceived notions or stereotypes I might have had were long gone within the first day of the trip. I felt absolutely zero hierarchy of “Oooh, look at me, I’m bigger and better than you”... and instead discovered this surprisingly warm and inviting group who all shared some basic, common characteristics:

1. We all work extremely hard for our clients.
 
2. We all understand the ongoing challenges of this business and appreciate how difficult it is to stay at the top of our game. None of us consider what we do “easy”.
 
3. We all care about our communities and local charities. Giving back seems to be a common theme within this group. 
 
4. We all want to share with each other, and learn from each other. There are no secrets among us.

#4 was my favourite and most valuable takeaway from the trip. 

The people I got to know in Portugal were not selfish and egotistical. They weren’t high and mighty. They were down-to-earth and approachable. They were generous and kind. They were bold and courageous. 

If you ask me - any strong leader needs to have a strong character, but a compassionate one as well. I found that to be the case among this group.

Many top real estate agents and teams have big personalities. They often put themselves out there for everyone to see, and sometimes this behaviour can be misunderstood by the public. 

My friend Tim Murphy - also a real estate broker and leader of a team –questioned his over-zealous advocacy for type-1 diabetes, which his five-year-old daughter suffers from. He asked her opinion as to whether he should dial back on his determination to create more awareness for this cause. She responded by saying, “No Daddy, real leaders don’t hide”

That is so true. As leaders in our markets, in our communities, and in our industry - we can’t afford to be small, to be shy, to lurk in the shadows of obscurity. We must lead from the front lines, with conviction and purpose. That’s what the Chairman’s Club is all about!

I kind of get it now, and I understand why Libby always attends these retreats and normally, wouldn't miss them for the world. This is a tremendous group of inspiring individuals who set the highest standards in our industry. These are the kind of people who lift you up, and who force you to hold yourself to a higher standard as well. These are also the kind of people who we can proudly refer to our clients - knowing that they will be working with the very best in the business, no matter where they move to in Canada.
 
As for Libby and her vertigo... we're still hoping that she bounces back okay. If you know her at all, you know how tough she is! She's seems to be slowly getting better. Let's all wish her a speedy and full recovery.

Signing off...

Capt'n Mark