They say fortune favors the brave. At ERA, we live by this credo. We embrace our authentic selves, move quickly, utilize the latest technologies and business innovations, and stand up in the face of industry challenges to advocate for our brokers, agents and customers.

Above all, what defines our fearlessness is the ability to be ourselves and work in the way that best suits us. Our agents don’t come to us and get a strict handbook filled with instructions on what they can wear, what they can or can’t say on the phone and how they should behave during an open house. Instead, we allow them to be real and express themselves as professionals. We trust that they work in authentic ways to get listings, connect with customers and close deals. Our trust pays off – their energy and humility are contagious, and they stand out in a crowded real estate space.

We celebrate their individuality and push them to see business opportunities in unique ways. When agents bring new ways of working to the table, it brings new thinking, ideas and innovation that is shared throughout the ERA Network. We view being sincere and transparent as an asset, not a liability, and we want to continue to attract brokers and agents who want the freedom to think differently to get the job done. A sharp competitive edge is valuable, and it comes from living in and being intimately connected to the communities they serve. So, adding that extra dose of realism not only helps them excel but it also fosters innovation for their teams.

Fearlessness, for us, also means our agents move quickly and are accountable. When I say we move quickly, I’m not just talking about our agent in California who will call you within ten minutes of you ‘liking’ one of her properties on Facebook, though that’s true, and she will. I’m talking about the fact that our agents are self-sufficient and take the tools and platforms we give them to the next level. They don’t wait for solutions, they create their own. They use the technology platforms we’ve provided as a foundation for their own work. And they are not shy about sharing their innovations with us, so we can share their best practices across our entire network and foster accountability on a larger scale.

We also strive for productivity, so we can get ahead in this business and make the most of every day. That’s why we embrace innovation and change wholeheartedly. Several years after we opened our doors in 1971, we offered the first national home warranty program and were the first to franchise internationally. We’ve continued to innovate since. We were the first in the Realogy family to launch Zap®, the tech platform that meets the needs of today’s connected consumers and boosts agent productivity. We dove right into the social media world and our agents are masters at video, tech-based lead generation and even drones, all used as tools to accomplish the same thing – get a client in the front door.

Lastly, we always confront challenges, fearlessly. When we launched the Sellers Security Plan℠

more than 40 years ago, it was a response to a challenge our agents faced in the field: sellers who desperately needed to move quickly. Our solution was radical: for those who qualified we gave them a guaranteed sale – if we couldn’t sell right away, we’d buy it. Decades later, competitors are offering similar guarantees. But as the market changed, so did seller and agent needs, so we’ve evolved the program three times since 2010 to make sure it is the most relevant, most helpful program in the market. This is how we always stay one step ahead. Every decision we make is based on confronting challenges head-on making sure we are accountable to our brokers, helping our agents grow their local expertise to better position themselves in their markets and doing the most to grow their businesses.

How do we do it? We don’t wake up every morning and say, ‘Today, I’m going to be fearless.’ Instead, we say, ‘Today, I will be real. Today, I will do what needs to be done. Today, I will confront challenges, and today, I will react with the market.’ These four promises, day after day, make us fearless and fuel our growth.

Photo by Isaiah McClean