These past few weeks, I’ve found myself at a number of community meetings. I’ve listened to a few mayors try to connect with the people and offer reassurance they are doing good things. I’ve listened to city planners, county executives, and parks officials try to explain both processes and visions. I’ve listened to homeowner associations, law enforcement, educators, and passionate neighbors talk about the best ways to keep their kids and their communities safe. And, I’ve listened to the people at each and every one of these meetings too.
Despite the new plans, future goals, and impressive growth… after hearing from nearly every area of Snohomish County, I was both a little pleased and saddened at each stop. Why? Because so many people have turned into Space Aliens. Let me explain.
You know how in the movies, there is the space ship full of aliens who manages to land in the middle of a large crowd? After the initial frenzy, the audience gathers around as the king alien appears and basically says “let’s all work together, but with my rules”.
Then the humans say “Hey wait, you just landed here. How can you tell us what to do?” And chaos ensues.
Whether we are talking about leaders of countries, municipalities, organizations, or households, it’s been pretty perplexing lately. Even downright confusing and troublesome at times. In my opinion, they should all go sit in timeout.
At each meeting, all I heard was “I’m afraid. Don’t ask me questions. Do it my way.” Whether it was the heads of households, or the heads of state, they both had their fair share of stage time in the complaints and frustrations category… yet didn’t get many points in the understanding and solutions section of the test.
With all of this “what’s in it for me?” crud, where did the problem solvers go? You know, the people who had to think through an issue and look at the facts and options in order to find a solution. A solution that worked for many, not for one. And a solution that included a bigger picture, not just now. I’m sorry, but you can’t ask Siri or Alexa for a quick answer here. That algorithm is flawed.
After listening (truly listening) to all sides of each situation, I kept hearing the same thing over and over. People wanted to protect their values.
The thing about values, is that it starts with expectations. “Values” on their own, just aren’t a thing. Expectations are. (You can read that again if you need.) I don’t know how you can walk into a conversation with someone and then dictate a solution, unless you understand where they are coming from first, what their expectations are, and then address it directly. That’s negotiation 101.
I don’t care if you are red, blue, green, purple, or rainbows with your expectations. The next time you walk into a setting with other human beings, put a little more focus on the “being”. Drop your iPhone. Look someone in the eye. And, have a real honest conversation.
That’s what we do. We are amazing at helping people sort out their real estate questions. And, we’ve done it hundreds of times. It requires a lot of thought and exploration in order to find a solution together that makes sense. Different people have different needs.
We don’t take our role lightly, and you shouldn’t either. In order to “add value”, it means we need to ask questions and understand your expectations before we can develop a solution that matters. It’s not hard, but it requires discussion. After all, I can’t just tell you where to live or invest, but I can help you find something that makes sense for your family.
To add value to your future, that the others have forgotten how to do, give us a call at (206) 466-4020 or info@HudsonCREG.com. Thanks for reading. Remember, don’t be a Space Alien. We sure aren’t.
Cheers!
Jen Hudson