Don’t Let ‘Tough Guy Syndrome’ Hold You Back From Your Real Estate Goals

By Kevin Clancy

Real Estate Expert in Albany NY, Team leader of nationally ranked real estate team.

Don’t let Tough Guy Syndrome hold you back from succeeding in your real estate goals. Open yourself up to being more vulnerable, instead.

It’s an unfortunate truth of the industry that sometimes agents have to let their clients go. This happened recently within my own team due to something I like to call “Tough Guy Syndrome.” 

People with Tough Guy Syndrome don’t want to ever admit that there’s something they don’t know, or that there’s something they need help with. When a client acts this way, they’ll often try to micromanage the deal to the point where their agent can’t do their job. This is completely counterintuitive because when you hire a real estate professional, you’re doing so to leverage their knowledge and experience. Speaking for myself and my team, we would never offer advice to our clients that we wouldn’t follow ourselves. 

The remedy to Tough Guy Syndrome is simple: It all comes down to vulnerability. Being vulnerable doesn’t mean you’re weak. In the context of a real estate deal, it simply means being open and honest about your position with the person you’ve hired to be on your side. You and your agent are a team—you shouldn’t be fighting against one another. 

Of course, vulnerability can be a valuable trait outside of your real estate goals, too. Don’t be afraid to leave room for vulnerability in your day-to-day life.

Allow me to share a personal example of how powerful vulnerability can be.

As you know, I’m a runner. I feel in my element when I’m running, and I absolutely love it. Recently, though, I’ve taken up another form of exercise: hot yoga. 

When I attend hot yoga classes, I’m totally out of my element. Think Bambi on ice. However, just because it doesn’t come naturally to me doesn’t mean hot yoga hasn’t made a great impact on my life and health. I never would have been able to harness the positive effects if I didn’t allow myself to be vulnerable. Stepping outside of your comfort zone isn’t easy, but doing so is often the first step on the path to self-improvement. That has certainly been the case in my life.

Now that I’ve covered our main topic, I’d also like to share an exciting opportunity for you to earn $1,500. Here’s how: 

My team is hiring. If you refer someone you know to me and I hire them, I’ll pay you $1,500 when they make their first sale. It’s as simple as that. If you have anyone in mind, don’t hesitate to reach out to me with their name and number.

And, as always, if you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.