…for this Realtor to serve on jury duty which put my skills to the test!
I was selected to serve my civic duty and be a juror on a criminal case in Hamilton County. Before you get concerned about me telling you any details, please know the judge said once the verdict is read it is all public knowledge and we can share with anyone. So why would I share the details with you regarding my juror duty experience? Because it was Real Estate that made me the best juror I could be. Because of Real Estate, I have learned how to compete with an agent on Tuesday and break bread or go to a closing on Friday. I have learned to fight fiercely and compete with all my heart while never losing sight of the big picture and not making it personal. I think as Realtors, we think all competitors get along and I learned in jury duty, we are different, and in my opinion, better competitors than some industries. You may or may not be surprised to learn I was selected foreman for this jury, and I accepted the position and the responsibility of getting twelve people to agree on all seven felony counts. This my friends is no easy task. Over my 23 years, I have negotiated just shy of 1,000 home sales in central Indiana and I currently oversee one of the most successful group of agents that sell over 2,500 homes a year. So I’m no stranger to the process of negotiating and compromising to get to a successful outcome. Jury duty takes the act of negotiating and compromising to a whole new level. I would say getting someone who feels a person is innocent to believe they are guilty or vias versa is like asking a cradle Colts fan to become a Patriots fan. It just doesn’t happen without negotiations and compromise. Every person on my jury was wonderful and passionate but they all had their individual lives and experiences that lead them to their individual conclusions based on the facts. In the end, it was my job to get 12 people to see and believe the same decision should be made on 7 separate counts. So now envision getting your Colts fan to become a Patriot fan and then convince him or her to become a Bears fan and then continue to get them to switch for a total of 7 times…yikes! Well, that is exactly what we do every day as Realtors. We get people to look at the facts, evaluate their personal opinion, and compromise where they need to, in order to get to the outcome they desire. And we do it with a smile knowing we will be face to face with our competitor and in most cases sitting across the table at closing. I believe each and every Realtor is very qualified to serve on a jury and owes it to themselves and the Country to do so. You are capable of seeing and negotiating when others see walls. You are providers of solutions, not obstacles, and these traits are not within every person and underestimated by each and every Realtor as to their value. In the first hour of deliberation, I had a couple jurors tell me it was going to be a hung jury and 7 hours into deliberation was the first unanimous decision I was able to get. Yes, it took 7 hours for 12 people to agree on guilty or not guilty on one count. By now, many people were very tired and frustrated but it was my Realtor instincts that kept my 11 new friends on the task at hand and within the next hour we made 5 unanimous decisions. With a start time of 6pm and the first decisions at 1 am and the next 5 between 1 and 2 am, we only have one final decision to make. Please note, the jurors in my case were all awesome people who deeply cared about the outcome. In fact, I was amazed at how passionate people were about guilty or not guilty in the case. In many cases, it took on very personal feelings about friends or family members, so people were dead set on fighting for their belief. At 2 am, we had made 6 of the 7 decisions we have to make, and many people of really running out of energy but I felt as thought I had just finished a large Red Bull. I was full of energy and ready to go the distance to make sure the accused received our full commitment, and the tax payers did not bear the cost of a mistrial. When the clock read 3 am, I thought we were close, so I called for a vote and but we were still one shy of a unanimous decision. I would say this was my one regret. I think I called for the vote too early and it forced the one person to fight longer. After I called the votes, we would then go back over the facts and evidence. We had to talk through the case and people would change their minds time and time again. But the process seemed to work which reminds me of the process Realtors go through while negotiating a deal. In the windowless room, the hours just go by since you don’t see natural light. Time just goes away as does the fresh air. So at 4 am, now 10 hours into this process, I call for another vote and finally 12 people could and did agree on all 7 counts, just like on the 7th counter when the buyer and seller finally agree. Realtors are good at what we do, and our skills allow us to help in other ways and in other business. On this day, I was proud of my service as a juror and my experience as a Realtor.
#realtos #negoiators #determination
Bon appetit, Jimmy
No comments:
Post a Comment