Keller Williams fosters inclusion, independence
Real estate firm’s culture is one of positivity and growth, employees say
Carrie Weiss, CEO of Keller Williams Capital District, noticed several staff members were habitually skipping after-work social events, so she reached out to see why.
Those who responded said they avoided certain company events for one reason: They or their partner don’t drink. So, she and her team swiftly started an alcoholfree social group, one of the company’s many casual consortia. Other micro-communities created to connect the staff of nearly 400 real estate agents and associates include a ski club and a step walking club.
“What we’re really good at is figuring out what that person needs and then aligning them with a group,” says Weiss, who founded the firm in 2007. “We have to take care of who we are.”
A company’s culture can be as hard to characterize as it is to cultivate, but for Weiss, creating an ethos of inclusion is a pillar that helps bolster a positive workplace at the Capital Region’s second-largest real estate firm, one of Keller Williams’ top-producing franchises in the world.
“Together, everyone achieves more,” says Weiss. “Having a place where everyone feels comfortable and can be their best self is very important.”
Weiss also aims to provide a workplace where employees can grow personally and professionally with flexibility and independence. The company’s business model encourages agents to run their own businesses as a franchise under the brokerage’s umbrella.
“We all come from that mindset that we are a family but we are all business owners,” says Weiss. “They feel supported. They are able to grow as big as they want to grow.”
On the Top Workplaces employee survey, workers weighed in on why they love their jobs and the culture, “I feel the leadership really does care about me personally, not just professionally,” one person commented. Another said, “The culture is amazing at Keller Williams Capital District. They teach you not only to be great real estate agents, they teach you how to be small business owners.”
The company is also quick to support employees in need, says Weiss. KW Cares is an incentive unique to Keller Williams. The nonprofit program is designed to support agents and their qualifying family members during times of sudden hardship, emergency, illness or a natural disaster.
Employees also have a stake in the company. Through the Associate Leadership Council (ALC) and International Associate
Leadership Council (IALC), Keller Williams rewards associates for their success. Over $1.5 billion in profit share has been distributed since the program’s inception.
It isn’t a typical brokerage where agents compete for business, either, says Weiss. Both agents and brokers succeed through teamwork.
“We all believe that together we can achieve more and there is enough business for all of us to get our fair share,” Weiss explains. “When you walk into our office, you feel like you belong, you feel like you’re supported and you believe that you can achieve anything.”