April 10, 2025 • 24 mins
Hiring the right people can make or break your business—but too often, entrepreneurs settle for availability over alignment. In this episode, Tanya Lechner, founder of Sunshine Real Estate Team, shares powerful insights on building a team that thrives. She opens up about past hiring hiccups, the importance of cultural fit, and why attitude should outweigh experience. From evolving candidate expectations to smart interview techniques, you’ll learn how to stop “hiring just to hire” and start building a team that fuels long-term success.
Visit us at jenniferannjohnson.com and learn how Jennifer can help you build the life you dream of with her online academy, blog, one-on-one coaching, and a variety of other resources!
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Episode Transcript
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Jennifer Johnson (00:00):
As entrepreneurs, we often hear
that our team is our mostvaluable asset, but how many of
us truly understand the art andscience of hiring the right
people?
In today's episode, we'retackling a challenge that can
make or break your businessFinding and hiring talent that
not only fills a role but fitsyour unique needs as a company
(00:21):
and your company culture.
I've been on both sides of thehiring table, from building my
own team at True Fashionistas toadvising countless
entrepreneurs on their hiringstrategies.
I've seen firsthand how theright hire can propel a business
forward and how the wrong onecan set you back months or even
years.
Today, we welcome into thestudio Tanya Lechner.
(00:43):
Tanya is a visionary founderbehind Sunshine Real Estate Team
in Texas, and she's passionateabout empowering others in the
realm of real estate.
With a dedication tounharnessing the full potential
of real estate professionals,tanya has become a beacon of
inspiration within the industry.
(01:03):
Welcome.
Tanya Lechner (01:05):
Thank you.
Thank you so much for having me, Jennifer.
I'm so excited to be here.
Jennifer Johnson (01:09):
I am excited to have you and I'm excited to
tackle this subject, because Iknow that it is a pain point for
a lot of business owners,especially now.
Tanya Lechner (01:20):
Yes, couldn't say it better myself, so it's up to
you.
Yes, couldn't say it bettermyself.
Jennifer Johnson (01:33):
We all struggle with finding the right
people to build our teams.
And what do you see with allthe entrepreneurs that you talk
to, whether they're real estateagents or all many different
walks of life in differentbusinesses?
What do you see is one bigmistake, if you will, or big
challenge that small businessowners make when they hire?
Tanya Lechner (01:51):
So something that I've even struggled with myself
, especially in the real estateindustry, is hiring just to hire
, because people are agentsespecially are just looking for
a place to hang their license.
A lot of times and they willinterview with a ton of brokers
(02:11):
and then we feel like sure, wecan hire on this person.
They seem like they might dosome work or something like that
, but we're not actually goinginto the deep strategies needed
to hire the correct person.
It's just happens to be theperson who's in front of us
right now, right.
Jennifer Johnson (02:29):
Right, it's a body and you're not hiring for
the role.
Tanya Lechner (02:33):
Correct.
That is definitely a bigmistake that I've seen even
other team leaders make, andevery like people that aren't
necessarily even in the industry.
They're just hiring becausethey need a body.
So that's a great way to put it.
Jennifer Johnson (02:48):
We've all been there because you know you need
somebody on your team.
Oh okay, that works withoutgoing any further.
Tanya Lechner (02:58):
Yep, exactly Go ahead.
That actually it actuallyhappened to me when I first
started my career or my team.
I had hired an agent who wasnot a good fit, you know,
overall, and so she kind ofbrought the team down and it
(03:18):
just wasn't really.
There wasn't very muchcollaboration, she wasn't taking
direction, and so luckily sheended up not being on the team
very long.
But it was just a really biglearning experience for me
personally in that case.
Jennifer Johnson (03:33):
And I think we underestimate too, when we hire
someone, that doesn't work.
That the law and we'll talkabout this, I'm sure, but the
longer we hang on to them, thelonger they can affect the rest
of the team.
Tanya Lechner (03:47):
Exactly yeah.
Jennifer Johnson (03:49):
Right Now.
I know there's a lot of talkabout cultural fit and making
sure that we hire the rightperson who fits with our culture
.
What are your thoughts on that?
What do you see as a culturalfit?
What's your definition of that?
Yeah, do you see as a culturalfit?
Tanya Lechner (04:06):
What's your definition of that?
Yeah, so that's a greatquestion.
When it comes to the culturalfit, the immediate thing that
comes to my mind is your vibeattracts your tribe.
People are always saying thatthese days, and everybody loves
to see authenticity, and so Ifeel like that needs to reflect
in your business as well, and soI feel like that needs to
reflect in your business as well, and so I'm looking for
(04:28):
somebody that's culturally onour same vibe and the Sunshine
Real Estate team.
We pride ourselves on beingpositive and fun, and so if we
find somebody that has anegative attitude or something
like that it just does, it's nota good fit culturally, which
(04:49):
ultimately brings down the team,kind of like what you were
saying earlier.
Jennifer Johnson (04:52):
Right, I know a lot of times, like you know,
you hire for the skill.
Oh wow, they've been a realtorfor, in your case, for 20 years,
oh my gosh.
But then we didn't hire fortheir attitude, we just hired
for their experience.
Tanya Lechner (05:10):
Exactly.
Yeah, that is so true.
It does come down to thatsometimes.
Jennifer Johnson (05:15):
Right and you can't, in my opinion, you can't
teach, you can't train attitudethat has to be part of you and a
lot of times you can't changethat.
Tanya Lechner (05:29):
Nope, I've tried.
It doesn't work.
Jennifer Johnson (05:31):
Right, you can't change people.
Now, on the flip side of hiringsomebody who you can't change,
have you had a time when youhired someone who was the exact
right fit and if so, what didthey do for your business?
Tanya Lechner (05:48):
Yeah, I actually just recently hired an agent who
is exactly what we needed forthe team.
I didn't realize it at the time, but since we hired her on just
about a month ago, she hasbrought the whole atmosphere up.
When we get in with our teammeetings, she's very positive
(06:08):
and she is a newer agent, so shedoesn't have a ton of
transactions under her belt, butevery time that she does she's
super grateful.
She loves helping other people,which is one of our core values
, and so having all of thosethings put together makes it
just makes the whole team feellike that much better by having
(06:32):
her on the team.
Jennifer Johnson (06:33):
I want to touch on something you just said
.
You said core values and thatthat's like a word that I hear
every everywhere.
I mean it's a.
It's something that I believein firmly.
I do a lot of everywhere.
I mean it's something that Ibelieve in firmly.
I do a lot of courses for smallbusiness owners on core values.
How did you come?
Tanya Lechner (06:53):
about finding your core values as a company.
So it took me a lot of time andit was a little bit daunting
too, because I'm just trying tofigure out what aligns most with
me and how I want to build theteam.
But ultimately it just it camedown to what's going to make my
agents successful and what'sgoing to help my team grow.
(07:15):
At the end of the day, and haveyou noticed that?
Jennifer Johnson (07:20):
I mean, I'm assuming do you have your core
values posted for your employees?
How do you share that with them?
Tanya Lechner (07:26):
Yes, so I do.
I actually.
It was probably, maybe evenjust like six months ago that I
put together a list of my corevalues and they're posted, and
if I could remember them I would.
I would I tell them to, but Ihave them listed and I do also
go over them with my agentsbefore I hire them on, and so I
(07:48):
send them the page.
I'm like does this align withyou?
And that's something that helpsthem actually grow as an agent
as well.
Jennifer Johnson (07:57):
That's great because your employees know what
you expect, because they knowwhat your values are, and it
just makes the entire processfor everybody much better.
Tanya Lechner (08:10):
Exactly Certainly .
Jennifer Johnson (08:15):
What are some effective strategies when you're
interviewing?
Okay, so let's say you'reinterviewing, you're
interviewing for an agentposition.
What are some strategies foreffectively identifying what,
before you even do thatinterview, what you truly need
(08:36):
as a company?
How does that process look from?
Oh, I need to hire.
Let me figure out what I needto hire for, what I'm looking
for in a person, and thenactually doing the interview.
How does that lineage play out?
Tanya Lechner (08:51):
So it really depends on what I'm hiring for,
right.
So if it is somebody on theback end, then I'm going to be
looking like a different type ofperson, right.
And then if it's somebodythat's in front of people, then
they need to have a differentkind of personality, and so it
(09:13):
starts there.
And then, once I determine whatkind of person I need to hire,
I'll align those type ofquestions with that part of the
process.
That makes sense.
Yeah, and I don't know if thatanswered the full question.
I might've missed a piece of it, but Well, it does.
Jennifer Johnson (09:34):
But then you're in front of them and
you're interviewing.
Do you have a set of questionsthat you ask everybody, or is it
you know?
You just kind of go off theresume, it does vary.
Tanya Lechner (09:46):
So you know, in real estate it's an interesting
industry where people don'tnecessarily have to come up with
a resume, they just you knowthey're going to any broker
because any broker will takethem essentially.
And so I go, based off of kindof like this, with how the
conversation is going and whatI'm feeling, as far as, okay,
(10:10):
this person might be a good fit,like I can move on with the
questions.
Otherwise I can kind of feellike you know body language, if
they're just not going to workout.
And one thing, like onequestion that I do ask that
always gives me a really goodidea, is like what is their
motivation?
Because that helps me realize,like, are they really all in?
(10:35):
or are they just kind of half in?
Jennifer Johnson (10:37):
Right.
It's hard to be one foot in andone foot out and be excited
about a candidate when that'sthe case Exactly Now.
I know on the news we keephearing about how the landscape
(10:58):
of hiring has changed and theworkforce has changed, and I
believe right now we have sixdifferent age groups in the
workforce.
Right now that's the most Ifeel like there's ever been.
I don't know what the stats areon it or not, but how have you,
in the time that you have hadyour business, how have you seen
the employment landscape change?
Tanya Lechner (11:18):
I've actually noticed quite a big increase in
expectations, and so people arewanting like the stars and the
moon whenever they're getting ajob.
And I mean, I just know from mypersonal experience.
When I was looking for a jobback in 2009 after the 2008
(11:42):
crash, it was totally different.
We were just grateful to beworking somewhere.
And now I feel like people arelike I need to get paid this
much, you know with inflation.
Of course, I can understandthat, but they're also saying
like I need to be able to workfrom home and things like that.
So I always find it superimportant to set expectations up
(12:02):
front and tell them this is notan easy job.
You're going to be workingnights and weekends, and if
that's not going to work for you, then it's probably better that
you've looked somewhere else.
Jennifer Johnson (12:18):
Right, exactly , we've seen the landscape
change ourselves, and it's a lotof what you're saying.
You get out of college andyou're not going to get the
stars and the moons.
You have to earn those as well,right.
And that's part of humanization.
Tanya Lechner (12:34):
It is, and I think it does have a lot to do
with the generation.
I hate saying that, but I dofeel like that is something that
comes along with it.
Jennifer Johnson (12:43):
Right Now when you're interviewing aside from
somebody saying I can't worknights or weekends, which you
would immediately be like not agreat fit but what are other red
flags that you've seen come upin interviews with potential
employees that made you go?
Not the right fit?
Tanya Lechner (13:06):
It's probably.
I mean it also comes back toexpectations.
So if they feel like they'regoing to be getting a bunch of
leads or something along thoselines and I mean you kind of
mentioned it like you know,wanting to not work that hard,
or on nights and weekends, likeit comes also back to the
(13:28):
motivation, right, and so how,how motivated are they?
And then I also want to knowhow determined are they to make
a certain amount of money,because at the end of the day,
people will work 24 hours a dayto reach those goals if they're
a good candidate.
Jennifer Johnson (13:47):
Right, exactly .
And again, I'd love to tellthem the expectations, or make
sure that they understand theexpectations up front, so that
there is they know maybe the jobisn't right for them.
Tanya Lechner (14:02):
Exactly, and you'll you know, you'll avoid
having to fire quick like justby not hiring that person in the
first place.
Jennifer Johnson (14:09):
Right right Now.
How do you and this is a verybecause I face this in the in
the retail industry and you'rein real estate how do you find
that fine balance between hiringfor your current need and
hiring for future growth,without overstepping either one
(14:31):
or undercutting?
Tanya Lechner (14:33):
Yeah, that's a tough one because sometimes it's
hard to prioritize, but that'skind of what you have to do is
prioritize what is the mostimportant at this point in time.
Like, for example, I needed anassistant and so that kind of
(14:53):
put my future goals on the backburner so I could focus on
finding that assistant, just sothat I could breathe on the back
burner, so I could focus onfinding that assistant, just so
that I could breathe.
And then, once I had theassistant, I was able to focus
more on future goals and lookfor another team member on the.
I was actually looking for,like a video editor, and so that
gave me a lot more room inorder to look for something like
(15:16):
that to help me grow thebusiness further.
Jennifer Johnson (15:21):
Yeah, and it's always a fine line.
You're juggling Right Trying tofigure out do I grow this fast?
Can I hire somebody andactually give them what they
need to keep them on board?
Or are they going to be boredbecause I can't keep them busy?
There's a lot to look at boredor are they going to be bored
(15:41):
because I?
Tanya Lechner (15:42):
can't keep the busy.
You know there's there's a lotto look at.
Yeah, a hundred percent You're.
You're so right, especiallyeven when it comes to hiring
agents.
Because when I first started myteam, I did the same thing.
I hired three agents right awayand I was like, wow, I have a
big team of agents and it wastoo many at the beginning.
I should have started with oneand then really honed in on the
(16:03):
backend operations so that wecan continue to grow.
Jennifer Johnson (16:06):
But instead I just hired more and we were like
running around like chickenswith their head cut off until I
had, like a backend Right, butthen you know you've learned
from it, and operations, butthen you know you've learned
from it and and there's no, no,and I don't call them failures,
I call them hiccups that go on,I don't know, unused, I'm not
(16:28):
sure that that's the right word,but but it's an opportunity for
you to be able to learn from itand make something better, make
your process better.
Tanya Lechner (16:37):
Yep, you got that right.
I've definitely learned from alot of hiccups along the way, I
like that word.
Jennifer Johnson (16:45):
I think I mean , that's how we learn right.
It's not what we learn in atextbook per se, or maybe learn
from someone else.
It's making those hiccups andthat's where we see the room for
improvement and we can go fromthere and make those changes.
The problem comes in is when wedon't listen and we don't pay
attention to those hiccups andwe continue doing the same thing
(17:09):
over and over again.
We're going to keep getting thesame result over and over again
and wonder why am I not growing?
Why is this going where I wantit to go Right?
Tanya Lechner (17:19):
Absolutely yeah.
If you're not learning fromyour mistakes, then you're
probably not growing, andthere's a reason for that.
Jennifer Johnson (17:26):
Exactly, exactly so.
Do you have any, and could youshare any innovative
interviewing techniques orsomething that you do a little
bit differently in the hiringprocess with your employees?
Tanya Lechner (17:45):
Yeah.
So it comes down to thequestions, I guess.
And so one of the I think Imight've mentioned this before,
but one of the questions that Ithrow in there is what do they
want to make later?
Like, what's their ultimategoal a year from now, maybe five
(18:06):
years from now?
Like, how much money do theywant to make?
And do they have a specificidea of how they're going to
make that much money?
Because, you know, real estateis a little bit different, like
there's not a ceiling, and sopeople can potentially make a
lot of money, and so just thatquestion right off the bat helps
me understand how serious theyare.
(18:30):
And then I also like to focuson, you know, outside of your
career, like what is their lifelook like at home?
Like, do they, what do theylike to do for fun?
Right, I like to get to knowthem on a personal level,
because I feel like that notonly makes me have a better idea
(18:50):
if they're a good like culturalfit, but just if they're like
what their why is right, causethat's what everybody wants to
know, like what's your why?
Jennifer Johnson (19:00):
Exactly, it's what makes you tick.
It's what makes you want to getup in the morning.
Tanya Lechner (19:06):
Exactly, and so that those two things help me
determine it a lot on thepersonal side.
Jennifer Johnson (19:15):
Is there anything else you would love to
share with another entrepreneurto say you know what this really
helped me move my business, andnot necessarily just about
hiring?
Is there something that you'vedone or something that you've
realized that really opened upthose doors for you and made you
the light bulb go off and itreally changed you as a person
(19:39):
or you for your business?
Tanya Lechner (19:42):
yeah, I'm glad you said actually, something
that I've been focusing on thisyear alone is doing things that
make me uncomfortable, like that.
I'm not like doesn't keep me inmy comfort zone, because I've
noticed that it's just reallyhelped me grow, not just as a
(20:03):
entrepreneur but as a person ingeneral, Like I've.
I've went from, you know, beingafraid to talk in in front of
people to doing things like this, and you know I would have no
idea, yeah, and that was just,you know, six months ago.
So now I'm doing things likethis with you and other.
(20:27):
This is my third podcast and,yeah, and I love doing it.
I mean it.
It definitely makes meuncomfortable, but it helps me
grow as a person and I wouldrecommend to anybody just step
out and do it, and also insocial media.
There's so many differentaspects that I've grown so much
(20:48):
just this year alone.
Jennifer Johnson (20:50):
Growth comes out of being uncomfortable right
.
Tanya Lechner (20:54):
Yes, yeah, and it's hard.
I mean, if it was easy,everybody would do it.
Jennifer Johnson (20:59):
You're right, Absolutely Well.
Thank you so much for your timewith us today, Tanya.
Tanya Lechner (21:05):
Thank you, Jennifer.
I had such a great time and Ihope that we were able to
provide some other entrepreneursgood value.
Jennifer Johnson (21:11):
Absolutely.
If our listeners would like toget in touch with you, how can
they do so?
Tanya Lechner (21:15):
You can find me on Instagram at Tanya sells
sunshine, and all the othersocial media platforms too.
Jennifer Johnson (21:21):
I love it.
Tanya sells sunshine.
That's great I love it.
Tanya Lechner (21:26):
Well, it was such a pleasure.
I really enjoyed our timetogether.
Jennifer Johnson (21:30):
I did as well.
Thank you so much.
Tanya Lechner (21:32):
Thank you.
As entrepreneurs, we often hear
that our team is our mostvaluable asset, but how many of
us truly understand the art andscience of hiring the right
people?
In today's episode, we'retackling a challenge that can
make or break your businessFinding and hiring talent that
not only fills a role but fitsyour unique needs as a company
(00:21):
and your company culture.
I've been on both sides of thehiring table, from building my
own team at True Fashionistas toadvising countless
entrepreneurs on their hiringstrategies.
I've seen firsthand how theright hire can propel a business
forward and how the wrong onecan set you back months or even
years.
Today, we welcome into thestudio Tanya Lechner.
(00:43):
Tanya is a visionary founderbehind Sunshine Real Estate Team
in Texas, and she's passionateabout empowering others in the
realm of real estate.
With a dedication tounharnessing the full potential
of real estate professionals,tanya has become a beacon of
inspiration within the industry.
(01:03):
Welcome.
Tanya Lechner (01:05):
Thank you.
Thank you so much for having me, Jennifer.
I'm so excited to be here.
Jennifer Johnson (01:09):
I am excited to have you and I'm excited to
tackle this subject, because Iknow that it is a pain point for
a lot of business owners,especially now.
Tanya Lechner (01:20):
Yes, couldn't say it better myself, so it's up to
you.
Yes, couldn't say it bettermyself.
Jennifer Johnson (01:33):
We all struggle with finding the right
people to build our teams.
And what do you see with allthe entrepreneurs that you talk
to, whether they're real estateagents or all many different
walks of life in differentbusinesses?
What do you see is one bigmistake, if you will, or big
challenge that small businessowners make when they hire?
Tanya Lechner (01:51):
So something that I've even struggled with myself
, especially in the real estateindustry, is hiring just to hire
, because people are agentsespecially are just looking for
a place to hang their license.
A lot of times and they willinterview with a ton of brokers
(02:11):
and then we feel like sure, wecan hire on this person.
They seem like they might dosome work or something like that
, but we're not actually goinginto the deep strategies needed
to hire the correct person.
It's just happens to be theperson who's in front of us
right now, right.
Jennifer Johnson (02:29):
Right, it's a body and you're not hiring for
the role.
Tanya Lechner (02:33):
Correct.
That is definitely a bigmistake that I've seen even
other team leaders make, andevery like people that aren't
necessarily even in the industry.
They're just hiring becausethey need a body.
So that's a great way to put it.
Jennifer Johnson (02:48):
We've all been there because you know you need
somebody on your team.
Oh okay, that works withoutgoing any further.
Tanya Lechner (02:58):
Yep, exactly Go ahead.
That actually it actuallyhappened to me when I first
started my career or my team.
I had hired an agent who wasnot a good fit, you know,
overall, and so she kind ofbrought the team down and it
(03:18):
just wasn't really.
There wasn't very muchcollaboration, she wasn't taking
direction, and so luckily sheended up not being on the team
very long.
But it was just a really biglearning experience for me
personally in that case.
Jennifer Johnson (03:33):
And I think we underestimate too, when we hire
someone, that doesn't work.
That the law and we'll talkabout this, I'm sure, but the
longer we hang on to them, thelonger they can affect the rest
of the team.
Tanya Lechner (03:47):
Exactly yeah.
Jennifer Johnson (03:49):
Right Now.
I know there's a lot of talkabout cultural fit and making
sure that we hire the rightperson who fits with our culture
.
What are your thoughts on that?
What do you see as a culturalfit?
What's your definition of that?
Yeah, do you see as a culturalfit?
Tanya Lechner (04:06):
What's your definition of that?
Yeah, so that's a greatquestion.
When it comes to the culturalfit, the immediate thing that
comes to my mind is your vibeattracts your tribe.
People are always saying thatthese days, and everybody loves
to see authenticity, and so Ifeel like that needs to reflect
in your business as well, and soI feel like that needs to
reflect in your business as well, and so I'm looking for
(04:28):
somebody that's culturally onour same vibe and the Sunshine
Real Estate team.
We pride ourselves on beingpositive and fun, and so if we
find somebody that has anegative attitude or something
like that it just does, it's nota good fit culturally, which
(04:49):
ultimately brings down the team,kind of like what you were
saying earlier.
Jennifer Johnson (04:52):
Right, I know a lot of times, like you know,
you hire for the skill.
Oh wow, they've been a realtorfor, in your case, for 20 years,
oh my gosh.
But then we didn't hire fortheir attitude, we just hired
for their experience.
Tanya Lechner (05:10):
Exactly.
Yeah, that is so true.
It does come down to thatsometimes.
Jennifer Johnson (05:15):
Right and you can't, in my opinion, you can't
teach, you can't train attitudethat has to be part of you and a
lot of times you can't changethat.
Tanya Lechner (05:29):
Nope, I've tried.
It doesn't work.
Jennifer Johnson (05:31):
Right, you can't change people.
Now, on the flip side of hiringsomebody who you can't change,
have you had a time when youhired someone who was the exact
right fit and if so, what didthey do for your business?
Tanya Lechner (05:48):
Yeah, I actually just recently hired an agent who
is exactly what we needed forthe team.
I didn't realize it at the time, but since we hired her on just
about a month ago, she hasbrought the whole atmosphere up.
When we get in with our teammeetings, she's very positive
(06:08):
and she is a newer agent, so shedoesn't have a ton of
transactions under her belt, butevery time that she does she's
super grateful.
She loves helping other people,which is one of our core values
, and so having all of thosethings put together makes it
just makes the whole team feellike that much better by having
(06:32):
her on the team.
Jennifer Johnson (06:33):
I want to touch on something you just said
.
You said core values and thatthat's like a word that I hear
every everywhere.
I mean it's a.
It's something that I believein firmly.
I do a lot of everywhere.
I mean it's something that Ibelieve in firmly.
I do a lot of courses for smallbusiness owners on core values.
How did you come?
Tanya Lechner (06:53):
about finding your core values as a company.
So it took me a lot of time andit was a little bit daunting
too, because I'm just trying tofigure out what aligns most with
me and how I want to build theteam.
But ultimately it just it camedown to what's going to make my
agents successful and what'sgoing to help my team grow.
(07:15):
At the end of the day, and haveyou noticed that?
Jennifer Johnson (07:20):
I mean, I'm assuming do you have your core
values posted for your employees?
How do you share that with them?
Tanya Lechner (07:26):
Yes, so I do.
I actually.
It was probably, maybe evenjust like six months ago that I
put together a list of my corevalues and they're posted, and
if I could remember them I would.
I would I tell them to, but Ihave them listed and I do also
go over them with my agentsbefore I hire them on, and so I
(07:48):
send them the page.
I'm like does this align withyou?
And that's something that helpsthem actually grow as an agent
as well.
Jennifer Johnson (07:57):
That's great because your employees know what
you expect, because they knowwhat your values are, and it
just makes the entire processfor everybody much better.
Tanya Lechner (08:10):
Exactly Certainly .
Jennifer Johnson (08:15):
What are some effective strategies when you're
interviewing?
Okay, so let's say you'reinterviewing, you're
interviewing for an agentposition.
What are some strategies foreffectively identifying what,
before you even do thatinterview, what you truly need
(08:36):
as a company?
How does that process look from?
Oh, I need to hire.
Let me figure out what I needto hire for, what I'm looking
for in a person, and thenactually doing the interview.
How does that lineage play out?
Tanya Lechner (08:51):
So it really depends on what I'm hiring for,
right.
So if it is somebody on theback end, then I'm going to be
looking like a different type ofperson, right.
And then if it's somebodythat's in front of people, then
they need to have a differentkind of personality, and so it
(09:13):
starts there.
And then, once I determine whatkind of person I need to hire,
I'll align those type ofquestions with that part of the
process.
That makes sense.
Yeah, and I don't know if thatanswered the full question.
I might've missed a piece of it, but Well, it does.
Jennifer Johnson (09:34):
But then you're in front of them and
you're interviewing.
Do you have a set of questionsthat you ask everybody, or is it
you know?
You just kind of go off theresume, it does vary.
Tanya Lechner (09:46):
So you know, in real estate it's an interesting
industry where people don'tnecessarily have to come up with
a resume, they just you knowthey're going to any broker
because any broker will takethem essentially.
And so I go, based off of kindof like this, with how the
conversation is going and whatI'm feeling, as far as, okay,
(10:10):
this person might be a good fit,like I can move on with the
questions.
Otherwise I can kind of feellike you know body language, if
they're just not going to workout.
And one thing, like onequestion that I do ask that
always gives me a really goodidea, is like what is their
motivation?
Because that helps me realize,like, are they really all in?
(10:35):
or are they just kind of half in?
Jennifer Johnson (10:37):
Right.
It's hard to be one foot in andone foot out and be excited
about a candidate when that'sthe case Exactly Now.
I know on the news we keephearing about how the landscape
(10:58):
of hiring has changed and theworkforce has changed, and I
believe right now we have sixdifferent age groups in the
workforce.
Right now that's the most Ifeel like there's ever been.
I don't know what the stats areon it or not, but how have you,
in the time that you have hadyour business, how have you seen
the employment landscape change?
Tanya Lechner (11:18):
I've actually noticed quite a big increase in
expectations, and so people arewanting like the stars and the
moon whenever they're getting ajob.
And I mean, I just know from mypersonal experience.
When I was looking for a jobback in 2009 after the 2008
(11:42):
crash, it was totally different.
We were just grateful to beworking somewhere.
And now I feel like people arelike I need to get paid this
much, you know with inflation.
Of course, I can understandthat, but they're also saying
like I need to be able to workfrom home and things like that.
So I always find it superimportant to set expectations up
(12:02):
front and tell them this is notan easy job.
You're going to be workingnights and weekends, and if
that's not going to work for you, then it's probably better that
you've looked somewhere else.
Jennifer Johnson (12:18):
Right, exactly , we've seen the landscape
change ourselves, and it's a lotof what you're saying.
You get out of college andyou're not going to get the
stars and the moons.
You have to earn those as well,right.
And that's part of humanization.
Tanya Lechner (12:34):
It is, and I think it does have a lot to do
with the generation.
I hate saying that, but I dofeel like that is something that
comes along with it.
Jennifer Johnson (12:43):
Right Now when you're interviewing aside from
somebody saying I can't worknights or weekends, which you
would immediately be like not agreat fit but what are other red
flags that you've seen come upin interviews with potential
employees that made you go?
Not the right fit?
Tanya Lechner (13:06):
It's probably.
I mean it also comes back toexpectations.
So if they feel like they'regoing to be getting a bunch of
leads or something along thoselines and I mean you kind of
mentioned it like you know,wanting to not work that hard,
or on nights and weekends, likeit comes also back to the
(13:28):
motivation, right, and so how,how motivated are they?
And then I also want to knowhow determined are they to make
a certain amount of money,because at the end of the day,
people will work 24 hours a dayto reach those goals if they're
a good candidate.
Jennifer Johnson (13:47):
Right, exactly .
And again, I'd love to tellthem the expectations, or make
sure that they understand theexpectations up front, so that
there is they know maybe the jobisn't right for them.
Tanya Lechner (14:02):
Exactly, and you'll you know, you'll avoid
having to fire quick like justby not hiring that person in the
first place.
Jennifer Johnson (14:09):
Right right Now.
How do you and this is a verybecause I face this in the in
the retail industry and you'rein real estate how do you find
that fine balance between hiringfor your current need and
hiring for future growth,without overstepping either one
(14:31):
or undercutting?
Tanya Lechner (14:33):
Yeah, that's a tough one because sometimes it's
hard to prioritize, but that'skind of what you have to do is
prioritize what is the mostimportant at this point in time.
Like, for example, I needed anassistant and so that kind of
(14:53):
put my future goals on the backburner so I could focus on
finding that assistant, just sothat I could breathe on the back
burner, so I could focus onfinding that assistant, just so
that I could breathe.
And then, once I had theassistant, I was able to focus
more on future goals and lookfor another team member on the.
I was actually looking for,like a video editor, and so that
gave me a lot more room inorder to look for something like
(15:16):
that to help me grow thebusiness further.
Jennifer Johnson (15:21):
Yeah, and it's always a fine line.
You're juggling Right Trying tofigure out do I grow this fast?
Can I hire somebody andactually give them what they
need to keep them on board?
Or are they going to be boredbecause I can't keep them busy?
There's a lot to look at boredor are they going to be bored
(15:41):
because I?
Tanya Lechner (15:42):
can't keep the busy.
You know there's there's a lotto look at.
Yeah, a hundred percent You're.
You're so right, especiallyeven when it comes to hiring
agents.
Because when I first started myteam, I did the same thing.
I hired three agents right awayand I was like, wow, I have a
big team of agents and it wastoo many at the beginning.
I should have started with oneand then really honed in on the
(16:03):
backend operations so that wecan continue to grow.
Jennifer Johnson (16:06):
But instead I just hired more and we were like
running around like chickenswith their head cut off until I
had, like a backend Right, butthen you know you've learned
from it, and operations, butthen you know you've learned
from it and and there's no, no,and I don't call them failures,
I call them hiccups that go on,I don't know, unused, I'm not
(16:28):
sure that that's the right word,but but it's an opportunity for
you to be able to learn from itand make something better, make
your process better.
Tanya Lechner (16:37):
Yep, you got that right.
I've definitely learned from alot of hiccups along the way, I
like that word.
Jennifer Johnson (16:45):
I think I mean , that's how we learn right.
It's not what we learn in atextbook per se, or maybe learn
from someone else.
It's making those hiccups andthat's where we see the room for
improvement and we can go fromthere and make those changes.
The problem comes in is when wedon't listen and we don't pay
attention to those hiccups andwe continue doing the same thing
(17:09):
over and over again.
We're going to keep getting thesame result over and over again
and wonder why am I not growing?
Why is this going where I wantit to go Right?
Tanya Lechner (17:19):
Absolutely yeah.
If you're not learning fromyour mistakes, then you're
probably not growing, andthere's a reason for that.
Jennifer Johnson (17:26):
Exactly, exactly so.
Do you have any, and could youshare any innovative
interviewing techniques orsomething that you do a little
bit differently in the hiringprocess with your employees?
Tanya Lechner (17:45):
Yeah.
So it comes down to thequestions, I guess.
And so one of the I think Imight've mentioned this before,
but one of the questions that Ithrow in there is what do they
want to make later?
Like, what's their ultimategoal a year from now, maybe five
(18:06):
years from now?
Like, how much money do theywant to make?
And do they have a specificidea of how they're going to
make that much money?
Because, you know, real estateis a little bit different, like
there's not a ceiling, and sopeople can potentially make a
lot of money, and so just thatquestion right off the bat helps
me understand how serious theyare.
(18:30):
And then I also like to focuson, you know, outside of your
career, like what is their lifelook like at home?
Like, do they, what do theylike to do for fun?
Right, I like to get to knowthem on a personal level,
because I feel like that notonly makes me have a better idea
(18:50):
if they're a good like culturalfit, but just if they're like
what their why is right, causethat's what everybody wants to
know, like what's your why?
Jennifer Johnson (19:00):
Exactly, it's what makes you tick.
It's what makes you want to getup in the morning.
Tanya Lechner (19:06):
Exactly, and so that those two things help me
determine it a lot on thepersonal side.
Jennifer Johnson (19:15):
Is there anything else you would love to
share with another entrepreneurto say you know what this really
helped me move my business, andnot necessarily just about
hiring?
Is there something that you'vedone or something that you've
realized that really opened upthose doors for you and made you
the light bulb go off and itreally changed you as a person
(19:39):
or you for your business?
Tanya Lechner (19:42):
yeah, I'm glad you said actually, something
that I've been focusing on thisyear alone is doing things that
make me uncomfortable, like that.
I'm not like doesn't keep me inmy comfort zone, because I've
noticed that it's just reallyhelped me grow, not just as a
(20:03):
entrepreneur but as a person ingeneral, Like I've.
I've went from, you know, beingafraid to talk in in front of
people to doing things like this, and you know I would have no
idea, yeah, and that was just,you know, six months ago.
So now I'm doing things likethis with you and other.
(20:27):
This is my third podcast and,yeah, and I love doing it.
I mean it.
It definitely makes meuncomfortable, but it helps me
grow as a person and I wouldrecommend to anybody just step
out and do it, and also insocial media.
There's so many differentaspects that I've grown so much
(20:48):
just this year alone.
Jennifer Johnson (20:50):
Growth comes out of being uncomfortable right
.
Tanya Lechner (20:54):
Yes, yeah, and it's hard.
I mean, if it was easy,everybody would do it.
Jennifer Johnson (20:59):
You're right, Absolutely Well.
Thank you so much for your timewith us today, Tanya.
Tanya Lechner (21:05):
Thank you, Jennifer.
I had such a great time and Ihope that we were able to
provide some other entrepreneursgood value.
Jennifer Johnson (21:11):
Absolutely.
If our listeners would like toget in touch with you, how can
they do so?
Tanya Lechner (21:15):
You can find me on Instagram at Tanya sells
sunshine, and all the othersocial media platforms too.
Jennifer Johnson (21:21):
I love it.
Tanya sells sunshine.
That's great I love it.
Tanya Lechner (21:26):
Well, it was such a pleasure.
I really enjoyed our timetogether.
Jennifer Johnson (21:30):
I did as well.
Thank you so much.
Tanya Lechner (21:32):
Thank you.
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