The Uncommon Leader Podcast

From Limiting Beliefs to Abundant Living with Alexis Rankin

• John Gallagher

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Ever wondered how resetting expectations can pave the way to a more balanced and fulfilling life? Join us on the Uncommon Leader Podcast featuring Alexis Rankin, a top business development leader in real estate, who reveals her transformative journey of overcoming limiting beliefs and aligning her career with her values of freedom, flexibility, and time management. Alexis takes us through her upbringing in a real estate family, the financial uncertainties she faced, and how she transitioned from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance. Her story is rich with valuable strategies for leveraging time, effective delegation, and creating a life by design, offering a roadmap for anyone looking to achieve success on their own terms.

In this episode, we also delve into the art of building a life by design, emphasizing the importance of understanding and aligning with your 'why.' Through personal anecdotes, I share my own experiences of transitioning from being overworked to regaining control over my life by setting boundaries and managing expectations. We explore the differences between coaching and consulting, the role of mindset, and the power of learning from mistakes. Book recommendations and personal stories punctuate this episode, making it a treasure trove of actionable advice and inspiring insights. Don’t miss out on the invaluable lessons that can help you achieve both professional success and personal fulfillment.

Thanks for listening in to the Uncommon Leader Podcast. Please take just a minute to share this podcast with that someone you know that you thought of when you heard this episode. One of the most valuable things you can do is to rate the podcast and leave a review. You can do that on Apple podcasts, or rate the podcast on Spotify or any other platform you listen.

Did you know that many of the things that I discuss on the Uncommon Leader Podcast are subjects that I coach other leaders and organizations ? If you would be interested in having me discuss 1:1 or group coaching with you, or know someone who is looking to move from Underperforming to Uncommon in their business or life, I would love to chat with you. Click this link to set up a FREE CALL to discuss how coaching might benefit you and your team)

Until next time, Go and Grow Champions!!

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Speaker 1:

Why are you getting away from why you started this to begin with? Why did you start it? And I said it's freedom, flexibility and time on how I spend it. And he said so. Then why are you allowing the business that you've built to do the complete opposite? And in that moment, I set all new expectations. Right, I had that fear of going back to my one-on-one clients at the time and resetting expectations. I had all these limiting beliefs of oh gosh, people are going to be upset, they're going to leave me, et cetera. And everybody thanked me, and the reason why was because I was now teaching them how to respect my time and, in turn, they were now learning how to respect their own.

Speaker 2:

Hey, uncommon Leaders, welcome back. This is the Uncommon Leader Podcast and I'm your host, john Gallagher. I'm thrilled to introduce today's guest, alexis Rankin. She's a powerhouse in the real estate industry, having been named the number one business development leader at Keller Williams and recognized by numerous publications for her outstanding achievements. In this episode, alexis opens up about her unique upbringing in a real estate family and how those experiences shaped her approach to success. We'll dive deep into some of the key strategies she's developed for overcoming limiting beliefs and fostering an abundance mindset. She also shares invaluable insights into leveraging your time effectively, the importance of delegating tasks and building a life by design that allows you to live on your own terms. This conversation promises to be a full of actionable advice and powerful lessons, whether you're in real estate or any other industry. Let's get started. Alexis Rankin, welcome to the Uncommon Leader Podcast. It is great to have you on the show. I'm looking forward to our conversation today. Tell me how you're doing first conversation today.

Speaker 1:

Tell me how you're doing first, well, thank you. Thank you so much for having me, john. I'm doing wonderful, doing great busy, which is awesome, and in our industry it's better to be busy than bored right. So doing well. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2:

No doubt about it. I don't think everybody has that luxury right now, so I'm looking forward to having a conversation with you about how you've turned it into that in the tough times that we are in that real estate space. So, before we get started on talking about you and your coaching, consulting and your business, I want to ask you the same question. I always ask my first time guests, and that's to tell me a story from your childhood that still impacts who you are as a person or a leader today.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, such a good question. You know, when I was younger. I come from a family background of real estate, right? So mom's been in it for over 25 years now at this point, and after college, it's actually what kind of motivated me 10 years ago to get into the real estate field.

Speaker 1:

You know, back growing up it was having a real estate mom.

Speaker 1:

If you will, I had always felt this kind of it was a really unique experience where all of my, you know, little friends had this certain lifestyle that they were accustomed to or used to, right, where, whether it was middle class, lower middle class, that was still a thing or what have you.

Speaker 1:

But they could always expect, right, what their life and their lifestyle was going to look like, what they could afford and they couldn't afford.

Speaker 1:

And you know a story to that is, in my childhood it was either, you know, lavish trips to Greece one year or the next year was like rice and beans, right. And as a kid you develop this sense of uncertainty and for a lot of us it manifests into this kind of scarcity mindset that I've had to really overcome and work through and now get the pleasure and opportunity of working with other realtors who have been kind of in a similar state that I once was and that my mom arguably still is, in terms of money and the mindset around money and going from scarcity to abundance and recognizing the beauty in doing so. So my childhood was really shaped. It was wonderful and it was really shaped on that inconsistency which manifested, like I said, in an uncertainty of money, and so it's been a huge reframe and change in the way that I operate and now I get to help hundreds, if not thousands, of realtors do the same.

Speaker 2:

Love that story. I could introduce you to my wife, who was the daughter of a real estate agent as well. And then as I grew and we got together and got married and as I grew, I actually teamed up with my mother-in-law for five years in real estate and she was a top sales agent as well. But she tells some pretty similar stories about the ups and the downs of what happens in that industry, of our long career. She had a 30-year career inside of that space and, frankly, working with your mother-in-law and we're still on speaking terms. Don't get me wrong, but it's one of the things they say is don't get into business with family. But it actually worked out pretty well and it's an industry that's challenging, regardless of the economic times that you're in.

Speaker 2:

Real estate agents in general at least in my experience have a tendency to be a little bit aggressive in protecting their turf and I guess, like any business owner, they would be. But it got to be kind of fun until I rode that to the bottom in 2008 with that last one and decided to get away or swim away from the sharks. But I look at your history your in real estate, your time in the business and look, it's very clear that you've had extreme success. The number one business development leader in all of Keller Williams in 2021, 2022, recognizes business reviews. 40 under 40 in 2022. Clearly, women leading technology in the Pacific Northwest, according to Greenbelt Magazine. All kinds of accolades. What are those things, alexis, that make you successful in that space? What are the things that you bring to the table?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you know, I think the accolades are always great to reaffirm somebody who's looking to work with myself that I, you know, know what I'm doing right. But really what it means to me is so much more. I have taken certain certifications to help around, like neuro-linguistic programming, for instance, which is not an accolade, and yet what it brings to the table is to really truly what I'm passionate about is helping people reframe their mindset around. More money doesn't necessarily mean you have to work more, and that's a limiting belief that so many of us carry or once carried. And you know, with those accolades, I, you know I appreciate them and I hold them near and dear to my heart. But to me it's just kind of the forefront of what I do and who I am, and my mission is to just help those real estate agents and small business entrepreneurs kind of break through some of those limiting beliefs with some strategies that I've created that have allowed me to ultimately do the same, which is work less and make more.

Speaker 2:

I can't wait to have that conversation and dive into that deeper, because I do think too many times that folks will hear that real estate and they think that it is just a money type industry. But to receive those accolades, it's clear that there's an uncommon characteristic that you have. That brings that to the table, though, as well, when you think about the problem, because you've now taken what you've learned in real estate and you're moving over into consulting and coaching other real estate agents, other business owners, in the process that you've developed and we'll get to the process here. But what are the problems that you see? You've mentioned mindset as one. What are the other problems you see with people that you're coaching?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's a great question.

Speaker 1:

I would say mindset is a really big piece of all of this. It's reframing, it's challenging our own limiting beliefs and rewiring the way that we think, because if we don't believe it, no one will Right and I always if for those that are listening that I've ever been a part of Keller Williams there's what we call a bold law, which is like your cells eavesdrop on your thoughts Right, and so your mindset is critical in what you're going to achieve. And so mindset is a big piece. And then, obviously, helping, take somebody who is in that scarcity mindset and what do I mean by that? Somebody who is always worried about where their next transaction is gonna come, who is what we call on that roller real estate roller coaster, if you will and attracting clients versus desperately seeking them. So taking that mindset from scarcity to abundance is a big part of what I do. And then, obviously, the strategies that we will cover, but I think that's probably the forefront or foundation that I see in so many people. That is the biggest challenge up front that we need to address.

Speaker 2:

Scarcity mindset versus abundant mindset, so prevalent into how, again, that industry works and many others. Thank you for sharing that. So you think about that, you think about those gaps, you talk about ultimately building a life by design. So, before we dive into even the process, what does that mean to you? What does building a life by design mean?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's a great question and one of my favorite books, simon Sinek's, start With why, and one of the things and strategies that I help entrepreneurs real estate agents do is actually end with why as well, and it correlates with that question. A life by design should be focusing on why you started it, but also ending with why you started it. Meaning for me my life by design is having the freedom and flexibility to live and do whatever I want whenever I want, and not be tied down to any certain place, person or time. And that's not necessarily my personal life, that's just with work Meaning. It's very important to me to essentially be my own boss, to have my own business and to thrive in such a way that, whatever that looks like for me at that given time, so that I'm never tied down or trapped to a certain place, if I want to pick up and go to Santa Barbara for six months which I like to do at times, I can, and so the way in which I spend my time is boiling that down to kind of my life by design and why I started this company three years ago and why I got into real estate initially to begin with. And so that's mine and quick story, if I may.

Speaker 1:

When I got into this, that was my big why and what I realized about six months in, like so many of those that I coach with they, like myself, I found myself working 60, 70 hours a week and being a slave to, ultimately, my clients and not putting up boundaries or setting expectations out of the get go. And I woke up one day after working a 75 hour a week and I had had 20 different one-on-one clients reschedule and I was letting that happen. And so my next week was about a 100-hour week and I looked at my business coach at the time and I said I didn't get into this. For this, I'm ready to quit. And he said something so profound to me. He says ultimately and now I have come up since, coined the term end with Y I'm going. Why are you getting away from why you started this to begin with? Why did you start it? And it said freedom, flexibility and time on how I spend it. And he said so. Then why are you allowing the business that you've built to do the complete opposite? And in that moment I set all new expectations. Right.

Speaker 1:

I had that fear of going back to my one-on-one clients at the time and resetting expectations. I had all these limiting beliefs of, oh gosh, people are going to be upset, they're going to leave me, et cetera, and everybody thanked me, and the reason why was because I was now teaching them how to respect my time and, in turn, they were now learning how to respect their own. And ever since then, I've been working, you know, 30 hours a week if that, and netting quite a nice profit in doing so, and everybody is happy, including my clients. So ending with why is something that I also see all the time that I work with clients, and I, too, have had that kind of similar challenge and experience.

Speaker 2:

Hey listeners, I want to take a quick moment to share something special with you. Many of the topics and discussions we have on this podcast are areas where I provide coaching and consulting services for individuals and organizations. If you've been inspired by our conversation and are seeking a catalyst for change in your own life or within your team, I invite you to visit coachjohngallaghercom forward slash free call to sign up for a free coaching call with me. It's an opportunity for us to connect, discuss your unique challenges and explore how coaching or consulting can benefit you and your team. Okay, let's get back to the show. Start with why and with why. Love that bringing that back in.

Speaker 2:

It reminds me of stories myself of when I got started in a leadership position for the first time in an organization and I fell into the got a minute phenomenon.

Speaker 2:

So if you don't schedule your time, somebody else will they knock on the door and ask if you got a minute. They call you if you got a minute. Of course I got enough age that they would not text me but send me a beeper mode because they couldn't find me on telephone. So they'd beep me and then they'd come and just knock on my door, and a minute is never a minute. A minute turns into 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes and, to your point, once you start allowing others to take your time, you're guaranteed to not be successful in utilizing your time. So when you can set it up as a boundary on how it is important, it can become pretty powerful. So you've got your success stories as you go through that. What are a couple of the disciplines, then, that you've put in place to ensure you can keep it that way at that 30 hours? What are some unique disciplines you have?

Speaker 1:

Gosh, you know, success is simple. So unfortunately they're not unique. The only difference is, I think, between me and the next person was what I always say is execution right, and that's something that I pride myself on in terms of. If you were to ask me what my uniqueness is, right, I calendar everything and everything from fun to work to travel time to meetings, to everything, and some people, especially early on clients, I will show them my calendar to kind of give them, as we're creating their ideal CEO calendar and I use mine as an example and they say, gosh, doesn't this stress you out? It's color coded, look how much you have going on. And it's quite the opposite.

Speaker 1:

People that genuinely prioritize their top 20% which for most of us business owners is money-making activity, and can learn to time, block, execute on that and leverage, slash, delegate. The rest is a game changer and I always I express and I share that story with so many people my first 30 hour, first year of a 30 hour work week, I netted half a million dollars a year. First year of a 30-hour work week, I netted half a million dollars a year. And people are so they have this misconception that, again, in order to earn that, you have to work 60, 70 hours a week and again. With the right strategy, such as just time, blocking execution and leverage slash delegation, it can completely change your life and build life by design.

Speaker 2:

So fun Time blocking. To me, it's a tool that I love to use as well, and you're right, there are individuals that you show and it stresses their mouths where actually it actually provides more freedom when you can be disciplined into it. One of the things that I've often talked about is good intention. Everybody has good intention on how they're going to use their time, but good intention without discipline just leads to excuses, and I think it's something that you run into all the time. Now you use the term delegation. I think there are leaders in any industry that would benefit or use leverage or delegate. How is it that you've come about delegating? What's the process you use to get there?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so I create what's called the missing persons report and I do this with. It's a strategy I do with 99% of my clients that haven't yet done that. A lot of people go I want to delegate and I want to leverage. And the two things I always hear is what do I delegate and leverage and I can't afford it? Right, and I have actually a system in which I teach in my coaching course how to actually realize that you can't afford not to, and I've helped a lot of people see that, which is great, and they thank me every single time later. And the other part of that is what? What do I delegate? What do I leverage? Because for some, delegation is actually very uncomfortable because they, as leaders, a lot of people think, oh, I'll do it better myself.

Speaker 1:

If you've ever, if you're listening and you've ever struggled with that, I've been there. I've worked many, many executives who have been there and what I've realized is, when you create what's called a missing persons report, there are times in our day where you're doing something and you ask yourself why am I doing this? Why this is I either hate this, it doesn't bring me joy, I'm not good at it, or somebody could be better and or it's taking away from my money-making opportunities my top 20%. So I start with a missing persons report with every realtor, executive or entrepreneur that I'm working with and what we find is there's around every single time, there's anywhere from 15 to 30 things that a person does in a given day that can be leveraged to somebody who probably makes a fraction of what they do, and that's kind of how we figure out the what and the who.

Speaker 2:

The missing persons report. I love the names of some of those things that you have, so cool. Alessia, you've talked about your success story personally. Can you give me an example, without sharing too much, of how you've helped an individual? You talk about transforming lives on your website, but how you've helped one of your clients transform their life utilizing your system.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so a lot of my clients, as I've mentioned, are either realtors, executives within brokerage owners, owner partners, team leaders or presidents, and then some executives and entrepreneurs In the real estate field or industry.

Speaker 1:

Specifically, we've had several wins, whether with mega agents or presidents of brokerage owners, and I would love, one of my clients, who was in real estate for a very long time, was doing around 10 million a year and could not break through that, just could not.

Speaker 1:

And when we dug deeper, it was this very raw, deep wounded, limiting belief that, as we find with most, they were sabotaging and getting in their own way, focusing on the administrative tasks and checking off boxes each day to feel like they had won the day, when in reality they were too afraid because their limiting core beliefs was that if I make more money, I'm going to have to work more, and they valued traveling.

Speaker 1:

This client of mine took off probably four to five months per year and that was what they valued and I am so proud to say he's doing $50 million a year right now traveling the world and works about four months out of the year, and we didn't even have to build this high-level executive team because not a lot of realtors want to do that. They're not into overseeing people or leadership for that matter. They got into real estate because they want to work with clients, and that's great. So it's about finding the right coach and consultant that can help you figure out where your missing pieces are and figuring out the proper leverage, because this person is working, like I said, a couple months out of the year doing 50 million in sales volume and has two people on their team.

Speaker 2:

That's crazy Great results. Thank you for sharing that story. Now, you mentioned coaching and consulting. It's part of what you do. How do you distinguish between the two? What's different in your process?

Speaker 1:

Yes, so that's a really, really great question. I learned this early on, from Diana Kokoska, actually, who, again, keller Williams listeners will know who that is Incredible woman, very brilliant. I was doing what's called a coaching skills camp with her back in 2017. And this was pre-COVID, so it was in-person, board-breaking three or four days of just learning how to be a great coach, and at that moment I had learned and internalized the difference and realized I like to do a little bit of both.

Speaker 1:

A coach is somebody who's going to help you ask or is going to help you self-realize through powerful questions to come to your own determination and your own, ultimately, decisions on how to push forward, and I believe personally this is personal belief that that is really great.

Speaker 1:

In a lot of times, I take a consulting approach where, when we've done that so many times and I'm in an industry and coaching to an industry that I'm, you know, over a decade in and very well versed in that, if I sense the client is getting frustrated and I know of a better system and they are asking for it and we've gone through coaching over and over and we can't come to that realization or they can't come to that realization together, that's where I put on my consulting hat and I ask permission to consult them and ask them if they want maybe a potential better solution that I've used, with no guarantees it's going to work in their market, and nine out of 10 times they give me permission and it works, because there are those certain strategies that just work regardless of where you live.

Speaker 2:

That's right. Process-wise again, as you take through the steps, you use the discipline to go through those things. Process-wise again, as you take through the steps, you use the discipline to go through those things. I'm sure some of them would even say why didn't you tell me that to begin with, in terms of you know because part of that was a selfish question that I do both coaching and consulting as well, and it's something that the lines get blurred Do you have an area that you'd like to do more, or are they both kind of just very fulfilling for you?

Speaker 1:

They're both very fulfilling, it depends. I, like you, had mentioned a business development. I had recruited more people and grew our brokerage and company dollar and revenue out of any you know Keller Williams office out of 850, two years in a row. So I feel very confident in that conversation and so I probably, if I'm being honest, will spend a little less time coaching somebody who has hit a wall, whether they're a team leader or a president or brokerage owner, than I would maybe a mega agent who's looking to build some seventh level team, for instance. Right, though I have the experience in both, there are times that I will take more of a consultative approach in that regard.

Speaker 2:

Okay, let me ask you a question kind of separate, just more about your personal development, you as a leader and as a successful entrepreneur. You mentioned Simon Sinek's book that had influenced you early on in your career. You've got the One Thing behind your shoulder there in terms of a book as well. What are other books that have influenced you? Or maybe more specifically, what do you do from a personal development and habit development standpoint that helps you stay current but also helps you to continuously grow?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, my favorite book, and I recommend it actually to every single one of my clients. In fact, there are some that I will say listen, you got to read this before we even proceed, and it's called Letting Go by Dr David Hopkins, and I believe that, as long as you're staying sharp up here and helping yourself get out of your own way, and for all of us we have that opportunity at some given point in time, if not always, developing that it is a book that will challenge you in many ways as a person on the personal development side, which, in turn, I always see yield the results on the on the professional. So that is, I, always my go-to recommendation.

Speaker 2:

You have, um, I mean, mindset is real big, uh, in your uniqueness leverage. Was there, was there a time that kind of that clicked for you? Was there a catalyst that drove that? As you know, what made you realize that mindset was so important?

Speaker 1:

Because when I shifted mine my entire life changed and when it wasn't a priority, my life looked very different. So I've seen kind of both sides and I chose at that time to prioritize it and I struggle personally with. I always say I'm in recovery for control or a recovered control addict. Right, I do struggle with that. I don't love the unknown and there's things that innately, probably from childhood and as we've developed right, we kind of inherit. So I had to do a lot of unwiring and a lot of or rewiring, I should say, and unwinding, and I've seen the difference between being in that space and not and I would choose not all day. So keeping sharp in that mindset is so critical because typically we are the ones to get in our own way, whether that be personally or professionally.

Speaker 2:

There's no doubt about that. We get in our own way more than that. And that's that mindset, those limiting beliefs, that inner critic that's inside of our head that talks to us all the time generally is not positive. And when we can have that conversation with them and ask them to kind of get the heck out of the room, kind of thing, that's going to be where we're going to be successful or let go, kind of thing.

Speaker 2:

Maybe a more traditional kind of leadership question for you what's your favorite mistake you've ever made and learned from?

Speaker 1:

Personally or professionally.

Speaker 2:

Sure.

Speaker 1:

Sure, sure. My favorite mistake I've ever learned from Um geez Louise, that's a hard one, oh gosh, just what comes to my head and being vulnerable is probably my ex-husband. Yep yeah, so many learnings, so many learnings. So that's on a personal side and it translated honestly. What I've learned about myself has translated dramatically into the impact of my business. So I always say, whether I'm talking to a client or for those that are listening, your personal life and your professional life are not two separate things and people get really, really attached to that concept and I help people really see that you can learn and make mistakes and grow in both and both are going to impact each other and so they aren't two separate things. You are one being wearing two roles or having the right. You're in two roles at home, at work, what have you?

Speaker 2:

So I appreciate the vulnerability with that question. Does that one even posing it as your favorite mistake? I was on a podcast called my Favorite Mistake one time. It's been years ago and it forces you to think of it a little bit differently because as long as we can treat them as learning opportunities, each time regardless, they become a little bit, almost good. And that's my dad, the best advice he ever gave me on a mistake or something that happened. He says you don't realize it now, but it's the best thing that's ever happened to you. It takes a while to figure that out.

Speaker 2:

As we go through that, I believe that our story's been written as a man of faith and that all those things happen for us and not to us. On that journey A lot of maybe cliche and some of that last rambling of mine, but I think it's important for us to know and ultimately, building a life by design, as you've talked about, you're exactly right. That includes those places where we invest our time for work, but also in our life, and the two things cannot operate separate from each other, regardless of the industry that you're in, regardless of the work that you do, if you're just a mom or a dad and you stay at home, or it's something that is very important to you from a vocational standpoint. So all those things are very important. Alexis, I think it's been a great conversation today. I want you to let the listeners know how they can get in touch with you and learn more about you.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you can go to my website. Um, and I just launched it. It's uh, the alexishalekiscom, hence the name change there Um and um. Or my phone number is 9, 2, 5, 8, 1, 8, 1, 0, 6, 6, in the process of a full rebrand given my favorite mistake. And uh, so I can give out my phone number and um website, because the email is in the process of being changed.

Speaker 2:

I'll make sure that we put those links in the show notes. Alexis, I appreciate your time that you've invested with the listeners today. I wish you the best, but I want to finish up with the last question that I always use for first-time guests. If you could answer this question, I'm going to give you a billboard. You can put any message you want to on that billboard. What's the message that you put on there and why?

Speaker 1:

It's never too late to start over, and the reason why is because I truly believe that. So for anybody who's listening, whether you're personally going through a certain situation, or you're getting into a new industry, or you're leaving one that you're well familiar with and getting into something new or starting entrepreneurship, it's never too late to start over.

Speaker 2:

That's awesome. Thank you, Alexis. I wish you the best going forward as you get started again and much success to you, okay.

Speaker 1:

Thank you Appreciate it. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. And that wraps up another episode of the Uncommon Leader Podcast. Thanks for tuning in today. If you found value in this episode, I encourage you to share it with your friends, colleagues or anyone else who could benefit from the insights and inspiration we've shared. Also, if you have a moment, I'd greatly appreciate if you could leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback not only helps us to improve, but it also helps others discover the podcast and join our growing community of uncommon leaders. Until next time, go and grow champions.