MAIN IMAGE: Grant Gavin, Owner of RE/MAX Panache, Durban
Grant Gavin, owner of Durban-based RE/MAX Panache, has published his first book, Thoughtonomy, with the aim to help real estate agents and other stakeholders in the property sector to positively navigate South Africa’s unpredictable economy and turbulent property market.
As the owner of a franchise within South Africa’s largest residential real estate group, Grant has personally experienced all the challenges faced by the sector – from the global recession of 2008 through to looting and flooding in his home province, inflation and interest rate hikes and the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, although there is much uncertainty, with the correct approach, he is confident that the property market will recover and even grow and that the professionals that have carved careers for themselves can continue to succeed.
The book’s message is that one’s actions impact all of the outcomes in one’s life, both positive and negative, and that this behaviour is defined by your conditioned thoughts and beliefs. But, what if these thoughts and beliefs are fundamentally outdated when it comes to the world where you now find yourself or even the property market in which you operate?
This is one of the fundamental questions he asks the many members of his own property team he coaches.
“Coaching holds property professionals accountable by ensuring that they follow the most productive activities (behaviours) that will help them achieve the outcomes they want for their businesses. The book addresses what defines behaviour and, more specifically, how the way you think, or what you believe, may be currently holding you back or preventing you from fulfilling your potential,” he explains.
The first part of Thoughtonomy unpacks how the conditioned thinking that defines your actions may not even be yours to begin with. It has readers questioning the origins of many of their strongly-held beliefs about themselves and the world around them. This is followed by a simple four-step programme designed to empower the reader to take back control of their thoughts and emotions and, ultimately, their level of happiness and fulfilment in life.
He believes that the world has undergone a seismic shift over the past three years and that many real estate agents could well find themselves in a similar debilitating mindset as he did when he initially set out to mould his own career.
“Many property professionals battle with change and keep relying on outdated training, thinking and activities. They battle to adapt to the changing dynamics of the market and society and, because change is uncomfortable, they stay in their comfort zones and convince themselves that it is just the way they are. This is not true. It is just the way that they think they are. The book will get them to question everything they believe to be true, especially all the thoughts that are not serving them well. We see the world as we perceive it to be true. Change is possible for anyone,” he says.
Grant Gavin’s book, Thoughtonomy, is available from the RE/MAX Panache offices in Glenashley as well as www.thoughtonomybook.co.za. The is also an e-book version.
