Josh Saliba on Building a Driven Team Culture

Written by Acme Mag

Acme: Tell us a bit about the checklist process you’ve put together to get every team member on the same page?

Josh: I like to call it a menu. Everything you need is just there. And not just from a marketing perspective, but also who to call, what do say – really everything they need. Essentially one big checklist. So for me, it’s just about serving that on a platter for everyone. In the office, we’ve been able to cultivate a team with the same mindset – so everyone is heading in the same direction and wants to put the work in. 

Acme: So on mindset, tell us about the overall mindset for your office and your team?

Josh: It’s really just energy, enthusiasm, and confidence. But it’s intentional and I make a concerted effort to keep that mindset going. I’ve set up reminders in my calendar twice a week so I can set aside time to send out quotes and words of encouragement for the team. But I’m really making sure that my energy is, when I’m in a listing presentation for example, driving that energy, enthusiasm and confidence, but also making sure everyone believes they are actually integral to the team continuing to do their best. If they need advice on something, I make an effort to point them in the right direction so they can find the answer themselves. So that’s really been a large focus in the last six months for me.

Acme: Ultimately, your role is really coaching people then, isn’t it?

Josh: Absolutely. Josh Pheagan gave me some advice, that was essentially, “what do you want?” So I channelled that back into coaching my team.

The majority of the things people wrote down were non-business related – which was great. It allowed me to understand the team better, and also bring everyone closer together. Talking about their goals and encouraging each other.

Acme: I suppose that connects back to the idea of why people show up to work in the first place. What people actually want out of life. 

Josh: Exactly. There were a few people in the team who didn’t actually know what they wanted to achieve when we first set up the boards, which was fine. So we worked together to break down what these goals could look like. For my own goals in the past, I would use my phone or iPad to write them down. But what I realised was having them in front of you, it holds you more accountable. As soon as there’s an itch to procrastinate, the board is right there. And people will swing past and ask you about it. 

Acme: So were there any favourite goals you saw? 

Josh: To be honest, everyone’s goals were really unique to them. Some people wanted to wake up earlier, some people just wanted to be more consistent. So it was really nice to see what people wanted. As if we can all grow together, that’s really the next phase of the business. 

Acme: What is next for the business? How does this phase tie into everything?

Josh: Well we’re in the process of moving into a bigger office. It’s 150% bigger – 300sqm over two levels. It’s open plan, so I’m able to see and hear everyone, and we can feed off each other’s energies. Over the coming months we’ll be able to section off different areas for different activities too.