On February 19th, the foothills real estate community lost a titan. To say that Kevin Wilson was simply the managing broker or owner of Keller Williams Foothills is misleading. Kevin was the type of person you’d marvel at as he rolled up his sleeves and took on multiple businesses. Many leaders like this delegate myriad aspects of the job, and though Kevin did delegate, he was never an absent leader.
I consider myself incredibly lucky to have worked as a real estate agent under Kevin. But my true honor was serving him in a leadership role as Team Leader at Keller Williams Foothills. As a brokerage of 70 agents, we all felt immensely blessed to learn from Kevin. And yet, I think I’m among the luckiest of us because he was my employer.
“The space he created for me to evolve allowed me to make the job my own.”
I’ve had many jobs over the years, each with its own head honcho. I’ve seen everything from completely absent to supremely effective leaders. Because I was acutely aware that I was enrolled in a master class on leadership while working under Kevin, I made it a habit to observe him and try to understand the principles he employed. I never had the chance to ask him outright whether his approach was studied or instinctual—my money is on instinct—but knowing Kevin, it was also shaped by years of management experience and good, old-fashioned trial and error.
Here are some of the most important things I learned about being a leader from my mentor, boss and friend, Kevin Wilson.
Set Clear Expectations
When I started my job as Team Leader, Kevin gave me a list of tasks to complete during my first 30 days. He didn’t expect me to be able to run the brokerage in that time. The expectations were basic—building stepping stones for my role. After that first month, I received another list for the next 30 days. And, as you’ve probably guessed, I got another for my third 30 days.
I appreciated that my role and duties were clearly defined. And Kevin communicated with me repeatedly during those first 90 days, establishing a habit of regular communication and accountability.
Communication and Alignment
That habit of communication was built through regularly scheduled meetings—both for our entire leadership team and for me individually. Every Friday at 4:15, I would get a call from Kevin asking how the week went, where I stood with my goals, and what I might need help with. It was a brief check-in, but his intention was to make sure I wasn’t carrying anything from the week into the weekend. He wanted me to step into the weekend with a clear head so I could return refreshed the following week. I still watch the clock at 4:15 on Fridays because I could set my watch to Kevin’s call. He was consistent, and I always knew that no matter how busy the week had been, he’d set aside time to connect.
Delegation and Trust
Most employers delegate tasks but then micromanage their completion. I’ve seen it over and over, and I’m sure you have too. Nothing is more frustrating than being hired for a job and then not trusted to do it. While trust needs to be earned, it’s hard to demonstrate your abilities without the freedom to take ownership and grow into a role.
I was always struck by Kevin’s trust in me. Don’t get me wrong—most people who know me trust me. But the leeway Kevin gave me to develop my own version of the role was memorable. He even allowed me to try things, knowing they may not have worked in the past. The space he created for me to evolve allowed me to make the job my own. It also built trust in me from others in the office, who saw me taking the helm and being creative in executing my goals.
Keep It Between the Lines
When I first started at Keller Williams, I remember Kevin talking about emotion. He drew a chart with an oscillating line between an upper and lower boundary, illustrating how a career in real estate can feel like a roller coaster. Then he drew a straight line through the middle.
“This represents your emotions,” he said. “You have to keep them between the lines.”
This is the piece of advice I return to most often. It’s easy to get swept up in emotion—after all, clients are navigating transactions involving their home, their center. It’s inherently emotional. But my job is to remain professional, to be the rock for my clients. That can only happen when you remove emotion from your reactions and remember that, at the end of the day, this is a business transaction. Easier said than done, no doubt—but essential to being the best agent you can be.
As I write this, I hope I’m conveying the awe in which I held Kevin. He was an incredible mentor to many—so much so that we coined an acronym in our office: WWKD (What Would Kevin Do)? We use it often. It reminds us to behave like leaders.
And for that, among so many other things, I am eternally grateful for the role Kevin played in my life. I miss him terribly.
