Rodney Fong – Understanding EQ and Building a Thriving Team in a Challenging Year

The importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) for a high performing team, business structure, planning, people management, marketing, communications - after a dose of the Icehouse, Rodney Fong has filled a host of knowledge gaps in the Ray White Tauranga and Bayfair business he owns with his wife Danielle.

Rodney talked to Kate de Lautour about being real in business.

“We had a rough idea, but we were kind of winging things a bit – you probably hear that a lot?”

Rodney Fong is one of the latest graduates of the Icehouse Owner Manager Programme and has been getting his head around ownership of a new business model, after 17 years of listing and selling Bay of Plenty real estate.

“We co-owned the Tauranga franchise with another couple, and it was a good learning curve but recently we transitioned into the property management side of the business along with building a sales team with 100 per cent ownership of the two businesses. We’ve had to learn much more about building a high performing team around us and how to stay profitable in a recession.”

Rodney points out that generational change is happening in the real estate sector in New Zealand and it’s creating a skills gap.

“It’s cyclical, people are exiting businesses, and new people are coming in. With that change comes a big knowledge gap. In our brand, we have an incredible amount of training available for salespeople and property managers, I know how to sell houses inside out but running a business and understanding salespeople is a different kettle of fish.”

Being in the Icehouse provided lightbulb moments.

“Halfway through the Programme, when we were presenting our business profiles, it all clicked for me – a real lightbulb moment. We’ve got two offices and immediately I realized I was wearing too many hats, probably like so many founders. So straight away, we looked at how to empower our leaders, how best to stay in our lanes, and set targets.”

Looking at targets has not just been financial but also soft targets around EQ and making sure that the team are in an environment they can thrive in.

“I think EQ is incredibly important in a business – maybe the most important in a business like ours which is all about communication. One of the Icehouse speakers, communications specialist Amanda Fleming has come to speak to the team, and they were blown away by what there is to learn about productive communications, both internal and external.

In real estate, we’re often dealing with stressful situations and it’s about reminding the team about the people they work for, reminding them to be kind and respectful to each other.

I see those changes as setting us apart from others in the industry who haven’t changed the way they work.”

Rodney is opening up opportunities for his staff to get a taste of the Icehouse training, enrolling two of his leaders into the Emerging Leaders Programme and engaging Icehouse coach Jamie Brock to deliver profiling tools for the wider team.

“This has helped with their growth and helped to get us all on the same page.”

Part of Rodney’s role is providing the energy and the mentorship to help the team succeed in what can be a very long game. Being in the Icehouse has provided connection with other high growth businesses from across industries and with that, additional perspective on the real estate sector.

“It was fascinating to see how other businesses are structured. Exporters and manufacturers for example, have really different challenges. Having a forum to talk openly about business without feeling like being a burden on someone was liberating for me and allowed me to go back to the office with renewed energy.”

Rodney has been selling real estate in Tauranga since 2006 and is also an accomplished auctioneer - a natural choice given he trained as a broadcaster.

Tauranga is not a hard-sell – it’s the least affordable region in the country thanks to a significant population increase since 2016 but volumes of sales have come back and prices have corrected. The property management business has been a challenging space with the cost of living going up.

“It’s been challenging for people in the community to make ends meet so we are seeing both sides of that, especially this year. Challenges are consistent, no matter where you are around the country.

Rodney Fong completed the Owner Manager Programme in 2024. Learn more about the programme here.