I was having a conversation  with a top selling agent in my office and the topic of interns came up. When asked if I was still working with them in my practice, I responded with an ardent “yes”! My colleague, on the other hand, told me that they didn’t believe in the idea of training the competition. This person explained that it wouldn’t be a good use of their time and energy to put into someone that would eventually leave and ultimately fight for the same prospects in the marketplace.

How disappointing.

Young people and those new to our industry are our future. As advocates for our craft and industry, we should lend a hand to shaping that future.  

Most of us, at some point in our lives, have come into contact with someone that had a powerful influence on us, someone who contributed to who and where we are today. They may have given us a hand up in one way or another. There comes a time when we need to pay it forward; to improve the lives of others, our industry, and ultimately our entire community (this includes our interns too).

Train the competition.