"Unlock the potential of your team by understanding their stories and values – it's the key to a thriving workplace culture."
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with a true industry luminary, Dianna Kokoszka. With an illustrious career spanning decades, Dianna’s journey in real estate, leadership, and coaching has been nothing short of remarkable. In this insightful conversation, we dive deep into the experiences and wisdom that have made her a prominent figure in the world of business and personal development.
Dianna’s story begins in 1978 when she embarked on her real estate career, eventually establishing her own brokerage with four offices. But her path took a transformative turn in 2005 when she assumed the role of CEO at Keller Williams International, tasked with building a coaching and training powerhouse.
Under her leadership, the company achieved unprecedented success, earning accolades such as the Stevie Award for Best Coaching Company and the Prism Award for Best Increase in Production Through Coaching.
Today, Dianna is not only a sought-after speaker, but she’s also authored a forthcoming book, “Becoming More: You Can’t Get to Better Until You Get to Different,” set to inspire leaders and individuals to reshape their limiting patterns and embrace a liberating mindset.
Join us on this journey as we unravel the insights, experiences, and aspirations of a true champion in the world of business and personal growth.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET FEATURED?
All interviews are 100% FREE OF CHARGE
Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Dianna Kokoszka: In 1978, I began my career in real estate – selling real estate and eventually opening my own brokerage, eventually growing it to four offices. In 2005 I moved to Austin and joined Keller Williams International as CEO to build a coaching and training company.
We built the world’s largest and most profitable real estate, leadership, sales, and transformational coaching company. Our team consisted of 357 one-on-one coaches who worked with nearly 5,000 clients weekly, 80 coaches with over 10,000 clients, and 57 coaches who trained over 175,000 agents using a program I wrote: BOLD Experience (Business Objective a Life by Design).
Our team continued to increase their production each year – one is now selling 4,000 homes per year with his team. Another client went from earning $400,000 per year to over $4 million annually. These are just a few of many successes!
We earned many awards, including the Stevie Award for Best Coaching Company and the Prism Award for Best Increase in Production Through Coaching. The BOLD program, Coaching Skills Camp, Advanced Coaching Skills Camp, any many other programs, all contributed to Keller Williams being honored as the number one training company in the world by T125 for 5 years straight, placing us in the Hall of Fame for Training Companies.
Now, I am a speaker who travels across the country to share my coaching insights with other leaders to inspire them to champion their own narrative and continue to develop their teams. I have also spent a lot of time working on my book, Becoming More:
You Can’t Get to Better Until You Get to Different (Maxwell Leadership Publishing, October 31, 2023). This book highlights research-backed systems used to recognize and reshape limiting patterns and how to embrace a liberating mindset.
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
Dianna Kokoszka: The team has been very supportive throughout the process of writing and promoting my new book, Becoming More: You Can’t Get to Better Until You Get to Different.
They have supported me during all the events and speaking engagements I have participated in this year.
With all of the travel, and the transformational trips I have been on with John Maxwell taking up so much of my time, they have kept the business humming. I am grateful for all that they are and all that they do. We celebrate our successes together, and often!
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle to keep talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued, and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are you adapting to the current shift we see?
Dianna Kokoszka: It’s important to understand your employee’s story and the direction they desire their life to go in. Even if it means a longer interview process, it’s important to understand their values and ensure they line up with the people they will be working with.
I believe that in order to keep people happy and engaged, they must continue to progress. When people are setting goals and achieving them, they are happy. We help people grow into opportunity, not go into opportunity.
I always say the speed of the leader sets the speed of the pack. To adapt to this shift, we as leaders must also continue to grow, and make personal development a top priority. After all, people do what they see. And our actions speak louder than words.
Here is a two-fold question: What is the book that influenced you the most and how? Please share some life lessons you learned. Now what book have you gifted the most and why?
Dianna Kokoszka: No matter what it is, the book I am currently reading is always influencing me. Some of my favorite books are:
Think and Grow Rich Developing the Leader Within, E-Myth, Boundaries, Good to Great, 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, 16 Laws of Communication, Everyone Communicates Few Connect, Intentional Living, The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, Atlas Shrugged, Never Split the Difference, Performance Coaching, Quiet Leadership, Younger Next Year.
The list goes on and on. Hands down, there is no one book that has influenced me more than The Bible.
When you come to my home, unless it is a party, you leave with a book of your choice. These books vary, for I buy many to give away. They are often by John C. Maxwell, Patrick Lencioni, Tim Elmore, John Wooden, Jeff Henderson, Don Yaeger, and more. There are so many.
It is challenging to say which one I gift the most, since every year at Christmas I give a book as a gift to all my nieces and nephews, siblings, and children.
Christopher Hitchens, an American journalist, is quoted as saying that “everyone has a book in them” Have you written a book? If so, please share with us details about it. If you haven’t, what book would you like to write and how would you like it to benefit the readers?
Dianna Kokoszka: My book Becoming More:You Can’t Get to Better Until You Get to Different, discusses how to overcome challenges using hard-won business and leadership insights.
With proven models and real-life applications, it guides readers through a journey to train their brain – to think in a way to be more, do more, have more, and give more.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
Dianna Kokoszka: In the realm of business, one of the most commonly underestimated aspects of running a company is the profound importance of vision and the role of leadership in communicating and embodying that vision.
A company’s vision serves as its guiding light, providing direction and purpose. As the old proverb goes, “Without vision, the people perish.” This underscores the idea that without a clear and compelling vision, a company can lose its way, and its employees can become disengaged. A leader must also have standards and foster relationships.
Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, was a staunch advocate for the importance of vision. He said he talked about the vision for his company daily. He told me he spoke of the vision so much that he felt that if he talked about it one more time he would throw up…And then of course he spoke about it again. This relentless emphasis on vision was a testament to its significance in driving a company forward.
People are either drawn to a company because of its vision or its leadership. However, a delicate balance between the two is crucial. If employees believe in the leader but not the vision, they might seek out another company whose vision resonates with them.
Conversely, if they are passionate about the vision but don’t trust the leadership, they might look for a different leader who shares their passion. For a company to truly thrive, it’s imperative to have team members who believe in both the vision and the leadership. This dual allegiance is the cornerstone of long-term success.
What does “success” in 2023 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Dianna Kokoszka: Success in 2023 is deeply rooted in the principle of adding value to others. It’s about championing their potential and capabilities, even when they might be doubting themselves.
My vision is not just about helping people realize that they can train their brains, but also about guiding them to craft their own narratives. It’s about empowering them to live a life by design, rather than by default.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Dianna Kokoszka for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Dianna Kokoszka or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
