By Carrie Rossenfeld
SAN DIEGO—Setting a good example, rewarding employees and encouraging diverse opinions are a few of the methods panel members touted as necessary to be a strong leader during Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate at the University of San Diego’s Fifth Annual Women in Real Estate Conference here yesterday. GlobeSt.com was on the scene as nearly 250 attendees listened raptly to the all-female keynote address and panel talk about success and leadership in commercial real estate.
The breakfast event began with a keynote address by Gina Champion-Cain, a USD alum and chairman of the board of American National Investments, who stressed the importance of relationships in the real estate business: “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” Champion-Cain spoke candidly and humorously about her career, which included time with the Koll Co. followed by forays into the live-music (as in bringing House of Blues to San Diego), restaurant (the Patio) and retail (a coffee-roasting shop and a new culinary-store concept she’s working on) businesses. She said she “never worked really hard to achieve one particular goal,” but instead measures her success by her “love of my dogs.”
Next came the panel session titled “Strategy and Leadership in an Increasingly Dynamic Real Estate Market.” Moderator Vicky Carlson, president and CEO of LEAD San Diego, asked panelists what led to their success as leaders and how they chose the people they hired. Vicki Mullins, EVP and CFO of Newland Communities, said hiring people she has confidence in who have passion, good judgment, character and integrity, has been key. Real estate advisor Barbara Cambon, a former elementary-school teacher who began her real estate career in 1981, said she focused on building a team with diversified skill sets and experiences that would drive success. And Karen MacLeod, principal manager of real estate for Sharp HealthCare, said rewarding, appreciating and trusting in her team has been important. “There’s nothing worse than micromanagement.” She added that leaders need to lead by example, and they need to be fair and provide team members with accessibility to them. Carlson summed up the panelists’ answers by saying that the common denominator was having the right team and people working for you.
Next, Carlson asked how the panelists find, train and keep talent. Cambon said using your network and being on the look for people who spark a relationship with what you are trying to accomplish is key, as is connecting at a personal level, which is increasingly challenging in this digital day and age. She added, “I had to help them understand their job was not to agree with me, that they had a responsibility to say what’s on their mind. A roomful of people who all agree don’t come up with new ideas.” She added that she recently read by a reputable source that having women on corporate boards increases the intelligence of the group. And finally, “when employees are contributing” to the betterment of the company, “they want to stay.”
MacLeod echoed the importance of networking to find good candidates, and she added that for retention, the way a leader behaves is important. Mullins said it’s important to avoid hiring “talented terrors”—people who are very good at what they do, but don’t get along well with others—because it’s bad for the group. “It’s all about skills and attitude combined.”
Carlson asked the panelists what each considers the main challenges in their respective fields. Mullins said finding and creating compelling reasons for Millennials to remain in certain markets and for Baby Boomers who want to downsize to buy homes is a huge challenge in home development. Cambon said getting to the bottom of what’s affecting portfolio performance is a main challenge in the investment realm, and MacLeod said the inability to find large blocks of space where rents are not skyrocketing and the cost of construction—particularly with Title 24—were challenges in the medical-office-building arena. She added that “if you’re not wired like Gina,” the corporate real estate industry needs facilities and property managers to make sure its portfolio matches its needs.
Cambon pointed out that career planning is not necessarily linear anymore; people don’t necessarily stay with one company their whole career, so “be open to finding your own personal intersection of what interests you and what makes you happy. Real estate is becoming international, so if you like to travel,” there are avenues in real estate to do that now.
During the Q&A session, one attendee asked Champion-Cain how she finances her pioneering ideas. She answered, “You have to convince the money people that your proposition works, that it is based on sound fundamentals, and you have to point out the negatives.” She said the most profound lesson she learned from failure was to “never give up; keep believing in yourself. No one is going to keep me down.”
To a question about succession planning, panelists agreed that this is very important and that employees need to see that there is a plan in place. Mullins suggested promoting from within if you can, and MacLeod said non-profits tend to do succession planning better than for-profit companies.
Finally, in answer to a question about challenges of doing business in California, Champion-Cain said it’s crucial that the state take control of its destiny and make itself business friendly. “This is a critical situation.” Cambon said the institutional capital view of California is that it’s costly to do business here, and that has to change.
By Carrie Rossenfeld
SAN DIEGO—More than 140 industry women and men attended CREW San Diego’s wine-tasting/fundraiser event at the Grand Del Mar Golf Club here last week. GlobeSt.com was on the scene as the organization raised money for its foundation.
In addition to networking opportunities, attendees were treated to tastings of several different wines as well as hors d’oeuvres. Raffle winners were announced for prizes ranging from exercise classes to goods and other services. A silent auction for gift baskets, jewelry, vacations and a plethora of other goodies was held, the proceeds of which went toward the organization’s CREW Network Foundation.
Special events held periodically raise several thousands of dollars a year for the CREW Foundation, which was founded in 1998 as the philanthropic arm of CREW Network. CREW Network Foundation is the only foundation dedicating its resources solely towards advancing women in the commercial real estate industry, and it is committed to bringing more women into commercial real estate with programs that educate women and girls about the career opportunities available to them and creating mentoring relationships for those new to the industry.
CREW San Diego is excited to announce the launch of our newly designed website. The new responsive website was designed by CREW San Diego member, Hoop5 Networks. “Although better known for providing exceptional IT Support to the construction and real estate market, Mandy and her team at H5 did an amazing job on our new website.” said Toni McMahon of Fuscoe Engineering and Director of Marketing Communications for CREW San Diego. “H5 is woman owned, upholds a great reputation as a premier IT Service Provider and is a CREW San Diego member sponsor… all great qualities that are also in line with CREW San Diego values.”
The newly redesigned website has been crafted to reflect what our members told us they need the most and also builds upon technology capable of addressing future needs.
Immediately CREW San Diego members will notice streamlined menus, simple navigation and access to the information they need, any time of day. By providing an improved destination, members and visitors have access to news and educational resources, community connections, event registration as well as membership tools and resources… all designed as a hub and gathering place for the Real Estate professional.
We will continue to expand our online content to bring our members updated and relevant information, so we encourage you to bookmark it, check back often and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to receive notice when updates and new content are added.
If you would take a brief moment to share your thoughts, we’d appreciate hearing how the new website experience is for you and how we can continue to improve it. Please email: tmcmahon@fuscoe.com
By: Katie Thisdell
Carisa Wisniewski can pinpoint the moment when the culture shifted at Moss Adams LLP.
Wisniewski, the public accounting firm's office managing partner in San Diego, was meeting with her fellow partners -- five men and one woman -- about the appointment of a quiet, qualified and distinguished woman to an open leadership role.
When asked to take it on, the woman was gracious and said she would respond after checking her other commitments.
The men in the meeting heard something different, though. They interpreted the response to mean she lacked the confidence and was turning down the position, and they should instead appoint a man who was loud about his desires but perhaps not qualified.
"We had a fabulous partner discussion on, 'What just happened?' " Wisniewski said. "When my female partners and I heard she was going to look at her commitments, we heard respect. She wasn't going to enter into it if she couldn't fulfill the job. We heard that she was taking it seriously. What we heard was so different from what my male partners heard.
"If we hadn't debriefed that as leaders, we would have continued to make bad decisions," she added. "We've tried to set the culture that self-promotion actually could backfire. Generally the people that say, 'I'm the best at that,' are not self-aware."
Wisniewski was among four panelists at a leadership event hosted by the San Diego chapter of CREW, Commercial Real Estate Women.
While little of the conversation focused on real estate, about 30 women -- and two men -- heard stories of success and failures, mentoring and job fulfillment, from leaders in a range of markets during the intimate event, held at the Sanford Consortium on Wednesday. Anne Benge, president of Unisource Solutions, moderated the panel.
Panelists shared their thoughts on how to self-promote -- depending on the environment, as Wisniewski said -- and how their identities as extroverts vs. introverts affects their day-to-day roles.
Lauree Sahba, chief operating officer of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., said her favorite phrase to say in meetings, to clarify different perspectives, is: "Can you say that another way? I don't think I understand." Sahba described how, before she turned 35, she believed she needed to make as much money as possible, work as hard as possible and move up the ladder.
"I did those things, and I was not unhappy," she said. "But at about 35, I was at a point in my personal and professional life where I realized I was getting a lot of pressure and accepting a lot of inputs from people" trying to define her success.
Shedding the idea that her career defined her as a person, Sahba, who says she has a great job with a great deal of success in a fantastic environment, has also furthered her personal passion for making a meaningful impact on the world.
Lindsey Back, chief financial officer at J Public Relations, shared how her career path has wound through the financial services industry, startups and working for herself.
"For me success was going to be when I was in a culture that really supported my life, and I was not watching the clock but knowing I had a voice in the company," Back said. "JPR looked to me as a leader, and I felt I was really making a difference. It's the first time I felt my life had balance."
But getting to that point wasn't simple. The bi-coastal, woman-run JPR had been one of her clients while she was in business for herself, and Back continued to do work for them while she worked at a Seattle startup.
During one phone call, she realized the opportunity to ask JPR for the role she wanted -- and her big ask paid off.
"When you finally ask for it and demand what you're worth, it's when it happens," said Back, who had long been accustomed to working in the male-oriented finance industry. "If you don't do that, you're going to keep waiting for them to recognize it."
To be an effective leader -- without being perceived as being bitchy -- Back said she models strong and stern positions, and is confident in her delivery.
"I know I'm a leader and that I need to show up," Back said, adding that a leader should model behaviors others strive to replicate.
Wisniewski and Sahba advised the use of sounding boards -- but not buddies at a bar, boyfriends and girlfriends, or even parents.
They said the role of mentors can be critical in charting a successful career path, as is choosing different people who model particular traits and asking them for help. "Seek them out, but you gotta ask," Wisniewski said.
Gonul Velicelebi, founder and CEO of Camino Pharma, has worked in biotech for 32 years, after choosing the industry over an academic career when she completed her post-doctorate training on the East Coast.
She's had few female mentors -- because 32 years ago, there were no women in biotech, she said.
"I think my role as a mentor has become more important to me than seeking mentors," said Velicelebi.
In the past six months, three people whom she had interviewed and turned down for jobs -- but suggested how they can become stronger professionals -- have come back to her and said her recommendations worked.
But, she said, mentorship is a dynamic exchange, and there is really no end to mentoring relationships. Today, her nieces and nephews continue to mentor her on current cultural customs.
By: Rebecca Bodemann
I love information technology! The impact it has had on our personal and professional lives over the last few decades is undeniable. Never have we had such a plethora of information available to us at any given moment. Sometimes it still amazes me that I can search any subject on the Internet and within a second have page after page of information at my fingertips. We can trade stocks, pay bills and file taxes online. Online education has added a new dimension to professional development. For commercial real estate professionals, vast amounts of information regarding research, listings and much more from around the world are available with a few clicks of a keyboard.
As much as technology has changed our personal lives, the business world in general, and commercial real estate in particular, have been revolutionized in incredible ways. As Internet and infrastructure allows information to travel faster and faster, the world has become smaller and smaller allowing even the smallest real estate-related business to operate on a global level. Most businesses today store information on computers and in the infamous cloud vs yesteryear’s file drawers and bankers boxes. Email provides the instant transfer of files anywhere in the world. Wireless internet makes it possible to work from home, a hotel, your local coffee shop or the beach. We are all tethered to cell phones, iPads, laptops, etc. Some may argue that the lines between our personal lives and professional lives have been forever blurred.
Though each of our job requirements are different, those in the commercial real estate field can all relate to “technology overload” on some level. Following are a few tips I’ve adopted to manage the abundance of emails and texts I receive to work smarter in the noisy world of sales to the real estate sector.
1. Create New Habits – Do you habitually check your cell phone looking for the latest text, email or social update? Do you sleep with your cell phone by your bed or reach for your phone the second the alarm clock goes off? Do you feel the need to respond to every email/text the second it comes in? Is your inbox your To Do List?
Try having a cup of coffee or breakfast before checking email. Allow yourself to set your intentions for the day without being thrown into a tailspin before you’re out of your pajamas! Try keeping your phone in another room at night. If you phone is your alarm clock (like mine was) buy a real alarm clock. Yes, they still make them!
2. Stay Focused on People – As great as email and text are, nothing trumps face-to-face communication. We all understand this, but it’s easy to fall into the habit of hiding behind email or text. Whenever possible, take the extra time to pick up the phone to make a call or schedule a meeting. This will add value to your relationships. When in meetings, refrain from checking messages and be sure to maintain eye contact. We all bring laptops to meetings. Be careful not to position yourself to where you’re hidden behind a laptop screen.
3. Establish “No Technology” Time – Statistics show that 51 percent of professionals check their phones continuously during vacation, 75 percent check within an hour of waking up and 48 percent check on the weekends. Email is a necessity for business and the truth is sometimes it is the best way to communicate. However, email can also be a huge distraction. Statistics show it can take as much as four minutes to re-focus on a task after checking email. Checking email constantly throughout the day may be an effective way to manage your inbox, but it can dramatically lower your productivity.
Try establishing a “focus hour” preferably in the morning or when you feel your energy and creativity are at their best. Use this time to focus on high priority tasks without interruption. Turn off email and text audible and visual notifications. Put the phone on do not disturb. Another useful tip is to check email at only certain times of day. If you’re worried about the delayed response, you can put an auto responder on your email letting people know that you don’t check your email constantly and provide an alternate way to get service if it is an emergency.
4. Power Down Daily – This tip may cause you to panic! It may not be realistic for some of us to completely shut down. While business may require you to stay connected 24/7, it is important to set limits as much as possible. When we are connected 24/7, it is hard to get the time we need to unwind and reset. If you absolutely can’t shut down, try keeping your phone on a charging station or in another room after hours and check messages at set times only. If you’re unable to set time to disconnect during the week, consider disconnecting at least one day on the weekend. Technology enhances our personal and professional lives. The key is finding the right balance and never forget the value of the human connection.
Rebecca Bodemann is sales manager at Xpedient Communications. She is a seasoned sales engineer with over 15 years of experience in the communications industry, specializing in voice/data infrastructure and consulting and engineering of technology solutions including voice, data, video, and security. She can be reached at rebeccab@xpdcom.com.