This is an HTML version of an article that ran in Real Estate Forum. To see the story in its original format, click here. If one were to look on paper at what makes a great leader in commercial real estate, the criteria would certainly include financial performance, transaction volume, shareholder returns or the number of properties the firm owns or manages—depending on the type of business the individual leads. And a quick look at some of the data available on the industry would make the task of selecting CRE's top leaders relatively easy. Real Estate Forum
THE BEST BOSS OF 2016 Andrew Wright
To reach his 10-year goal of growing Franklin Street to be a national brand with offices in the top 35 metro markets, Wright is looking to grow organically. To accomplish this, he makes it his mission to make the firm a “great place to work.” As such, he's implemented such initiatives as regularly scheduled “lunch and learns,” sales meetings to share business development opportunities and “all-hands” collaboration meetings to share trends and updates. He offers mentorship-based employee training with internal promotion opportunities, quarterly team-building events in each office and annual reward trips for top sales and corporate employees. He also established Employee Appreciation Day as a paid holiday and holds and an annual year-end party and awards ceremony for all offices. That's in addition to the firm's philanthropic activities; staffers receive company-paid time off to volunteer in the community and, in 2014, the United Way Suncoast recognized Franklin Street as a Top Volunteer Workplace.
"The quality of your relationships is what will stand the test of market cycles. It takes a lifetime to build a reputation. It can take 30 seconds to ruin it."
Yet what's written on paper only tells so much of a story. Of the dozens of comments Wright's colleagues shared, here are a few that illustrate his influence as a leader.
THE INFLUENCER Gail S. Ayers
“Always do the things that scare you. It helps you focus on where you need to grow—and go.”
MOST INSPIRATIONAL Michael W. Brennan
“When anyone reflects back on the best boss they ever had, it was never their brilliance that endeared them to us. It was how they made us feel about ourselves.”
Here is just a handful of the hundreds of comments we received about Brennan in our survey: “I feel energized and excited to come to work each day.” “It's great to come to work every day and know who is steering the ship.” “He is one of us: he knows the businesses, knows the demands of our job and is willing to do any job in our company.” “His openness and authenticity are the two attributes I noted immediately the first day I met him.” “He makes everyone in the organization feel like their tasks are crucial to the overall progression of the company.” “He is the the glue that holds our company together.”
MOST INNOVATIVE David Brickman
“The world is changing, along with housing in America and the urban landscapes in many cities. We strive to be at the forefront of that change and help to steer it in a positive direction.”
MEN OF THE PEOPLE Richard J. Campo & D. Keith Oden
“Being successful in business is not about making money or having a good position. It's about doing good for the broader community.” —Campo
MOST SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS Daryl J. Carter
“In order to become more successful, it's important to study success”
MR. SUSTAINABILITY Michael Dardick
“We can all do something today to help improve tomorrow.”
VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY Jeffrey DeBoer
“Don't be afraid to take risks and understand why you succeeded or failed. Do not make excuses.”
THE GLOBAL CITIZEN Colin Dyer
That means working to promote and protect the economic, social and environmental interests of current and future stakeholders, having a positive impact on the world around it and contributing to the world's prosperity over the long term. Dyer ensures that all his employees understand that sustainability is a driver for improved performance, better client service, better value to shareholders and better career opportunities for employees. 2
THE ONE TO WATCH Conor C. Flynn
“Life is short and speed is life. Make an impact with the time you have, effect change by pushing the envelope and evolve.”
Flynn represents a new breed of CEO. Having joined Kimco as an asset manager in 2003, he moved up the ranks to become COO, CIO and president of the Western Region before being elected to lead the firm. Not yet 40 years old, he is bridging the gap between the old school and the new. He doesn't limit transparency and communication to quarterly earnings calls; Flynn is a regular on Kimco's social media accounts as well as its award-winning blog. He's also driven Kimco to adopt new technology that will improve operations and grow revenue throughout its 550 shopping centers.
THE MIRACLE WORKER Steven P. Grimes
“If you start with the end in mind and always look for what's not on the page, you'll always be able to get around detours on your road to your ultimate destination.”
MOST PROACTIVE Tobin Grove & Steve Van Amburgh
“The people of your company do not work for you. You work for them.” —Van Amburgh
THE GENTLEMAN Larry P. Heard
“What drives me? Competing to achieve at a high level with a team of terrific partners and developing lasting relationships —doing what say we will do.”
THE DIVERSIFIER Kevin Maggiacomo
MOST HANDS-ON L. Heather Mitchell
MOST CONNECTED Tim Morse
“Whether you're building a career or a business, focus on making a long-lasting positive impact, not short-term gains or gratification.”
THE STRATEGY & EXECUTION MAN Hessam Nadji
THE COLLABORATOR Jay Olshonsky
“Fear and the burning desire to do better drive me. If you work for someone who always says 'you cannot' or 'no,' run away.”
MOST NURTURING Eduardo Padilla
THE ICONOCLAST William O. Passo
“Each day brings new opportunities and challenges, and I don't want to miss them.”
LORD OF THE EMPIRE Jorge M. Perez
“You can only become truly good at something if you're passionate about it.”
THE ACTUALIZER Mark Rose
“As a leader, your role is to make everyone around you better than you are. People are not fungible; they are the foundation of success.”
THE TURNAROUND KING Glenn Rufrano
“Real estate is a great industry with many entry points. If you can find a role that fits your personality and one in which you have a passion, you will excel.”
THE POWERHOUSE Bob Sulentic
MOST BANKABLE Christopher H. Volk
THE PERENNIAL CEO Brett White
|
METHODOLOGY
Real Estate Forum Forum
HOW DO EMPLOYEES FEEL ABOUT OUR 26 FINALISTS?
This is an HTML version of an article that ran in Real Estate Forum. To see the story in its original format, click here. If one were to look on paper at what makes a great leader in commercial real estate, the criteria would certainly include financial performance, transaction volume, shareholder returns or the number of properties the firm owns or manages—depending on the type of business the individual leads. And a quick look at some of the data available on the industry would make the task of selecting CRE's top leaders relatively easy. Real Estate Forum
THE BEST BOSS OF 2016 Andrew Wright
To reach his 10-year goal of growing Franklin Street to be a national brand with offices in the top 35 metro markets, Wright is looking to grow organically. To accomplish this, he makes it his mission to make the firm a “great place to work.” As such, he's implemented such initiatives as regularly scheduled “lunch and learns,” sales meetings to share business development opportunities and “all-hands” collaboration meetings to share trends and updates. He offers mentorship-based employee training with internal promotion opportunities, quarterly team-building events in each office and annual reward trips for top sales and corporate employees. He also established Employee Appreciation Day as a paid holiday and holds and an annual year-end party and awards ceremony for all offices. That's in addition to the firm's philanthropic activities; staffers receive company-paid time off to volunteer in the community and, in 2014, the United Way Suncoast recognized Franklin Street as a Top Volunteer Workplace.
"The quality of your relationships is what will stand the test of market cycles. It takes a lifetime to build a reputation. It can take 30 seconds to ruin it."
Yet what's written on paper only tells so much of a story. Of the dozens of comments Wright's colleagues shared, here are a few that illustrate his influence as a leader.
THE INFLUENCER Gail S. Ayers
“Always do the things that scare you. It helps you focus on where you need to grow—and go.”
MOST INSPIRATIONAL Michael W. Brennan
“When anyone reflects back on the best boss they ever had, it was never their brilliance that endeared them to us. It was how they made us feel about ourselves.”
Here is just a handful of the hundreds of comments we received about Brennan in our survey: “I feel energized and excited to come to work each day.” “It's great to come to work every day and know who is steering the ship.” “He is one of us: he knows the businesses, knows the demands of our job and is willing to do any job in our company.” “His openness and authenticity are the two attributes I noted immediately the first day I met him.” “He makes everyone in the organization feel like their tasks are crucial to the overall progression of the company.” “He is the the glue that holds our company together.”
MOST INNOVATIVE David Brickman
“The world is changing, along with housing in America and the urban landscapes in many cities. We strive to be at the forefront of that change and help to steer it in a positive direction.”
MEN OF THE PEOPLE Richard J. Campo & D. Keith Oden
“Being successful in business is not about making money or having a good position. It's about doing good for the broader community.” —Campo
MOST SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS Daryl J. Carter
“In order to become more successful, it's important to study success”
MR. SUSTAINABILITY Michael Dardick
“We can all do something today to help improve tomorrow.”
VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY Jeffrey DeBoer
“Don't be afraid to take risks and understand why you succeeded or failed. Do not make excuses.”
THE GLOBAL CITIZEN Colin Dyer
That means working to promote and protect the economic, social and environmental interests of current and future stakeholders, having a positive impact on the world around it and contributing to the world's prosperity over the long term. Dyer ensures that all his employees understand that sustainability is a driver for improved performance, better client service, better value to shareholders and better career opportunities for employees. 2
THE ONE TO WATCH Conor C. Flynn
“Life is short and speed is life. Make an impact with the time you have, effect change by pushing the envelope and evolve.”
Flynn represents a new breed of CEO. Having joined Kimco as an asset manager in 2003, he moved up the ranks to become COO, CIO and president of the Western Region before being elected to lead the firm. Not yet 40 years old, he is bridging the gap between the old school and the new. He doesn't limit transparency and communication to quarterly earnings calls; Flynn is a regular on Kimco's social media accounts as well as its award-winning blog. He's also driven Kimco to adopt new technology that will improve operations and grow revenue throughout its 550 shopping centers.
THE MIRACLE WORKER Steven P. Grimes
“If you start with the end in mind and always look for what's not on the page, you'll always be able to get around detours on your road to your ultimate destination.”
MOST PROACTIVE Tobin Grove & Steve Van Amburgh
“The people of your company do not work for you. You work for them.” —Van Amburgh
THE GENTLEMAN Larry P. Heard
“What drives me? Competing to achieve at a high level with a team of terrific partners and developing lasting relationships —doing what say we will do.”
THE DIVERSIFIER Kevin Maggiacomo
MOST HANDS-ON L. Heather Mitchell
MOST CONNECTED Tim Morse
“Whether you're building a career or a business, focus on making a long-lasting positive impact, not short-term gains or gratification.”
THE STRATEGY & EXECUTION MAN Hessam Nadji
THE COLLABORATOR Jay Olshonsky
“Fear and the burning desire to do better drive me. If you work for someone who always says 'you cannot' or 'no,' run away.”
MOST NURTURING Eduardo Padilla
THE ICONOCLAST William O. Passo
“Each day brings new opportunities and challenges, and I don't want to miss them.”
LORD OF THE EMPIRE Jorge M. Perez
“You can only become truly good at something if you're passionate about it.”
THE ACTUALIZER Mark Rose
“As a leader, your role is to make everyone around you better than you are. People are not fungible; they are the foundation of success.”
THE TURNAROUND KING Glenn Rufrano
“Real estate is a great industry with many entry points. If you can find a role that fits your personality and one in which you have a passion, you will excel.”
THE POWERHOUSE Bob Sulentic
MOST BANKABLE Christopher H. Volk
THE PERENNIAL CEO Brett White
METHODOLOGY
Real Estate Forum Forum
HOW DO EMPLOYEES FEEL ABOUT OUR 26 FINALISTS?
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Sule Aygoren
Aygoren oversees the editorial direction and content for ALM’s Real Estate Media Group, including Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com. In her tenure with ALM, she’s held roles of increasing responsibility, including Managing Editor. Aygoren has received several awards for her coverage including Best Trade Magazine Report from the National Association of Real Estate Editors and the James D. Carper Award for Young Journalists. Under her direction, Forum has received four national NAREE awards for Best Commercial Real Estate Trade Magazine.
