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REALTOR® ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE
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|  Summer 2002 Balanced Leadership: Staff and volunteers lead together. a Q&A with Jack Goldman, EVP, St. Louis Association of Realtors®, Mo. 2002 inductee into the Dr. Almon R. 'Bud' Smith Leadership Society; 6,973 members, 9 years as an AE. Previously: Missouri State Representative, 1979-1990 What is the role of staff in creating effective elected leaders? Staff support and carry out the policies dictated by the board of directors and make sure that the president and executive committee are informed on issues at the national, state, and local level. The president and other elected officers of the association are the public face and voice for Realtors®. So it's up to the staff to make sure that the officers have the information and opportunity to promote Realtors¨ and their issues. If you are always concerned with the image that the elected leadership presents to the public and to the board of directors, you will work hard to ensure those leaders have what they need to do a great job for the entire membership. All presidents begin their year with certain expectations of the job and goals they want to accomplish. The executive staff should then tailor information and support to ensure that the elected leader will be successful. Due to our leaders' commitment to their companies, they rely on us to structure meetings around their schedule. We have formed short-term task forces for various projects so that members don't have to commit to being on a committee for an entire year. Because we offer a lot of staff support to our leadership, they have found it easy to become involved in the board of directors and to run for association office. Can you predict if an association volunteer will make a good leader or president? After all my experience in politics and business, I pride myself on having a good feel for people. But I must confess, I have been fooled a number of times by my elected leaders. My best president gave the impression that he would be a nice guy but more or less a figurehead. But in fact, he accomplished all his goals, some of which were substantial. He was masterful at communicating with everyone in the sphere of influence and getting a commitment to his agenda. Poor leaders, on the other hand, reveal their shortcomings fairly early after being elected. These weaknesses usually show up in how they handle the members serving on committees. What is your most effective leadership-training tool? Two years ago we brought in a consultant to conduct a leadership development program for our new officers and directors. The program provided us with such a clear direction for the rest of that year that we have taken that program and repackaged it for our newly elected officials during the past two years. How do you make sure you remain a successful executive leader of your association? For association executives to be successful leaders, they must be current on the issues affecting real estate and the changes needed to keep their organization at the forefront of the industry. I stay up-to-date on all the issues surfacing in the real estate industry by attending the AE Institute, all the national and state meetings, and subscribing to and reading a number of monthly and quarterly publications that report on emerging issues. What's the best way you've found to recruit members to volunteer and become leaders? I solicit the help of prominent past presidents to recruit volunteers for committees and especially for our leadership ranks. Past leaders have a strong commitment to seeing the association maintain a leadership position in the community. |
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