IREM’s new handbook shows you how real estate professionals can become leaders

by Brianna Crandall — June 26, 2017 — The need for leaders at all levels is one of the top critical issues facing all organizations, as identified in the Global Human Capital Trends survey published by Deloitte University Press. The fact that only 13 percent of respondents say they do an excellent job of developing leaders at all levels means that this area has the largest “readiness gap” in the survey, points out the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM).

This is certainly true in the real estate industry, as companies are shifting their focus from being performance driven to relationship driven, says IREM. Real estate professionals are spending less time in day-to-day operations and more time leading the people who manage properties.

IREM’s newest publication, Leadership Handbook for Real Estate Professionals, provides the blueprint for individuals and organizations to develop and harness the leadership skills required for success in today’s economy. Both seasoned leaders, as well as those coming up through the ranks, will benefit from the assessment tools, framework and resources presented within the publication.

The Leadership Handbook draws upon findings from IREM’s job analysis — where more than 1,400 real estate professionals contributed their insights into the challenges, opportunities and rewards of performing in the real estate industry — as well as IREM’s Leadership White Paper series.

Providing an individual leadership assessment, the handbook covers the 16 leadership competencies identified in IREM’s job analysis, along with development tactics for each competency.   Also included is a personal development planning process. There is absolutely no substitute for having an objective resource that can be a personal reference guide for navigating the oftentimes turbulent waters that come with leadership, says IREM.

Mike Lanning, CPM, 2017 IREM president, and senior vice president, Cushman & Wakefield, AMO, Kansas City, MO, commented:

The value of leadership skills is certainly not unique to the real estate management industry, but ours is a sophisticated business that requires the utilization of the latest technologies to increase operating efficiencies and maximize revenue streams. However, real estate management is still essentially a personal service profession because of the relationships with building owners, tenants, suppliers, and employees — and leadership is the key to sustainability, productivity, profitability and growth.

The 340-page Leadership Handbook for Real Estate Professionals is available from the IREM Web site for $31.95 for members and $39.95 for non-members.