This morning I was afforded a wonderful opportunity to speak to our Leadership Tomorrow 7 [LT7]group. For those of you who do not read the weekly e-newsletter, this is a select group of REALTORS who have demonstrated leadership ability and are nominated to serve by their brokers. It is the hope of OKCMAR to develop a well-trained, well-developed and large pool of future leaders willing to serve as committee chairs and directors of the board. As I enjoyed a strong cup of coffee and a healthy breakfast (yes I passed on the doughnuts but only because I did not see them until after I had fruit and cheese) I could not help but feel an enormous sense of pride watching an idea that started almost three years ago come to fruition. By the way, serving something healthy at the OKCMAR events where a meal was part of the event, was a member suggestion from the evaluation forms gathered at a meeting in February.
As with all OKCMAR programs and services, this group was the result of a request from membership and specifically from a committee: the education committee. Knowing that OKCMAR was committed to improving its governance procedures and its process transparency, the chair, Abby Mathew, came to me and said: "I have this idea I would like to run past you". The seed had been planted in conversations with his education committee. I thought it was a great idea because it was much more goal specific than the state and national leadership programs that I had been exposed to. From there Abby went to the OKCMAR President, Marolyn Pryor, and President-Elect, Judy Lindsay and gave them a presentation. Next step, a presentation before the entire Board of Directors.
Back to the committee to go ahead and develop a program with the first group being recognized at the end of Judy's term at current President Dave Moeller's inaugural. And today, President Dave Moeller & I got to have breakfast with the future leaders of OKCMAR! The group was in Chandler at Jacob's Ladder, a camp, for their first training session and retreat. I would like to personally acknowledge the work and dedication of OKCMAR REALTOR, Abby Mathew. It seems to me every truly great vision realized on our mutual journey has had a tireless champion behind it. Thank you Abby for working so hard to bring OKCMAR to the next level of member-driven programming.
The very best initiatives will always be those that allow members to excel and are formed for the benefit of all rather than the benefit of a few. LT7 is one of those initiatives. I started my presentation with a quote from Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu who said:
A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.In my humble opinion this is what all great leaders should strive for. I started with this quote in the hopes that this program will always emphasize that the best leadership comes from allowing the members to develop the programs and services that OKCMAR offers. That to lead means to set a vision for the journey but to allow the membership to forge the path. Congrats OKCMAR- today was the start of a new journey. I will also end this post with Lao Tzu: "Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. "
3 comments:
Thank You Dawn. We appreciate you
It was inspiring to get to see the vision Abby shared with me several years ago developing right before our eyes. Those nominated and chosen in our first LT-7 group are truly exceptional people which is the best way to find truly exceptional leaders. One by one we saw them step up and demonstrate why they were nominated and selected. Very impressive people with a passion for making a positive difference in our association and in our city. We are fortunate to have had a tireless visionary like Abby to help us lift the OKCMAR ship to another level of professionalism. Dawn, we appreciate your contribution and encouragement as we confidently move forward to an exciting future.
I am one of the 7 that was chosen for the LT7 group. My background is a little different than the rest, since I am gettig ready to hit my first full year as a realtor May 1st. Fresh out of college I started working for Enterprise Rent-A-Car and held many leadership positions within that company before choosing to pursue a career in Real Estate with. Being new to real estate can be quite intimidating, however, if you choose the right set of leaders to follow in their foot steps the journey is exciting and full! I am so excited I was chosen to be a part of this great group. It has not only refreshed and revived my leadership skills, given me a new set of friends, but it has given me a chance to learn from others in this organization that have walked before me. Being a part of the LT7 group has not only maginified my professional skills, it has enhanced my personal relationships as well. If you know of someone that is a leader in your organization and someone you would feel confident representing not only your company, but the organization then nominate them TODAY for the new leaders that will be joining us in the new year. It will be a decision that you will be proud of and a decision that the LT7 member will never forget.
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