Catching Up with Women Leaders at @properties Christie’s International Real Estate

@properties Christie’s International Real Estate: Who inspired you to become a leader and why?

AC: I was always inspired to be able to do anything that my three brothers could do, just as well or even better. I don’t think I had this target that I needed to be in leadership, but I just felt that if I put my mind to something and led with my integrity, passion, and curiosity, life would be interesting.  

JM: I’ve had some awesome mentors along the way, many of them strong women. Strength comes in a lot of different ways, and grasping that as a woman and going with it is really, really powerful.

NP: My dad. He was my biggest fan and told me that I could do anything that I wanted. He pushed me, and I always believed that I could be who I wanted to be.

SS: I was inspired by two women who co-managed my office at my former brokerage. They were unique in their styles of leadership, and I admired each of them for the strengths they brought to our large team of agents.

@properties Christie’s International Real Estate: What is it like to be a woman in leadership?

AC: I had no anticipation that I would take this turn and get into leadership. Life isn’t always what you plan it—I think opportunities present themselves and you have a choice to make. I have been able to learn from the best, and I feel like I have the opportunity to really make an impact in a lot of peoples’ lives and careers.

JM: I would like to think it’s the same as being a man, quite honestly, but I think it depends on where you work. I’m very lucky to work somewhere that values what you bring to the table.

NP: I’m very fortunate to be a woman in leadership in the real estate industry. Our industry does a great job of empowering women, and we have such incredible leaders who are women at our company. Women bring such great qualities to the workplace.

SS: I think that the real estate industry is pretty special in terms of the number of opportunities for women in leadership. I’m really inspired when a woman tells me that they are really excited about working for a woman because they haven’t ever had that opportunity prior in their career.

@properties Christie’s International Real Estate: What’s it like being a working mom?

AC: I really like it. I have two girls who see me as a role model of, “You can do it all,” even if you don’t do it perfectly all the time.

JM: Being a working mom is super fun and challenging like nothing else. [The balance] helps me focus on the things that are important. It changes you as a person when you have kids. You become more empathetic, you see things differently, and [motherhood] has only helped me in my career.

NP: It is definitely busy, but I wouldn’t change anything. It’s important for me to be a role model for [my two daughters] and for them to see that I am a leader within a company, and that they can be anything they want to be.

@properties Christie’s International Real Estate: What advice would you give an aspiring female leader?

AC: We all fight for what we think is the one seat at the table for us…there’s plenty of seats.

JM: Don’t let others hold you back. If you’re in a place where you feel like you’re not advancing the way you want to be, make a change and believe in yourself that you can get to where you want to go.

NP: Find that mentor or coach who can help you hone in on what you are great at and what you can bring to a leadership role.

SS: Really believe in yourself, and don’t ever let those aspirations to achieve more stop you from accomplishing what you want to do. You need to stay away from the naysayers because you can’t let anyone else write your narrative.

@properties Christie’s International Real Estate: What would you say to your younger self?

AC: Trust yourself more. We are always worried about speaking out loud and giving our thoughts or opinion because oftentimes at that age, we are around others who have been around longer. Looking back now, I recognize I had a lot of great things to say, and I had a lot of great opinions, but I was too afraid to really voice those.

JM: Work with the people that inspire you, and you just can’t lose if you’ve got good people around you.

NP: Do not sweat the small stuff. Believe in yourself. Be confident—there is nothing out of reach.

SS: Be passionate and have purpose in what you do. Life doesn’t have to be a race to the finish line. Everyone gets to where they’re meant to be on their own timeline. At the end of this, you want to know that you had fun, you were passionate about what you did, and you made a difference in someone’s life.