by. Nassia Asgill

Leaders stand out. My experience having a bird’s eye view of the inner workings of NVAR, has given me a great understanding of how leadership in the association helps to lead the industry.

To be a good leader, one must be easy to follow. Good leaders are trusted by followers. You must be a trendsetter. 

At the third session of Leadership Institute, “Leading within a Realtor® Organization”, I was enlightened about the best practices in leadership planning and execution, the role of the Board of Directors in policy making and staff relations, the NVAR committee selection process, communication techniques and much more.

We are fortunate to have a dynamic team of staff members who are dedicated to the advancement of the real estate industry. In this session we met with leaders of the staff who gave us their unique perspectives. Our newly minted Chief Public Affairs Officer Kristen Douglas encouraged us not only to lobby to introduce new regulations, but we must also not forget to address existing regulations that need to be updated with changing times. We must continue to use the Media to expand our voice both locally and nationally, as this is critical for our policy makers. Caveat: “what you put out there, stays forever”.

Stevie Fisher, Associate Director of Professional Services provided a much-needed refresher on NVAR’s Professionalism & maintaining the Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics protects not just us Realtors® and our business, but our clients as well. A significant take away from her presentation was the role of the Ombudsman whom I might add, are all Realtors®. To avoid an overflow of grievance complaints, NVAR offers mediation and/or arbitration to cover adversarial/disciplinary actions, as well as preventive or punitive services. Stevie emphasized that there are many avenues available to streamline the grievance process. As such, the education of Realtors® about the process, is an important method of NVAR’s preventive effort to minimize the number of complaints.

The Director of Legal Affairs, Maria Flaks explained that the role of the governing Board of Directors is to implement the mission, philosophies, and goals of NVAR. This includes by laws, budget, following the articles of incorporation and the Employee Handbook. In short, a committee/advisory group recommends a policy to the Board of Directors. If approved by the board, the staff and member volunteers implement the policy. We all work together. As volunteers, we are encouraged to be prepared for our meetings, participate, and discuss as necessary. I learned from this presentation to “disagree with ideas, not people” and adopt a “we, not me“ approach. We are always cautioned to leave our brokerage hat at the door when involved in service with NVAR.

A very engaging panel discussion followed, moderated by Ryan McLaughlin our CEO. The panelists Casey Menish, Felicia Brewster and Arshia Kia are all past graduates of the Leadership Institute. Their comments resonated with us as it was evident that service to the NVAR community was paramount to them. The experience from the Leadership Institute introduced them to network of agents whom they would otherwise not have met. All of the panelists expressed with pride, the value NVAR provides to its members, such as use of BrightMLS, free CE classes and FOREWARN.

This session taught me it is okay to try new things to expand and grow. One does have to commit to do everything; just figure out what is of interest to you the most and stick to it. NVAR is the Shining Star! All we have to do is reach higher. This Leadership Institute session provided me a deeper understanding of NVAR and I am proud to be part of this incredible association.