Leadership Lessons from Jane

Two women who have worked closely with Jane Hoffman share what they’ve learned and gained from their mentor.

rowing up in Kelowna, Kristy Huber remembers thumbing the pages of the newspaper, reaching the real estate section and seeing Jane Hoffman’s photograph. Kristy recalls Jane’s smile, her presence. Even to a teenage girl, Kristy could sense that Jane was unique. “You could tell she was a leader, even then. Her properties were always marketed prominently, and she was just impressive. I remember thinking, ‘Someday I’d like to be in a position like that.’” A few years later, Kristy earned her real estate license and started to see Jane’s leadership firsthand. Back then, real estate offices had huge stacks of paper catalogue listings. Jane was one of the first, she remembers, to attach flyers to her listings promoting features and real estate “bonus” incentives to help her properties stand out. “Even then, she was thinking about what else she could do, how she could take initiative. It was obvious that she knew what she was doing. She was very inspiring. I thought, ‘If I could ever learn from her, wouldn’t that be amazing?’” At just 21 years old, Kristy knocked on Jane’s door and said she’d like to learn from her. That was in 1994. Nearly 30 years later, Kristy and the 12 real estate professionals in her brokerage have had the opportunity to experience Jane’s leadership as a woman in business.

What lessons has she taught them and how has Jane influenced their own ways of working?

Angela Coupal was a young lawyer with an MBA working for a luxury real estate auction house when she first met Jane Hoffman—a name already synonymous, in Angela’s mind, with being one of the best in

Kelowna real estate. “She always had an air of confidence about her. I was drawn to learning more about what made her successful,” says Angela, who wondered, “How did she get so comfortable with her authentic self and was that part of it?” Like Kristy, Angela began to think about what an opportunity it would be to learn from Jane. Four years after their paths first crossed, in 2017, Angela had focused her career on real estate and was working in-house with what became Coldwell Banker Jane Hoffman Realty. Angela quickly learned it was more than Jane’s negotiating skills that made her successful. “I think what was most surprising to me was how humble and graceful she was in every situation. She deals with some of the most sophisticated clients there are, and she has this way of communicating with such conviction what she believes is the best outcome for them. She commands respect everywhere she goes.” Kristy agrees, recalling that if there were ever doubts or anxious feelings before a client appointment, “By the time we got there, this graceful, confident person emerged and she knew her material. That was very effective in putting clients at ease, especially in the waterfront and luxury market.” After those client meetings, Jane worked— and still works—tirelessly on the next steps to make deals happen. “I think what I’ve learned from her more than anything else is perseverance,” says Kristy. “Not to give up. She would say, ‘Who else can we call? Let’s find another way. One more call.’” Anyone who has worked with Jane knows the hours she puts in, and that she gives every minute everything she has. “She just has this incredible work ethic, and it’s in that spirit of, you want to get the job done for the client,” says Kristy. This has been one of Angela’s great “lessons from Jane” too. “Jane has this way of, once she figures out which direction to go in, she is relentless. I’ve never seen a person work as hard and as persistently as Jane.” But she doesn’t do it on her own. Angela says being a part of Jane’s team has made her value relationships and the unique skills of others in the room. “I see the group of people Jane has assembled and everyone has a special skill. She has a way of drawing on it and leaning in to it in ways that engage everybody. It’s really opened my eyes to how much easier and better business can be when you draw on the strengths of the people around you.” Everyone on Jane’s team, in turn, feels that appreciation and their contribution to the whole. “What I take away from that is the more you care about the people around you, the more successful your business is going to be,” says Angela. “That’s true,” says Kristy. “Jane is a naturally caring person and that’s really part of her way of being—it really comes across to the client that it’s not about the sale, she cares about doing the right thing for them.” Nearly four decades after Jane first got started selling real estate in Kelowna, and created those promotional flyers Kristy remembers from the early days, Jane is still always looking for new ways to market, to improve. “She isn’t afraid to learn and change,” says Kristy. “She knows we can’t do what we did 30 years ago, so she’s invested in new ways of marketing. She’s always coming up with ideas. That kind of vision and openness to adapting takes courage and creativity.”

Angela Coupal Managing Partner & Legal Counsel Kristy Huber PREC, Realtor®