27 minute read
Crisis Leadership: How to Build Trust In An Untrustworthy World
By Davia Temin
As we careen from crisis to crisis — from global pandemic to political turmoil; from imperiled economic outlook to profound social re-evaluation — we are all looking for who to listen to, and who to believe.
We’re looking for a trusted voice in the storm to help guide us, one that can steer us toward the truth as it unfolds, and away from lies and misstatements, be they well-meaning or malicious. This is the leaders’ task – to provide that “True North” to employees, community, customers, investors, and stakeholders.
But this is an almost impossible task in such a topsy-turvy landscape, where it can be impossible to distinguish sky from ground.
Sequestered – quarantined by choice or fiat, avoiding exposure by working from home, or gingerly restarting our public lives – our choices for who to listen to have changed. No more can we comfortably sit across from our boss in a group meeting and use all of our senses to tell whether he or she is telling us the whole truth. Working remotely, half of the sensors we are used to using are missing.
And while we’re incredibly lucky to have video and teleconferences, podcasts and webinars, live streaming, virtual chat rooms, and virtual galas, salons, board meetings and policy meetings – still that personal touch is missing, and with it many of the clues we use to determine integrity and truthfulness.
So who do we trust? And how can leaders establish trust?
As the paucity of believable messages from political leaders grows, and political considerations may also taint our respect for health organizations, it becomes the responsibility of corporate and academic leaders worldwide to help fill the void. In other words, business leaders need to become the adults in the room.
Here are some suggestions on what it will take: First, stay on point. Now is not the time to talk to the public or your own teams about things that are extraneous. Communications need to be about, or take into account, the pandemic, financial security, strategies for growth, diversity and inclusion and other critical issues of the day. Anything else can feel callous, superficial or just off.
Even ads are more irrelevant or annoying if they don’t take the new reality into consideration.
Eventually some semblance of normalcy will return... but not yet. For now, it is best for leaders to admit that information is imperfect, and plans uncertain, but that they deeply care about the physical, financial and emotional health of their constituencies, are working as hard as they can, and will update communications in real time. Aspiration, intention and compassion matter in times of grave crisis.
It was the same right after 9/11. Communications had to be at a higher, more inclusive and caring level, as well as commercial. And so our public communications need to be at the highest levels today as well. Communicate about offering help in the crisis, about commitment to equality and dedication to economic recovery, or hold off and be silent.
Second, communicate more frequently than ever before with your teams. At the outset of the pandemic many leaders instituted a daily early morning briefing call with their entire teams. Some have now transitioned to twice weekly or weekly. Often they are preceded by an even earlier morning briefing with the crisis or executive team. Part boosterism, part information, and part indoctrination, these briefings cascade key messages to employees, and through them to clients, customers, vendors, and all contacts for the day. The best financial leaders did this in 2008 during the recession, helping their employees to stay on message, stay calm and clear, and stay armed with data.
Third, know how to deliver bad news. Today, written communications have taken on the status of art forms. And they follow the cycles of the unfolding crisis. The first communication from a CEO or college president during this pandemic was about support for the community, commitment to help ride it out, and courage.
The second communication often has been about decisions, such as making work, courses, lectures or exams virtual, and allowing staff to work from home, or students to leave the campus, while staying flexible to constituent preference.
The third wave of communications is more about racial equality, institutional diversity and renewed culture. But now that unemployment subsidies have run out, more tough news will start to be delivered – inviolable rules, scarcity, new laws, layoffs, financial rout. Now the pain will begin as more folks around the country are getting ill in the resurgence of the virus, and fear mounts, tempers fray, bank accounts empty, and death has becomes more common.
Here the trusted voice to deliver bad news is straight-forward, kind, but purely truthful, powerful and ready to lead the fight. We all need more than ever to see that we have a common enemy in the contagion, and not in one another. Rather like Andrew Cuomo, now we need a benevolent field general who can give us tough love, and lead us into battle. That is what the evolving voice of trusted leadership needs to be in the third phase of the communication cycle.
Finally, the antidote to inevitable panic, fear, and mass anxiety is unassailable expertise and science. Dr. Anthony Fauci has admirably played that role so far, and it is critical that he continue. We need experts who appear to be above politics and self-interest, keeping the public interest foremost at all times.
So think about tapping the expertise in your own organizations – if you have physicians or scientists who can add to the conversation, add professional calm, and give us continual insight as events unfold, then by all means, think about showcasing them in your communications. Their gravitas and credibility will also help your efforts to build trust with every constituent.
Be safe out there.
Davia Temin is global crisis, risk, and reputation strategist working at the highest levels to help create, enhance and save reputations and coach organizational leaders. She is the founder of Temin and Company, a boutique management consulting firm focused on providing world-class marketing and media strategy, crisis and reputation management, thought leadership, and executive leadership and communications coaching.
http://bit.ly/NDILC
Teresa Palacios Smith started a series in Real Living that has been approved by the CEO, called “Women Who Lead.” It will be hosted every Wednesday, and it will be debuted the third week of June. It will feature women in their network and those they are proud to work with, and she is excited to have NDILC members be a part of it. It will be up to an hour broadcast that will be shared within their network, and they will engage in a “cafecito” discussion about women’s issues and topics in women’s leadership. Special guests include Desiree Patno, CEO & President of NAWRB, and Erica Courtney, CEO of 2020vet, Inc.
Erica Courtney’s company 2020vet, Inc., a California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) focused on hiring, developing and retaining military veterans and women, has partnered with Truline and Arbill who have specialized in safety products for over 75 years to offer an affordable COVID-19 Employee Safety Kit manufactured in the U.S. by women business owners that can be personally branded and distributed globally. A portion of the proceeds go to community organizations helping women and veterans as they are disproportionately affected by this crisis.
Tami Bonnell CEO of EXIT Realty Corp. International, “I recently had the opportunity to speak to the California Association of Realtors Staff. They have an amazing team and excellent leadership, and I was impressed with what I witnessed. It was Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day. It is celebrated across the United States, celebrating the day in Texas when the Union Army General Gordon Granger announced Federal Orders in Galveston, Texas, on June 19,1865 proclaiming that all slaves in Texas were free. Before I spoke, a few of the employees of color showed films educating us on Juneteenth. It was very informative, but the best part was when they shared their own personal stories—one member had a grandmother that had been a slave, another a great grandfather. When you could visualize how they lived and how important this holiday is to their families, it was so touching. I honestly believe when we connect on a more human level and we share our stories, our history and our values, we realize we are all connected. My hope is we engage in meaningful conversations that bring us all closer with a strong appreciation for our differences. This is a wonderful opportunity to go from Unconscious Bias to Conscious Understanding.” Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3atmboJeqro&feature=youtu.be
Dr. Chitra Dorai shared the information she gathered about the effects of COVID-19 on the Aging Population. Many states don't have explicit segmentation of data focused on the population over the age of 60, so she wanted to see what was going on in her own research. The chart on COVID-19 cases among the aging population per state is available on amicusbrain.com, and the info is updated weekly. People with dementia in nursing homes have no other choice but to stay there and be at risk for infection. She did a podcast with Desiree for Know the Rules of the Game® Podcast for Defining the Future
Kellie Aamodt, Board Member of Marine Applied Research & Exploration (MARE), assisted in MARE’s first expedition on June 15th off of San Diego to measure ocean health from SD to Catalina. The procedures have changed to adapt to COVID-19 safety standards. She also started writing for her church’s newsletter on women in corporate America. She has her second volume out now and has had positive feedback.
Who do you know that is a perfect NDILC fit?
Leadership is “Essential”
As America began to mount a defense and a response to Covid-19, the word “essential” suddenly became ubiquitous. Whether Real Estate agents were deemed essential was neither immediately clear nor consistent throughout our country. What also was unclear was whether one’s Real Estate brokerage or brand leader was more symbolic or indispensable,
more ceremonial or essential.
In our organization’s case, our Chairman Gino Blefari and the CEO of both the Berkshire Hathaway Home Services network, Chris Stuart and Real Living Real Estate, Allan Dalton, exemplify essential leadership, especially in times of crisis.
Regarding serving those in need, from the moment it became clear that this pandemic would be shutting down most businesses in order to keep our country safe, our organization began providing informational bridges between our networks and the range of relevant government relief programs (C.A.R.E.S. Act, SBA and PPP) helping more than 133 of our franchisees with guidance and support.
We produced over forty videos in the past several weeks alone. These videos sent out to the networks provide not only educational and governmental updates but also provide a sense of community and encouragement for our network members. In addition, many of these videos have been converted into Spanish which has been welcomed by many of the network’s agents.
Our commitment to the community has never been stronger as our leadership has participated in numerous trade organization events where their expertise and industry knowledge could be shared with their membership including AREAA, NAHREP, NAGLEP, NAMBBA and NAWRB. Gino, Chris and Allan have also interviewed experts who could share their insights and perspectives including Dr. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research with the National Association of Realtors; Tim Wilson, President of Prosperity Home Mortgage and Mike Dawson, Vice President of Freddie Mac Single Family Housing.
Our collaborative leaders work daily and closely, albeit virtually, with our division heads such as Rosalie Warner, Senior Vice President of Network Services, Wendy Durand Vice President of Marketing and me in the creation of meticulously sensitive and relevant marketing, and messaging campaigns. These campaigns in turn are delivered to our domestic and global networks through our world class consultants.
While it may be essential that there be leaders, not all leaders are essential.
Teresa Palacios Smith Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Home Services Serves on NAWRB Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council (NDILC)
Vol 9 / Issue 2 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
TABLE of CONTENTS
Access to Capital 4 Updated Resources for Women Entrepreneurs & Business Owners during COVID-19
10 12 Leadership
Diversity in Leadership & Board Positions: Women Face the “Broken Rung”
Crisis Leadership: How to Build Trust In An Untrustworthy World by Davia Temin
14 NDILC in the News
15 Leadership is “Essential” by Teresa Palacios Smith
18
Real Estate
The Attraction to Homeownership for Women has Changed During COVID-19
20 22 Profile
sheShowcase - Women on The Move
Character Revealed by Exit Realty
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 24 Bear the Truth by Sydni Wynter
28
Maintaining DE&I in Your Workplace During the COVID-19 Crisis
31
NDILC Responds to Systemic Racism & Sexism
35 From the LA Riots to COVID-19, FACE Addresses Ongoing Racial Discrimination Against Asian Americans By Hyepin Im
sheCenter(fold) 38
sheCENTER(FOLD) Elizabeth Tumulty
48 Technology
Summer on an Icefield: A Field Story by Jackie Bellefontaine
Government
55 Women, Peace & Security By Erica G. Courtney 60 The Black Bill of Rights, A Journey By Jasper James
Business Ownership
61
DC Finance Hosts Live Discussions During the COVID-19 Crisis
65 Media
Quarantine & Chill
Aging Population 66 Racial & Ethnic Disparity in COVID-19 Impact Among Older Adults
Quality of Life
68
Play is Safe By Tami Bonnell
69
Women Helping Girls: How A High School Alumnae Association in the U.S. is Fighting Covid-19 In Africa By Esther Ayuk
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Across the nation, people are spending more time in their homes than ever before due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Homeownership allows individuals to design a space where they live, work and perhaps homeschool their children, and where they feel safe and in control. Gone are the days when women felt they had to wait until marriage to buy a home; women are compelled to create their own sanctuary, means of self-expression and financial wealth through homeownership.
Being More Relatable to Women’s Desire of Homeownership Stay-at-home moms almost outnumber stay-at-home dads four to one: 7.9 million moms compared to slightly over 2 million stay-at-home dads. Women are very focused on what a community offers from healthcare and childcare, to government oversight and local support systems. They place a higher value on private external space, which is almost as valuable as internal space. From social media platforms to pulsing community engagement, women are looking deep into resources to plant their stake.
This is the perfect opportunity for lenders to engage with women about the benefits of owning a home, such as the ability to design their home to fit their needs without having to ask for permission. Women value creating a unique space from which to retreat from the outside world—one in which they control the climate, the decor, the layout. Although homeownership comes with its own set of responsibilities from managing the associated costs and maintenance, the freedom of owning your own home far outweighs these added duties.
Mothers will value family time while working on a house project together, creating memories that will last a lifetime. I will never forget when my mother was in the middle of remodeling her home. I had my first newborn son in my arms when I had to dodge the rain from hitting him while in the house! Accessibility To Real Estate Properties When buying a home as a single woman with or without children, most women want to touch, see, hear, smell and experience the zen the property generates. This presents its own challenges with limited inventory and not all properties are accessible in person. My suggestion, especially for single mothers, is to have someone go with you as not having that second opinion or fall back while in the property can make all the difference.
How COVID-19 Has Changed the Mortgage Industry Lenders in the mortgage industry are facing their own challenges as COVID-19 has had a direct impact on their ability to originate a residential mortgage loan when a borrower’s employment and income status may quickly change regardless of their career success. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all loans have moved completely online and with all-time historically low interest rates, lenders have their hands full. "With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all loans have moved completely online..."
To accommodate this new normal, GSE’s, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), have announced temporarily-relaxed standards for appraisals and
7.9 2 Million Million employment or income verification requirements to accommodate social distancing guidelines and employees whose workplaces are temporarily closed or are working remotely. Meanwhile, the GSEs have created more stringent underwriting requirements to ensure borrowers have continuity of income for new originations.
Serving Women through Personalization & Diversity Lenders can help serve women homebuyers through personalization and diversification. First, single women homebuyers might be overwhelmed by the process of applying for a loan, especially during this time of uncertainty. How do they overcome being confused or insecure? Thousands of women do not even dream of homeownership, yet qualify for a loan. There are several different first-time buyer programs, grants and multiple platforms for assistance.
There is a great opportunity of educating the potential buyers on so much more than the financial aspects for homeownership and providing support through the process of applying for a loan in order to achieve their dream of owning a home.
The loan officer needs to be the trusted partner in this business endeavor with a vested interest. What are the advantages of homeownership in terms of short and long-term gain? There are emotional and physical benefits in addition to the financial advantage of wealth building. Women are always asking their friends who they know and trust! The special time of being relatable and compassionate will always be memorable to your client. It's how you make someone feel that matters in the long run.
Diversity in the workplace leads to diverse thought, solutions and plans. Companies generate a more well-rounded understanding of the consumer that contributes to innovation. The better you understand your consumer, the better you serve them.
According to Bloomberg, women make 85 percent of all purchasing decisions—and 91 percent of new home purchasing decisions—in the U.S. This means there are millions of clients potentially looking to work with women. If you are a women-owned business, leverage your certification and brand to get a leg up on the competition.
Having a diverse workforce helps you serve the needs of diverse customers, whether to relieve a language barrier or attend client preferences, and grow your bottom line. If you’re serving minorities, you can leverage the minority workers; if you’re working with women buyers, women lenders can possess a unique understanding of what these clients want and need throughout the home buying process.
The pull to own a home is especially intense for women seeking to create a sanctuary for themselves, and stability for their children, that it leads them to make sacrifices and attempt to make smart decisions when buying a home. Many women may not know about resources out there to help them in their home buying process, so share this with a single mother you know on the path to homeownership. Having access to the right information could make a huge difference in her life.
SheShowcase
Michelle Cridon
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has promoted Michelle Corridon to Director of Originations and Processing, after serving four years as USDA Deputy Director of Rural Development. Corridon previously worked as Senior Policy Analyst for the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Loan Specialist at the USDA before obtaining her current position. Shannon Odell Shannon Odell was named Chief Nursing Officer at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, Florida. Odell will be responsible for the leadership and management of the nursing department, and for the clinical practice of nursing throughout the hospital and its network of outpatient centers. Odell brings more than 20 years of leadership and management experience. Ta PalaciSmith
NDILC Member Teresa Palacios Smith has been named Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at HomeServices. Teresa previously served as Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion for the franchise’s networks since 2017. Her new role will include elevating, expanding and aligning the national scope and impact of HomeServices's collective diversity and inclusion initiatives across its company and subsidiaries.
Joanna Gunn Joanna Gunn has been appointed Chief Brand Officer by the Rosewood Hotel Group. In this role, Gunn will oversee marketing direction for ultra-luxury Rosewood Hotels & Resorts®, deluxe New World Hotels & Resorts and business lifestyle KHOS hotels. Gunn previously served as Chief Brand Officer for Lane Crawford, a luxury multi-brand retailer, and has 23 years of luxury experience. Cmen Vann
Carmen Vann, LEED AP BD+C, a 20-year industry veteran, has been named Regional Project Executive for BNBuilders. Her previous leadership experience includes the San Diego Central Library, Sempra Energy Headquarters, Ten Fifty B, and Stella & Bluewater. Vann brings her expertise in complex, multi-family, affordable housing, K-12, and
urban high-rise projects. Shaivi V anadu
Shaivi Vasanadu has been named Partner at Aldrich CPA + Advisors LLP. In this role, she brings 15 years of experience in public accounting for closely held businesses. Vasanadu’s focus is on clients in construction and related industries, and she specializes in providing assurance services, including audits, reviews and compilations, and accounting and business consulting.
Women On the Move Making things Happen!
Paice GillpieSmith
Patrice Gillespie Smith was appointed as Chief Operating Officer for Friends of the Underline. In this role, she will lead with more than 20 years of experience as an urban planner. Smith previously worked as Senior Manager of Planning, Transportation and Resilience for the Miami Downtown Development Authority, and developed the Safer People, Safer Streets Action Plan. Lynn Owen Lynn Owen has joined Avenue5 Residential, a Seattle-based multifamily property management services firm as EVP of Client Strategy. Owen brings more than three decades of multifamily and commercial property management, asset management, and construction management expertise. Previously, she held leadership roles at Compass Acquisition Partners and TruAmerica Multifamily. Ken Broeta
Telemundo Global Studios has named Karen Barroeta Executive Vice President of Production and Development, effective July 6. Barroeta previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Creative at Telemundo. Before that, she headed all revenue efforts at Telemundo Internacional pay TV channel in Latin America. Tiffany Cry Tiffany advanced from a Top Producing agent on the BHHS National REThink Council specializing in Global and Luxury real estate. Tiffany Curry becomes the first 100% African American owner of a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in the world and will operate as BHHS Tiffany Curry & Co., REALTORS®. Curry was inducted into The National Civil Rights Halls of Fame in 2018. Uula Brandon
Ursula Brandon has been promoted to Vice President of Personal Lines at JAG Insurance Group, a full-service commercial insurance agency. Brandon, who was previously an Account Manager at JAG’s Coral Gables office. Before joining the agency 12 years ago, Brandon held administrative positions at State
Farm and Hub International. Sonja Lime
Sonja Larimore has been appointed as Chief Compliance Officer of Reilly Financial Advisors. She is responsible for overseeing and ensuring compliance with SEC regulations, as well as addressing regulatory risks, reviewing and updating the firm’s policies and procedures, and managing day-to-day compliance activities and controls.
CHARACTER CHARACTER
Author James Lane Allen wrote, “Adversity does not build character, it reveals it.” The real estate industry is no stranger to adversity in 2020. Allen’s quote implies that who a person or organization is at their core is revealed when the proverbial stuff – or pandemic – hits the fan and that is proving to be true. Neighbors are helping neighbors. Level 5 leaders are leading. Companies with a people-first focus aren’t laying off but rather fortifying people instead.
When it became clear that 2020 was going to present a new kind of adversity, EXIT Realty Corp. International focused on providing full, unwavering support to its brokerages and agents who continued to transact real estate in a safe and responsible manner, and also on providing additional tools and training to bolster their business now and in the future. “We recognized that this was a unique window of opportunity for everyone at EXIT to work on their business,” said Tami Bonnell, CEO.
Within days of the first stay-at-home directives being issued, the company announced a $50 million corporate stimulus package. The EXIT Realty Take
Action Stimulus Package was a coordinated effort 22
REVEALED REVEALED
providing business tools, enhanced technology and exclusive training at no charge to EXIT Associates. Highlights included personally branded lead generation technology providing every agent’s clients the ability to text for information on any listing for sale on the MLS. Also included was free training and coaching provided by the company’s exclusive international MIND-SET trainers, Angel Tucker, Erica Nasby, Ifoma Pierre, Key Yessaad, Rick O’Neil, and Stan Bishop, on sales and marketing, leadership, growth strategies during changing market conditions, understanding personality types, learning to let go and be present, and more.
If character is to be revealed, not made, during adversity, the implication is that character is forged long before adversity hits. Since the company’s founding in 1996, EXIT Realty has purposefully set out to build a culture that attracts and keeps likeminded people. For example, most of EXIT’s executive team are the same people who successfully lead it through the economic challenges following 9/11 and during the recession. “One of the benefits of working with a group of leaders with more than 460 combined years of experience in the industry and more than
16 years on average with the company is that we instinctively know how one another will react in a crisis,” said Bonnell. “We figuratively link arms to form an impenetrable shield against adversity, each one in our own lane of expertise relying on proven dedication and commitment.”
From the company’s inception, the real, live human beings of its Franchise Support Department (not artificial intelligence or digital robots) have supported broker/owners and their administrators on all things EXIT. In 2010, the company saw an opportunity to add value, so at a time when most companies were tightening their belts and cutting back on the live support they provided, EXIT expanded its Franchise Support Department to include agent support. Any EXIT Associate can speak to a member of its expert support team to get answers. “We are connected to thousands of associates this way because we want them to know they have a voice and we’re listening,” said Bonnell.
Any EXIT Associate can raise funds for a local, approved, registered charity and apply to have those funds matched from the company’s pledged pool of funds. Non-profit organizations that have benefited from the Spirit of EXIT include those supporting the victims of domestic violence, food banks, veterans’ charities and relief funds, cancer research, Habitat for Humanity, animal welfare organizations, and many more. To-date, the company has pledged more than $5.5 million to charity.
EXIT’s unfair competitive advantage – the thing that sets it apart from every other real estate company - is the EXIT Formula. Only EXIT Associates have the opportunity to earn single-level residual income now, when they want to retire or take a break from selling real estate and they can even leave a legacy. “Our Associates are creating lives for themselves with the freedom and flexibility to travel, take time off for parental leave, care for aging parents and pay their bills when they’re sick. The EXIT Formula is the foundation upon which our Associates can build family
Associates can build family wealth and financial freedom,” said Bonnell.
In 1996 when EXIT Realty’s fee structure was established, two unique components were built in. First, a portion of every transaction fee received was set aside in order to pay it forward in the form of an administrative bonus to the support staff in the offices where the transactions were closed. “These individuals are not employed by EXIT Realty Corp. International, yet we pay them a bonus because we believe that a strong administrator and support staff are the backbone of a successful real estate brokerage and we want them to know how much we value their contribution to our success,” said Bonnell.
Second, a portion of every transaction fee received by EXIT Realty Corp. International is pledged to charity. “We originally worked solely with Habitat for Humanity because their philosophy of providing a hand up rather than a handout fit so well with ours. EXIT Realty is an ever-evolving work in progress so we kept asking effective questions like, How can we reach more people? How can we make a greater impact?” said Bonnell. The answers came in 2017 when The Spirit of EXIT Dollar-for-Dollar Matching Program was launched. wealth and financial freedom,” said Bonnell. Because they’ve taken advantage of the EXIT Formula, many EXIT Associates continue to receive an income even though their ability to transact real estate has been impacted by restrictions imposed due to COVID-19.
“If a company is focused on answering to shareholders and investors, it’s more likely to lay off staff by email at the first hint of disruption, whereas if a company is privately owned, nimble and focused on people first, it will act quickly to increase opportunities and services during turbulent times. That’s how EXIT Realty has done business since the company’s inception, through every market fluctuation in the past 23 years, and will continue to do business – by humanizing real estate,” said Bonnell.
