This week’sUnfiltered Real Estate People“Podcast, hosts James Dwiggins and Keith Robinson speak with Executive Advisor Shelley Criss. brand everywhereformer CEO better home and garden real estate. This episode takes a deep dive into Chris’ background and includes key insights about leadership, innovation, the power of relationships, and a new perspective on the future of real estate over the next three years.
The episode begins with details of Chris’ early career and background. She began her career in Canada, establishing herself as an agent before obtaining her broker’s license. Chris then moved to America to seek work opportunities. realismand she hasn’t looked back after working within the United States for 20 years.
Dwiggins continues with questions about how Shelley approaches new leadership roles at various companies. She explains that while some leaders join a company and strive to change everything, her focus is on building on past successes and implementing growth strategies. Chris always strives to surround himself with people who are smarter, have complementary skill sets, and exhibit humility in the workplace.
Robinson then asks about the balance between consensus-based decision-making and independent executive decisions. Chris shares that it all starts with trust within the organization, keeping team members informed on important leadership decisions.
“If you build trust and your team members know they have a voice, that’s for sure, and I value their opinion,” says Chris. “But at the end of the day, there’s one person who really is the ultimate decision maker, so you have to build your team that way.”
Mr. Robinson then addresses Chris’ tenure as CEO of the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand. Chris shares more about his experience building a brand from the ground up. When she took on this role, she faced challenges related to the 2008 financial crisis and other related issues. Despite these challenges, the brand has grown and achieved a 90% consumer recognition rating, which it still maintains today. Chiss attributes his success to his positive outlook on life and willingness to take calculated risks.
“It’s a combination of vision and execution, so the vision is the positivity and the execution is the hard work,” Chris says. “I didn’t take a vacation for years because I was worried I’d miss out on a sale.”
Dwiggins also asked Chris about the challenges she has faced as a female business owner in a male-dominated industry. When her career began, Chris was not only the youngest in the room, but also the only woman. She is pleased that more than 50% of Anywhere Real Estate’s executives are now women. She aims to empower underrepresented people to move forward and gain a sense of belonging.
In the next part of the conversation, the group offers new leadership in the real estate industry, advice for navigating industry change, and Chris’ vision for the future of the industry. Chris greets the new CEO National Association of Realtors (NAR) advised her and all new leaders to focus on building the trust of the real estate agent community by demonstrating a commitment to improvement rather than making promises. It is also important to embrace the rule changes resulting from the settlement of the NAR Commission lawsuit and focus on improving value for consumers.
Rather than rowing upstream, Chris urges industry professionals to embrace change and move in the direction of the industry as a whole. A lack of education about change can lead to strong resistance to change. Concluding the conversation, she said she hopes to see increased trust between consumers and agents, as well as industry-wide acceptance of changes in business practices.
