While statistics from the National Association of REALTORS® show that 62 percent of REALTORS® are women, the broker and executive level of the real estate business is still predominantly occupied by men. Fortunately, the tides are turning and more women are taking their place among the industry’s upper echelon. At Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS® and Trident Group, this is nothing new, however, as four women head up key divisions of the organization: Joan Docktor, president of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS®; Barbara Griest, president of Trident Land Transfer Company; Marie Gayo, president of Trident Mortgage Company; and Kassie Erb, president of Fox & Roach Charities.
Make no mistake—hard work and superior skills earned these women their spots, not their gender. Recognized for their talents early on by senior leadership at the organization—including Chairman and CEO Larry Flick IV and Vice Chairman Gerry Griesser—Docktor, Griest, Gayo and Erb benefitted by being in an environment that nurtured their growth and shattered glass ceilings.
“We are fortunate at Fox & Roach and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices as a whole because there are so many women who lead here,” says Docktor. “For any company, diversity in leadership is important. People from different backgrounds will increase any organization’s creativity and ability to grow, and women in leadership are part of that diversity.”
Nurturing Growth Regardless of Gender
A 30-year veteran of the firm, Griest was the first of the four women to receive the title of president in 2006, after starting in the policy department, becoming a settlement officer, and then segueing into management in 2000.
“The organization has a lot of women and a lot of respect for women,” she explains. “Women bring a different perspective than men, and this form of diversity is important for any organization to have.”
According to Griest, her mentors were mostly men, including Griesser, Flick and Jim Waters. “It was good to have male mentors because in many ways, it’s still a man’s world,” says Griest. “It’s necessary for women to be open to how men think and go about doing things, just as it is for men to understand how women may go about things differently.”
While early in her career a woman in charge of operations took Gayo under her wing, it was Flick, Griesser and Larry Flick V who became her greatest supporters. “They gave me positive reinforcement and I felt no barriers to my professional development.”
For Docktor, her first mentor was another powerful woman: her sales manager when she first joined Fox & Roach as a sales associate in 1986.
“My sales office leader was smart, beautiful, and carried herself well—I wanted to mirror that,” recalls Docktor. “She believed in me and supported my desire to move into management. She introduced me to Larry Flick and showed me something that I believe is true for everyone—if you just venture outside your comfort zone, you will grow.”
Flick recognized Docktor’s potential and soon stepped into the role of her mentor. Docktor notes, “Larry always challenged me to grow and do …read more
From:: Real Estate News