July 2009: Leadership and Success Leave Clues

View Comments
Meeting Photos

One of the greatest opportunities we have when serving as National President of the Women’s Council is to visit and interact with members from across the country. This blog is a way for me to share those experiences with you, the members, so that you are aware of the fabulous things that your fellow members and leaders are accomplishing.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of visiting with the Capital Region Chapter in Albany, NY. President Cindy Quade and her 2009 leadership team were hosting their annual “Breakfast of Champions,” in which they honor the area’s top REALTORS® for their achievements during the previous calendar year. This is a beautiful way for any chapter to partner with their local REALTOR® association to demonstrate the relevance of our Mission of being “a network of successful REALTORS® empowering women to exercise their potential as entrepreneurs and industry leaders.”

I can’t begin to tell you how many of our Women’s Council members walked across the stage that morning to receive their production awards among approximately 280 total honorees. Awards were given for dollar volumes between $3 million and $63 million, and they also recognized individuals for their longevity in the industry.

Kudos to State Chapter President Susan Stott and to Sue Backshall, who served as the Chairpersons for the event. You could tell from the camaraderie of the audience that it was well received and that Women’s Council was well respected in this area for serving as the annual host. I’m sure the New York area chapters would be more than willing to share their insights on planning something of this nature if you’re interested in trying it for your area.

I enjoyed spending time with the chapter officers, including a tour of the area with a side trip to Saratoga. It was wonderful to hear about the history of this part of the country and to learn more about the nature of their real estate market. Thanks Cindy, Brooke, Jennifer, Janice and Susan for making my visit so enjoyable. Each of you brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to your roles with the chapter, and I know your members are benefiting from your emphasis on quality education at your meetings.

More recently I had the misfortune of not making it to a joint meeting with the Dallas and Collin County Chapters in Texas. Weather issues in their area prevented my flight from arriving in time for their luncheon, but they had the good fortune of having Women’s Council’s 1957 National President Ebby Halliday in attendance that day. Ebby had come to autograph her new book, Ebby Halliday: The First Lady of Real Estate. The book is a remarkable accounting of Ebby’s life and real estate career, and references to her early years in Women’s Council are interspersed throughout. Ebby, who is now 98, still goes to her office and is actively involved in her community. An entrepreneur and true industry leader, she exemplifies all that we each strive to become, and she was gracious enough to share some of her real estate experiences with those attending the luncheon.

Our Executive Committee recently met in Chicago to finalize plans for 2010 with a focus on delivering to our members the top-notch education and networking they have come to expect from Women’s Council. We are all excited about the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards that the local chapters will be giving to deserving members this year. The award guidelines are currently available in the Chapter Tools area of the Member Center.

In addition to the Executive Committee planning sessions, the Leadership Academy faculty also met in Chicago to fine-tune the modules that will be used to train our incoming local and state chapter presidents. Each year, it is amazing how our facilitators bring new perspectives to this training program—the attendees are in for a real treat this year! For the first time, the incoming regional vice presidents will participate in the Academy to enhance their roles as support agents for the state chapter leadership, as well as the local chapter leadership team in those areas without a state chapter. Our goal is to create synergy throughout all levels of Women’s Council!

Our sincere thanks again to Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and Pulte Homes-Gulf Coast Region for their generosity as our Strategic Partners for our Midyear Meeting.

Ken Blanchard once said, “Leadership is love—loving your mission, loving your people and loving yourself enough that you get out of the way and let other’s shine!”


Becky Hill, ABR, PMN, SRES
National President
Women’s Council of REALTORS®
Broker Associate
Keller Williams Realty, Houston, TX
Becky@BeckyHill.com