February 2009: Success and Leadership without Limits

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One of the greatest opportunities as National President of the Women’s Council is to visit and interact with members across the country. Throughout the year, I will be sharing those experiences with you, the members, so that you will be aware of the fabulous things your fellow members and leaders are accomplishing. So, I invite you along to enjoy the journey.

The Arizona Chapter is off to a wonderful start under the guidance of State Chapter President Wilma Purcell and the entire 2009 leadership team. Their chapter motto, “The networking you want, the support you need,” was very much in evidence throughout the meetings. They will be continuing some innovative ideas in 2009, such as "Teams vs. Committees," "Team Leaders vs. Chairs" and so on. It was an honor for me to not only install the state officers, but also the local chapter presidents, and to speak with them about their leadership strategies.  

Scholarships are an important part of the state chapter’s philosophy, and they are awarded in honor of one of their members, Karen Franz. Funds are generated each year through a special silent auction they host at the annual state meeting. What a significant way to honor a very special lady who had such a passion for the organization and whose memory is now preserved through the issuance of several scholarships each year given to members in her name.

An inspirational presentation was given one morning by Reita Hutson, an NAR Good Neighbor Award Recipient and Scottsdale-area member, who shared her involvement in a significant community outreach program with a group known as “The Lost Boys of Sudan." She truly epitomizes what community outreach and involvement can do and has shown great leadership by spearheading the program she calls Gabriel’s Dream, Inc.

State meetings are geared to support the efforts of the local chapters by offering education for members in attendance. Arizona covered that nicely through roundtables on Programs, Communicating with Technology, the Chapter Business Plan/Excellence Awards and Web sites. If you’re not on Facebook or LinkedIn, or haven’t started Twittering, you’re not up to date on what is happening through social networking!  

Past Regional Vice President Bob Nachman, led a brainstorming session on Recruitment and Retention. Some ideas generated from that session included:

• Publicize chapter involvement with local civic groups.
• Emphasize business to business that takes place among members.
• Promote the value of membership more frequently.
• Testimonials from members at each monthly meeting.

My trip ended with a special tour of the Scottsdale/Phoenix area with 1993 National President Sheila Espinoza, who was gracious enough to spend some time with me that afternoon before I had to go to the airport. What a beautiful part of the country, and one I encourage you to visit some day if you get the chance.

Achieving success first involves having a vision and developing a plan of action. After that is in place, you must focus on getting someone to buy into the plan and then generate enough excitement that several others naturally want to get involved. That’s what we are so successful at doing at every level within Women’s Council. If you’re not a member, we invite you to join us. If you’re already a member, remember to stay connected with other Women's Council members from across the country and experience the journey of your life!
 
Becky Hill, ABR, PMN, SRES
National President
Women’s Council of REALTORS®
Broker Associate
Keller Williams Realty, Houston, TX
Becky@BeckyHill.com