In Corina Lessa\u2019s view, \u201creal estate is the most powerful force shaping human civilization.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBehind the real estate industry, there are leaders that are making the decisions that are shaping his industry,\u201d Lessa, the broker-owner of Tampa Bay Key Real Estate<\/strong> told attendees on Thursday at the Women of Influence Forum<\/a> during HousingWire<\/strong>\u2019s The Gathering<\/a> in Austin.<\/p>\n According to Lessa, many leaders<\/a> in the industry are \u201ccompletely invisible,\u201d creating a void that is being filled by voices, many of whom are not even industry practitioners.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe story is being told by someone, and that someone is not just describing the story, they are actually defining it, defining our entire industry,\u201d she said. \u201cSo we have a problem and the problem is the visibility gap. And we are missing so many of the great voices \u2014 a lot of the voices that are in this room, a lot of voices of women.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n This lack of visibility leads to an erosion of trust with consumers, who ultimately will just listen to the noisiest voice they find, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be a social media<\/a> influencer or a commentator. It can be anyone that is being loud, and the consumer is then watching and listening to this information that they are then using to make the most important financial decision of their lives,\u201d Lessa said. <\/p>\n \u201cThey are leaving a lot of the established leaders on the sidelines, and then you see a lot of those leaders with their heads down, looking at their phones, watching and reading the comments and being pissed about it just because they did not speak up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Throughout her career \u2014 first with a travel agency before transitioning into real estate over a decade ago \u2014 Lessa said she has learned that trust is not only built through relationships but through \u201cvisibility and voice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI realized that trust is the currency of leadership,\u201d Lessa said. \u201cAnd here\u2019s the uncomfortable truth: People are making a lot of life-changing decisions and they are sometimes looking at leaders that are not the most qualified \u2014 they\u2019re the noisiest and that makes them visible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n This realization led Lessa to build upon the \u201cABCs of leadership\u201d framework she learned during her time at Harvard University. According to the existing framework, leaders are architects that build structures, organizations and systems; bridges that connect people, systems and communities; and catalysts that move people into action.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHarvard doesn\u2019t name another one and that is \u2018D\u2019 for decoder,\u201d Lessa said. \u201cModern leaders must be interpreting the complexities of our industry. Why? Because real estate is not the first language of the consumer. I think we can all agree that our industry is so complicated.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In today\u2019s housing environment<\/a>, Lessa said it is not enough for leaders to be architects, bridges and catalysts, they must also translate the complexities of the industry.<\/p>\n \u201cA leader today must interpret regulations<\/a>, must simplify decisions for investors. And if no one is seeing you, no one is hearing what you\u2019re saying, if they don\u2019t listen to your perspective, they are in the dark and you can\u2019t make any impact,\u201d Lessa said. <\/p>\n\u2018Trust is the currency of leadership\u2019<\/h2>\n