President’s Corner – More advice

LEARN FROM THE LEADERS

Advice from the Houston Apartment Association’s rich legacy of past presidents.

By JOHN BORIACK, 2021 HAA President

TO CONTINUE SHARING leadership lessons from industry icons, I want to change gears here and interview past presidents of the Product Service Council. We can learn a lot from these legendary supplier partners.

Past PSC President Grant Crowell, CAS, like many other past PSC presidents, is an entrepreneur who built his successful company from the ground up while simultaneously volunteering and contributing his time, energy and hard-earned money to the Houston Apartment Association.

Grant quickly rose through the ranks as a volunteer supplier partner for HAA through his relentless and consistent commitment to HAA. He is a thoughtful and purposeful individual who I have learned a lot from, and I believe you can gain helpful insight from him too.

John Boriack: What are some things you wish you knew when you started your career?

Grant Crowell: I wish I knew myself, my temperament and my flaws better. Not only that, but I wish I knew, as most of us have figured out, not everyone thinks like you, sees the world like you or values the same things you value. This is pretty standard stuff. The hard part comes in when you have to articulate those differences, own anything that might truly be a fault of yours and leverage those differences for the good of others. A lot of humility there.

John: What skill do you believe is the most important to perfect for someone who does what you do?

Grant: Well, let's take humility for a start. One thing that has become clear to me is that things change over time, especially if the business grows. What once worked for you might actually become a liability. For example, at one time I was the lead salesperson at the business, but as the business grew, it actually became a weakness for us if I was doing the sales. In this case, I am defining humility as "knowing the truth about yourself," neither over nor underestimating your talents, capabilities, weaknesses and/or strengths. It's a difficult thing to get an accurate picture of yourself.

A second skill would be seeking counsel. In this case, I mean true coaching, not just getting tips and tricks from peers. Seeking out someone trained in coaching who will take you on for a long period of time and who shares your values. This is an invaluable relationship for your growth as a leader. They can help you with the knowing yourself part of my answer above. I can't stress enough: This is not a typical networking or collegial relationship like most of us tend to think of when we say mentoring. A true coach is going to work on your character, not your skills. This is grueling work sometimes because you have to come face-to-face with your bad habits, biases and mistakes. Further, I would recommend this person does not have a connection to the industry. There is less of a temptation to slide into tactical problem solving when the coach can't actually help you solve the practical issues you are facing. Again, they are there to build your character, so that you can go solve the problems.

John: What is the hardest leadership lesson that keeps being presented to you that you either have to learn or relearn?

Grant: For me, it would be diligence beyond the entrepreneurial phase. Here's what I mean: I love change. I love to do something new. I love to learn about what I don't know. This put me in hot water more than a handful of times. I'll fail to drive the nail all the way into the wood, so to speak, when I leave a job 70% done. This is common in entrepreneurial people. It is hard for us to be finishers. A second hard lesson for me is being too soft on people. I tend not to like ruffling feathers, especially the feathers of my own people. I want them to be happy and well cared for. I have been too wishy-washy with them about my true thoughts for fear of hurting feelings. In the end this has stunted them and hampered the organization's development.

John: What was either the best career advice you’ve ever received or the worst career advice you’ve ever received?

Grant: Best: Debrief failure. Choose what to change. Begin again.

Worst: I read a lot of business books in the early 2000s that emphasized the idea of passive income. I've come to hate this idea. There's no such thing as passive growth. Left alone long enough, any system, no matter how well built, falls into disorder. There's a lot of talk in business about delegation, but we mustn't confuse abdication with delegation.

John: Describe either a challenge, accomplishment or decision that catapulted you to your success?

Grant: Catapulting makes me think overnight success. I doubt this image is true for many successful business people. One book that really did change the way I thought, though, was the classic “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey. If you haven’t read that one seriously (and worked through the workbook), I recommend it.

John: Do you have a daily habit that you feel makes you a more productive or successful person?

Grant: There are a handful of them. Here's three:

1. Morning prayer for 30 minutes. No books, no phone. Only listening and journaling.

2. Journaling was a behavior that I resisted for years. It has become invaluable to me, however, to keep my thinking clear. I refer back to the journal if an idea or concept needs to be communicated to someone else.

3. Examination of your day. At the end of the day for two to three minutes max. Does anything stick out about your day? Good or bad? What are you thankful for? What are you sorry for? What will you resolve to do differently and/or better tomorrow? Write those things down.