You’ve come a long way in the firm. As a new grad, was it a very steep learning curve?
Enormously. I was attached to the senior partner. I was his assistant for two or three years. I went out to meetings with him, socialised with him and met all his contacts. And you couldn’t fail but to learn a lot in a very short space of time. I’m trying to make sure that graduates now get the same opportunities by encouraging our senior people to take graduates out to meetings and to involve them in as many things as possible. It’s proving quite successful.
What was the most valuable thing you learned in those early days?
How important people skills are. My senior partner had this amazing ability to interact with people from all walks of life and all social levels. He really looked after his clients. It left a huge mark on them and how they felt about the business.
Anything else?
Yes, when you discover that you don’t know as much as you think you know – those experiences are almost more valuable than the more positive experiences. You should never be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone if you want to develop. A senior colleague once told me that you’ll never get it right every time. But if you get it right eight times out of ten, you’ll be going faster than you would be otherwise. There are a number of lessons there. The first is; make the decision – trust your gut and if you’re not sure, don’t do it. The second is to accept that you’re not going to get it right every time. And when you’ve recognised that you’ve made a mistake, deal with it and move on. Don’t try and make a bad decision right.
So if you could pass on some fatherly advice to the new recruits, what would it be?
Three things spring to mind. Learning doesn’t stop when you qualify: you have to develop and sometimes reinvent yourself. We’ll help in that. I think we’re very good at spotting when people need some help and guidance. Secondly, remember that you need to be team orientated. Yes, you need to be intelligent and ambitious - but that’s no good if people don’t like you. And thirdly, take an interest in the business. You can’t sell it if you don’t know it. When I first started I had this insatiable appetite to learn and I immersed myself in the business. It’s a challenge but as your career grows I think that’s really important.
Looking back, are you glad you chose a career in property?
Definitely. Real estate draws on a whole raft of different human skills. It’s social, it’s challenging and at CBRE you get the chance to be involved in some very big transactions. Fundamentally, property people are work hard, play hard. It’s a really fun industry to work in!
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