1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

For the 25-odd years that I have stepped into the shoes of a leader, not once have I felt intimidated assuming a leadership role. I will credit all the stakeholders who made me feel at ease while crediting myself for putting in the backend work. However, if I have to list one challenge, I’d say it has to do with helping every team member find their purpose while making room for their personal growth and satisfaction.

To achieve this objective, I feel it is necessary to encourage dialogue, mostly 1:1 interactions wherein the leader can understand the teammate’s state of mind and suggest accordingly. Being in the business of selling super luxury homes, managing the art of frustrations and disappointments, having supreme self-belief, and trusting in the process is of paramount importance, thus when every team member is on the same page can organizations walk collectively in the direction of fastened progress to become a dominant leader in the business.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

Real estate as an industry has excited me since early childhood. There’s no exaggeration if I say that I decided to become a realtor while I was still studying in school. As I completed my high school education and stepped out to become a realtor, I consumed every little detail about the market (South Delhi) I wanted to specialize in. This happens to be the area I grew up in and to some extent knew inside out. In the days to come, I realized that demand for luxury homes around the area was skyrocketing and there was immense scope to expand my services across different locations.

That’s when I decided to partner with locational experts and take my business https://southdelhiprime.com/ to an all-new level. In the course of onboarding team members and partnering with like-minded individuals, I ended up becoming a leader. In fact, I really enjoyed and still enjoy influencing friends to join real estate

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

Work days are extremely busy for me. Being a realtor, most of my business associations ride on relationships. To build these relationships, it is necessary for me to step out in the field, go meet people, pass on information, note down their requirements, and ultimately help them with their dream property. One word to describe my routine is Hustle-Continuous Hustle day in and day out.

On starting my day, I tend to finish any e-meets that may be scheduled. Then I drive either to work or the client’s/prospect’s home/office. Breakfast usually happens between meetings. At work, I get done with all that is a priority before again moving to the field to keep in touch with the happenings. Usually, my days are very busy but I have no complaints.

I always dreamt of becoming a successful realtor and today living my dream is what gives me a different kind of high. All the team members share their schedule for the day and I try to join them wherever I am needed and wherever I can. For more than 25 years I have been following one motto - I have to do the most productive thing possible in any given moment. Had read it somewhere and it has stayed with me since🙂

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

I believe in life it is important to be a continuous learner, be it as an organizational head or a leader. With that at the back of my mind, I make constant attempts to polish my leadership abilities and ensure that I am always available for my people. A recent leadership lesson I was reminded of and I’d urge other leaders to follow is the power of delegation with limited follow-up. TRUST THE PROCESS AND TRUST THE TEAM, Micro-managing serves no purpose. I have always benefited from delegating responsibility and accountability to my team members, something that not just makes them feel independent and valued, but also helps in getting organizational tasks and home deals closed faster.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

A recent read that I can recollect has to be Carol S. Dweck’s - Mindset. This book speaks highly of watering a growth mindset over a fixed mindset. This book highlights the very fact that a lot is lost in life because of a fixed mindset that prevents you from thinking beyond a certain level, be it by trusting your abilities or performing a challenging task. The exact opposite of this is a growth mindset that is all for self-belief and optimism.

Personally, I feel a growth mindset is a must for a leader because only a leader with one such mindset can pull the team up and ensure that goals are being ticked off the list. This book speaks a lot about human psychology, which in my opinion is a must to be a tactful leader. Simply Put for real estate You Either Earn or You Learn in the process of a deal.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

If I have to give a piece of advice to a fellow young leader, I’d just say 3 words - Patience, Perseverance, and Gratitude. Every leader must know that when dealing with a team or attaining challenging goals, it’s not like there will be magic overnight. One needs to have patience and give things time.: While selling super luxury homes be willing to take risks and that deals will go wrong before the wrongs lead you to right. Next up comes perseverance. Keep the Hustle going, It is necessary that you as a leader refrain from giving up because if the leader gives up, team members lose direction.

The leader should himself/herself continue to put in the effort and also motivate team members to keep going on. Lastly, something that is very important to me, which is gratitude. The very fact that you have gotten the opportunity of becoming a leader is something you should be grateful for. Gratitude attracts a lot of good in life. Young leaders should always remember and practice this on a daily basis.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

I would like to share my two cents, this time not from the perspective of my team members, but that of my clients, who see me as an industry leader, when it comes to South Delhi Luxury Real Estate. We have recently ventured into new territories - Goa (domestic) and Dubai (international), again where we are on our way to being recognized as a leader. Many reasons make you a leader is what I can conclude. Subject domain knowledge and expertise is one of the first reasons why clients see me as a leader.

This is followed by my ability to ask all the right questions and help develop a framework that clearly underlines the client’s needs, way better than they had originally expressed. A rich network, the ability to foster meaningful relationships, and always being available for my clients are other reasons that they say make me a good leader. Lastly, I always tell my team members to make me redundant, by making themselves self-sufficient.