I Gradumatated from VAR’s Virginia Leadership Academy!

Being a successful Real Estate Consultant and REALTOR® is not just about selling lots of homes. I believe you have to be three-dimensional – take lots of continuing education, stay on top of current and upcoming real estate events and regulations, give back to your community and get involved in your local and state REALTOR® association. Part of being involved in your local and state association includes attending the Virginia Association of REALTORS®, Virginia Leadership Academy.

The Virginia Leadership Academy, which involves several retreats and many meetings over a period of 9 months along with a huge class project, accepts only 22 REALTORS® per year. There are over 33,000 REALTORS® in Virginia so the competition is stiff and the acceptance standards are high. That’s one reason why I was so honored to be accepted into the Virginia Association of REALTORS®, Virginia Leadership Academy, Class of 2009.

And I didn’t just attend… I gradumatated! (Yes, the misspelling is for humor purposes – so please chuckle now)

The Virginia Leadership Academy proved to be quite the learning experience…

We learned a bit about the way the Virginia Association of REALTORS® works. But, more importantly, we learned about leadership, how to better serve our clients and we created relationships with some of the best and brightest REALTORS® in Virginia. This may not sound like it would help you – the consumer – but in fact, it does greatly.

“How?” you ask… Here’s how…

Being in the same room with another 21 REALTORS® always leads to “shop talk.”  But this was “shop talk” with some of the best and brightest in the biz. Exchanging ideas and experiences with these folks proved to be more valuable than many of the continuing education classes I’ve taken. (Not that the classes were bad, but just sayin…)

The most important part for me was learning about leadership. That’s important to me because I believe that there is a great deal of room for change and improvement in the real estate industry – particularly in the consumer experience department.

How do you bring change to the real estate industry and help improve the consumer experience?

Besides doing the right thing yourself in day-to-day business dealings, get involved in your local and state REALTOR® association. That’s why I serve on several committees at the local and state level and hope to get more involved in a leadership role down the road. Graduating from the Virginia Leadership Academy will help me be more effective in bringing change for the better once I am in more of a position to do so.

In addition to great “shop talk” and the leadership lessons, there’s the whole “creating relationships with fellow classmates.” I have been able to confidently refer several clients moving to other parts of Virginia to fellow Virginia Leadership Academy alumni. And I’m completely comfortable doing so because I know them personally, trust them and know they will take great care of my clients.

The Virginia Leadership Academy proved to be a great and rewarding experience and I’m honored and happy to have gone through it. Thank you to VAR for accepting me into the program. Thank you to DAAR for sponsoring me. And congratulations to my fellow Virginia Leadership Academy alumni!

Accepted Into Virginia Leadership Academy, Class of 2009

It is an honor to announce that the Virginia Association of REALTORS® has accepted me into the Virginia Leadership Academy, Class of 2009. This is a huge honor because only 22 members across Virginia were selected.

In addition to being focused on providing clients with the best possible service as their Loudoun County Real Estate Consultant and REALTOR®, I'm also focused on being involved on the local and state (and soon national) level. There are a lot of changes and improvements that need to be made within the real estate industry for the benefit of real estate professionals and consumers alike. The Virginia Leadership Academy will open up many doors that will enable me to be a part of making those changes.