Wendy Mann
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re spotlighting some of our inspiring WLI members and getting their thoughts on leadership. Hear from Wendy Mann, CEO of CREW Network, below.
Please summarize your current role within ULI and explain why WLI is important to you?
I am currently a member of ULI and support all efforts to raise women’s voices and celebrate their achievements. I believe it is important that the CREW Network be represented among leaders and members of ULI as we advocate for the advancement of women throughout the industry. All women in CRE should lend their voice to our mission, and men should partner with female leaders to achieve great diversity and inclusion.
What is your expertise? What services do you provide? What leads do you look for?
My passion and commitment to women in the industry is my calling card. Through our programming, training and events, we engage and develop the skills, talent, and leadership acumen of women. Through our robust online business networking platform, CREWBiz, we continually enable women to connect with one another to give and get business. We lead by delivering what women in commercial real estate need now and when moving into the future in their careers: connections, deals, and leadership skills.
Please summarize your CRE career, and explain why you decided to work in the built environment.
It is a great honor to serve as CEO of CREW Network. While my career is not directly in commercial real estate, I have been around the industry for many years as my husband worked in the industry for the past 20 years and my son does as well. My respect and appreciation for real estate development flourished during my tenure at NAIOP and expanded with CREW Network. My current position integrates my passion and commitment to advocate for women along with my curiosity for and deep commitment to commercial real estate.
Do you consider yourself a female leader? Please explain why.
Absolutely! I am leading a global organization of women in commercial real estate, and they are counting on me to lead them to grow and flourish through our four pillars — Business connections, leadership skills development, research, and career outreach –to build a diverse talent pipeline. Our members are leaders in every aspect of our chapters’ work, and they instill in me a true sense of the sentiment “a rising tide lifts all boats.”
Who is a female leader you admire and why?
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the leading suffragettes of the women’s rights movement in the late 1880s. She was responsible for the Seneca Falls Convention, which is widely viewed as one of the most pivotal moments of the movement. I view her as the first woman to give women a voice and to declare that women are equal to men. She was truly an early force for all women.
Describe what you do to remain visible in your career.
I believe that I can best serve our members and my career through my voice. I blog regularly and host a podcast addressing industry topics as well as women’s leadership. I volunteer for other organizations where I can lend my expertise and voice. One of the most important things that I like to do is send personal notes to our members to recognize their accomplishments and support them. I find that a personal, handwritten note is a great way to be present with others and goes a long way in making an impression.
Describe a pivotal moment in your career. What makes it stand out?
In my second job out of college, I worked with, what I considered at the time, a much older man who was a peer (he was 35). He was very controlling of how things went through his department, and he was very challenging to work with from a collaboration standpoint — his approach was basically “my way or the highway.” I continually butted heads with him. I was very driven and singled-minded myself. I had not yet learned how to manage across the organization. My CEO at the time acknowledged the issue and expected me to follow my peer’s requirements and process. I banged my head against the wall for a very long time until I realized that I could not change my peer, but I could change me and my approach. When I changed my approach, it changed the outcome. A big leadership lesson learned through a challenging time.
What advice can you give to others on how to identify and maneuver through similar experiences?
It is important to be self-aware. The best thing anyone can do for themselves if they want to develop their leadership skills and position themselves for a promotion is to be brutally honest about their strengths and skills that could be improved. Don’t bang your head against the wall like I did! Take a hard look in the mirror and admit what you need to change to get the outcome you want. At the end of the day, your leader wants you to deliver results. What do you need to do/change/recognize to make that happen? Don’t lay blame elsewhere … you can’t change others, you can only change you. It works!