By Gino Blefari
This week my travels found me in Costa Rica at the Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, a sprawling, tropical retreat overlooking the Gulf of Papagayo that borders the sandy beaches and pristine waters of the Culebra Bay. I was visiting Costa Rica for the Berkshire Elite Circle Conference, which brought together broker/owners from the top 50 companies in the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network for a celebration of their achievements.
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels found me in Denver, CO for the HSF Affiliates Franchise Sales Team Meeting. As it happens, Denver International Airport (DEN) has been named the most on-time airport in the U.S., and the city is known as the most educated in America, boasting the highest percentage of college graduates. What better location could we choose for a conference bringing together our punctual and skilled sales team members?
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels find me in St. Louis to meet with two fantastic brokerages. First, I visited Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties and members of the company’s leadership team, including Maryann Vitale Alles, president and CEO and Angie Ignatowski, broker/owner/relocation director. Then it was off to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Alliance Real Estate to speak with agents and managers, including CEO/Owner Andrea Lawrence, President/Co-Owner Kevin Goffstein and Executive Vice President/Co-Owner Bob Bax. My meeting with Alliance Real Estate was part of a two-day event, the Faster Higher Stronger Conference, which kicked off Wednesday night at the St. Louis Cardinal’s Busch Stadium, for an evening of baseball to benefit the Sunshine Kids. What an incredible experience and it all began with Steven Conner of the Sunshine Kids, who was joined on the field by his family as he threw out the first pitch of the game! Great times for a great cause!
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels find me in Southern California for staff meetings and our third-annual HSF Affiliates Sunshine Kids FunRun, taking place tomorrow in Irvine. I’m looking forward to attending the event and raising money for an incredible organization that provides positive activities and emotional support for young cancer patients. There is no greater feeling than giving back to those who deserve it most and doing something not for your own benefit but for the sole benefit of others.
And speaking of giving back, this past week we lost one of the all-time greatest givers, a fighter, a hero, a leader, a legend … Muhammad Ali. In 1964 when Ali emerged victorious in his fight against famed American boxer Sonny Liston, Ali raised his arms high into the air, smiled as big as anyone could possibly smile and announced, “I shook up the world!”
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels found me in New York City and the overwhelming theme of my trip was “steps.” Let me explain …
I was in town for the NAHREP Hispanic Wealth Project Symposium, which brings together stakeholders and national leaders to create measurable financial and wealth-building initiatives to benefit the economy. As with all NAHREP events, this one was fantastic, and served to refocus my energies around the strategies put forth in the NAHREP 10.
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels first found me in Minneapolis for a HomeServices of America, Inc. board meeting. As soon as the meeting ended, I flew into Omaha, NE to get together with the “Mavericks” that evening. The Mavericks is a small think-tank group of CEOs that meets every six months to exchange ideas and help each other grow. Each meeting is hosted by a different company; this one took place at the brand-new office of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate and was organized by Broker/Owner Vince Leisey and his incredibly helpful staff.
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels find me in Minneapolis, MN for the HomeServices of America, Inc. leadership meeting. The meeting proved educational, invigorating and inspiring, with presentations from top leaders in our organization. Monday and Tuesday, prior to this conference, HomeServices of America, Inc. held a Leadership Development Conference, which brought together 20 rising-star leaders from across the country. I had the opportunity to talk to this group about creating a winning culture, which I firmly believe is critical for the sustained, long-term prosperity of any company. As I always say, I love what I do largely because of who I get to do it with, and that rang true as I met with my HomeServices of America, Inc. CEO family in Minneapolis.
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels found me in Costa Mesa, CA for Tom Ferry’s Leadership Summit. The event brought together hundreds of broker/owners, managers and top teams from across the nation and served as a forum to both hear and share ideas. Tom Ferry kicked the meeting off in his typical, high-energy fashion and as I later told him, being among so many industry peers felt like being among family. (Although I must admit, I always feel like family when I’m with Tom. After all, his wife, Kathy, is 100% Italian, so he really is family. I’ll also never forget the first time I spoke to Tom … he was 19 years old and cold called me to attend his Superstar Retreat. We’ve been friends ever since!)
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels find me in Palm Springs, CA for the 2016 Real Living Connection conference. The meeting has been an incredible opportunity to connect with the Real Living brokers who work hard in markets across America and I must give kudos to Bob McAdams, president of Real Living, for putting together such a powerful and inspiring event. I’ve been having a great time participating in the conference activities, and even biked almost two miles in the 95-degree sweltering desert heat yesterday to compete in an Amazing Race-style team-building event. (Hey, it’s all about commitment. Remember, if you’re INTERESTED in being successful, you do what’s convenient but if you’re committed to being successful, you’ll do whatever it takes.)
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels found me in Westlake Village, CA for the fourth annual T3 Summit—T3 because Technology, Trends and Thoughts all take center stage at the event. The Summit is hosted by the Swanepoel T3 Group, one of the most prominent information and management-consulting firms in the residential real estate industry led by real estate visionary, Stefan Swanepoel. This was my first time attending T3 Summit and I have to say it was simply terrific. I left the conference feeling not only inspired by the speakers and presentations but also enlightened to go back to work with a fresh perspective and outlook on what it means to lead.
Thoughts on Leadership 