Five years with OAR (Oklahoma Association of REALTORS®) has grown me up (aged me) a little bit. However, I have no regrets nor would I change it for anything. I have learned a lot being at the helm of this 13,000+ memberwide state association.

Spoiler Alert and Best Practice Tip:
Keep your head down and do your job, let your work speak for itself.

For what it is worth, here are just a few of the achievements within the last five years:

1. Build a stellar staff team and create a positive culture. This is probably my most treasured accomplishment. Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you, right? That’s what I did and continue to do.

2. Oh, and while I am at it, I built a stellar rapport with the 17 local boards and the fantastic association executives that run them. There wasn’t a strong relationship five years ago, but there is now. The best practice tip here for any new state executive building relationships with their locals is to do what you say you’ll do. Follow through, listen to, and learn from them. You are a colleague, not a competition.

3. Contend and finish a lawsuit against the association that was inherited upon my arrival. This took three years to close. Fun fact: I have received six “threats” of lawsuits, all lacking credibility, since my arrival. They have all been just that: threats. They are nothing more than manufactured issues that never seem to be real. These come from the same 4-6 members that have some deep-rooted animosity toward any kind of administration at OAR. I have seen the historical records and files, it’s not just me nor is this a new thing. <deep sigh> Luckily, those seem to have gone by the wayside now and hopefully they realize there is nothing there to sue for. See spoiler alert above.

4. Bring the budgets and expenses a little closer to Earth by reducing wasteful and frivolous spending. The association’s net income and assets have increased exponentially year over year. Call me, I will show you the books, they’re pretty!

5. Remodel the building. It’s still in sad shape, but much better and more professional than it was before. Wait until we take on a whole new project (coming soon)!

6. Bring back the leadership academy and make it a full-fledged, legit program. It has been dormant for a couple of years upon my arrival, but it’s back and stronger than ever.

7. Build a new website (okay, this was actually hired done, but still) and make systems, checklists, and platforms more effective. This took building a technology plan and implementing it within budget. No small feat.

8. Remove an association president for cause. Oh good Lord, I will save this one for another post at another time. But yes, holding leaders accountable and ensuring that the board takes the right action, swiftly, is part of the job. This is why it is critical to have advisors in your corner. These advisors are both in-house and outside counsel, your parliamentarian counsel, and well-trained leadership team officers of the board. Documentation is key.

9. Bylaws, bylaws, bylaws edits and refinements. We will talk at another time about removing the word “immediate” from any reference. Don’t hamstring your board saddling them to the wrong leadership all because of a word that describes a position.

10. Actually implement and lead a following of a strategic plan. One without all of the unnecessary minutia. Get to the point and get work done.

11. Oh that pandemic thing… yeah, there was some shifting that had to be done during that time. We adjusted and made sure that REALTORS® were essential in our state to keep working during that weird period of our lives.

Those are just a few highlights, certainly not everything. It’s been a busy five years, however, things are going well and I am committed to continuing. Annnnnd…. we have an agreement in place that offers me the opportunity to post this same type of photo in another five years. I look forward to it.