Lightbulb moments from young leaders

Lightbulb moments from young leadersImage, left to right: Miriam Salter; Tom Greenwell; Sasha Kovic; Tomas Lancini; Kate Angus.What is the secret to building a rewarding career? We checked in with some rising stars to discover what drew them to property and what they’ve learnt as they climb the career ladder.While some of the industry’s young guns never planned a career in property, others grew up with construction pumping through their veins.Tom Greenwell, an asset manager with Investec Australia, is one of the latter. “From an early age, I saw the risks and reward of real estate by watching my father grow his business,” Greenwell says.”I was able to understand and talk the language of property from an early age by continually asking questions and gaining insight from my father.”This led to a university degree and a role with Investec followed in 2015.Greenwell says his biggest career lesson so far has been to “look beyond your immediate team” to understand the bigger picture. “Understand your organisation in its entirety,” he advises.Meanwhile, Kate Angus, a solicitor with Speirs Ryan, says she “fell into property”, but soon “got hooked” on the industry.Her biggest career lesson is “be humble, accepting and appreciative of the work that comes your way, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem. “As a junior, it is easy to dismiss tasks that are not as glamorous as a larger matter. But there is a lot of competition in the property industry and I have always found clients are more likely to refer you the big matters when you dedicate equal focus to them, regardless of the size or significance of the job.”Tomas Lancini was exposed to the industry from an early age. “I always accompanied my father on construction sites after school and on weekends – and that’s where my passion for property and construction grew,” he explains.Lancini says he kept a “keen eye on property” throughout his various roles in the retail sector, which led him to back to the family fold. Today, he’s the development manager at Lancini Property & DevelopmentLancini says his biggest career lesson has been to “listen to and understand people’s concerns and frustrations, whether that be tenants, customers or other external stakeholders” and to “think on my feet”.With a head for science and maths, Sasha Kovic studied civil engineering and commerce at university. “I knew that there weren’t many women in construction and I figured this was a good point of difference for me.”Now a project manager with Frasers Property Australia, Kovic says she was attracted by “the idea that I could drive past a building in 30 years’ time and say ‘I helped build that’.”Kovic’s advice is simple. “Don’t waste time on perfection, there isn’t enough hours in the day for it!” “In the past, I would spend way too long formulating emails and writing reports which ultimately would lead to the same outcome. So, I accepted that my 80 per cent was still pretty good and it freed my time up to get on with other tasks.”Miriam Salter, a project leader with structural engineering firm Pritchard Francis, is driven to work with architects and design teams to create engineering buildings – ones which “usually come with challenging engineering problems that need solving.”Her biggest lesson has been to learn to be “more self-aware” with her communication. “I’m learning to look beyond the technical aspects of a job to listen and understand what the client is trying to achieve. This may not be the best structural solution but achieves the best project outcome.”While their career lessons may differ, each of the young guns is unanimous on the importance of networking.Lancini recommends other up-and-coming members of the property sector “attend industry events, like those hosted by the Property Council. And don’t be afraid to introduce yourself and have a chat to someone new. Every person you meet expands your understanding and knowledge of the industry and can lead to an array of opportunities in the future.” Salter says networking has helped her to get to know clients in a social setting. “People want to work with their friends, so getting to know people really builds on the professional relationships,” she says.”Networking has also given me the opportunity to talk about topics I’m really passionate about – and this gives clients the confidence in my abilities to deliver their projects.”Angus’ tip for networking is to look beyond the usual suspects while growing your network. “The traditional networking methods of grabbing a coffee or an after-work drink only account for a small amount of your exposure as a professional. Don’t underestimate the networking opportunities that may present themselves via different mediums, such as LinkedIn.”Ask questions, Greenwell urges. “People in the industry are willing to spend time assisting a curious mind. Become a sponge and be proactive and present in key discussions.”Kovic says networking has “opened doors for me that I didn’t think existed and led to lots of invitations to fun events”. But the secret is viewing networking as a “long-term game”,” Kovic says.”It doesn’t necessarily mean someone will offer you a job tomorrow. If you make a good impression or do what you say you are going to do, you can call someone up after five years and ask for some advice or a service. And they may ask the same of you.”The perfect networking event, The Property Congress will be held in Cairns from 18-20 October. A special Future Directions discount is available to Property Council members aged 35 years and under and provides access the full conference and all three networking events. Book your ticket today.