Leaders, be visible to yourself

Speaking on a recent episode of The Wire, Leanne Pilkington, chief executive and director of Laing+Simmons and deputy president of the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA), said leaders need to take an introspective look in order to become successful drivers of change in their organisations.

“I think it’s really important to know you. I know what my values are. For me, it is to do what you say you’re going to do. It is to take ownership, take responsibility. No one’s always right.

“And if you think that you can fool me into thinking you’re right, you can’t, and you just make yourself look like an idiot and it means I’ll never trust you again,” she stated.

But working on being true to yourself, Ms Pilkington revealed, is a long work in progress and can begin with the simplest form of expression, such as clothing.

“I remember back when I was a recruiter. In between my real estate days, I was only allowed to wear black, brown, or beige clothes, and most people who know me know I’m known for my colour and my sequins.

“And so as soon as I finished that job back in the early ’90s, my wardrobe became an explosion of colour, and that was kind of the first step in me owning who I am. This is me. Yeah, I’m a little bit out there. I’m a little bit quirky. That’s okay. I’m alright with it, and if you don’t like it, I accept that too,” she recalled.

While finding your authentic colour palette for your wardrobe feels like a trivial task, Ms Pilkington noted this a major milestone that helped to build her leadership brand — one that stays true to herself and what she believes in.

Further into her career, she said owning up to her strengths and the values she presented had carved her identity as a leader.

When she was initially offered a role with the Real Estate Institute while being the general manager at Laing+Simmons, she confessed she had her doubts on her capabilities, stating she believed she was “not presidential material”.

Once again, being aware of her skills as a leader helped pave the way for new heights in her career.

“But you know what? I am. I did a bloody good job and I’m really proud of it,” she stated.

This authentic take on leadership, which translated into her transparency to her organisation, played a big role in helping her overcome one of the biggest challenges in recent times: the pandemic.

Although COVID-19 presented uncharted territories for the then two-year term Real Estate Institute in NSW (REINSW) president, she shared that she was “grateful for the opportunity that I was presented with during COVID”.

“I think I got really clear on what people needed from their leaders during that time, and what they needed was clear, consistent communication, and they needed me to be transparent. If I didn’t know the answer they needed to know.

“It’s like, yeah, actually, you know what? I don’t know what the rules are, but what I can tell you is as soon as I know you’ll know,” she recalled.

During this time, Ms Pilkington also came to realise that while being “very direct” can feel like a disadvantage, she discovered “people really appreciated that”.

“[Three] or four years down the track, I’m still getting people every week or two telling me how much that meant to them during COVID,” she shared.

These valuable lessons in leadership also proved to be vital when she bought Laing+Simmons, according to Ms Pilkington.

The business leader shared that while many wanted in alongside her in buying into the business, it wasn’t for everyone.

So, she spent the time finding out “from all of the people that didn’t buy in and their teams what they were worried about, how comfortable they were with that, us buying it, and if they weren’t comfortable, why not, what could I do, and it came back to those same things”, she explained.

The root cause? Ms Pilkington believes it all boiled down to a call for a higher degree of transparency.

“They didn’t want to think that the shareholders were getting a better deal. And it’s like, you know what? The shareholders have bought an income stream. Like buying a rent roll, so you can’t buy a rent roll and then give everybody free rent. I mean, it just doesn’t work,” she stated.

In order to address this, the new business leader said she adapted by changing the way she communicates.

“I communicate more regularly. I do more videos. I’m just really open, and people trust me because I’ve never let them down.

“I do what I say I’m going to do, and if I don’t know the answer, I tell them I don’t know, and I give them direct feedback whether it’s good or bad, and people know that about me, and over time, they build up that trust and they just go, ’You know what? If that’s what Leanne says, that’s what’s happening’,” she stated.

But communication is a two-way street, and Ms Pilkington acknowledged that feedback is a healthy part of the equation.

To help leaders deal with feedback, she advised focusing on the value the feedback provides.

“[If] you don’t value the person, don’t value the feedback. That’s not to say that I don’t take on board negative feedback, I do, but if I think someone’s an idiot, then I don’t care if they like what I do or they don’t like what I do because I don’t value them and I don’t think their opinion is adding any value to me.”

She reminds leaders to have a realist approach and to “see both sides” of any situation, “That’s one of my strengths is being able to see both sides of the argument,” she added.

She also practices being “careful” about what she puts out into the world — particularly into social media.

“I don’t say anything for the sake of being controversial. I only put my views out, and if people don’t agree with my views, and there’s plenty that don’t, that’s their right.

“My views are usually based on fact, and if they don’t agree, well, that’s okay, I can confidently argue my case. But ultimately, I call it the first rule of franchising, you’ll never keep everybody happy, and you have to be at peace with that,” she concluded.

Listen to the full conversation with Leanne here.