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Five years ago, the Rise Initiative set out to transform the way the Australian real estate industry approaches mental health.
The charity was launched on 2 May 2019 in the wake of the devastating Christchurch mosque shootings, when a group of Australian real estate leaders raised $150,000 for victims of the shootings.
Since then, Rise has swivelled to a focus on mental wellness within the industry.
Addressing the audience at Rise’s recent Leadership Advance conference, outgoing president John Cunningham explained: “When we first started Rise, it was a collective of people passionate about real estate who wanted to ‘do good’ and contribute to something outside ourselves that could make a difference.”
“We landed on mental health because of the heartbreaking statistics we face as an industry and the wall of silence that surrounded it. Truly, mental health was an issue that mainstream real estate did not want to talk about,” said Cunningham.
Today, five years on from the organisation’s launch, the Rise Initiative continues to emphasise the importance of having challenging conversations.
“We dread them. We do anything to avoid them. But when we have them, space is somehow made, our hearts become lighter, and our heads become clearer,” explained Cunningham.
“There is a renewed sense of intention, purpose and strength.”
At their most recent event, speakers broached topics from positive masculinity to grief.
“Life is messy, people are emotional, and real estate businesses are social structures and microcosms of the human condition,” Cunningham said.
“The more we talk about what seems impossible, the more we can normalise the management of issues that were previously secrets.”
One of the goals that the Rise Initiative has held for the past five years is to bring these conversations into the mainstream, and bring greater awareness of the responsibilities workplaces have to foster wellbeing.
“How we personally perform and how our businesses perform are one continuum,” said Cunningham.
“Once you are aware, you can no longer ignore, avoid or deny what is going on under your leadership.”
His views were echoed by Jason Pellegrino, CEO of Domain, who asserted that “as leaders, it’s up to us to step up to the plate and take action”.
“Mental wellness and psychological safety in the workplace do not happen by chance. It comes down to the actions that each one of us takes, the standards we set, and the behaviours we refuse to tolerate,” said Pellegrino.
“It’s up to us to lead, inspire and challenge our people.”
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