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Leadership in real estate isn’t about showing aggression or dominance—it’s built on integrity, trust, empathy, and intuition, according to one agency director.
Owner and managing director of Buxton Mornington Peninsula, Holly Longmuir, has spoken with REB podcast host Emilie Lauer about her real estate journey and how she developed a leadership style that worked for her.
Having built a career in the industry for nearly four decades, starting out as a young receptionist at her father’s real estate agency, Longmuir said her experiences inevitably influenced her approach to real estate.
Due to her family’s work ethic, she learnt early on that real estate was an industry that would require her to be focused and hard-working, and not cut corners.
“You can't be half-in, in real estate. It doesn't work; you need to be all in,” she said.
While she knew she would eventually follow in her father’s footsteps to lead her own real estate agency, she discovered that she shouldn’t try to fit her personality into the same mould by following his leadership style.
“Dad was the 1980s leader - he'd bang his fist on the desk … he had a healthy ego, he was aggressive,” she said.
“I think that one of the things, and particularly as a woman, I'm not aggressive by nature, and I started off trying to mimic him and being aggressive, and I was really bad at it.”
Longmuir said that while she was naturally a driven individual, reflecting on the difference between being aggressive and assertive was key in shaping her leadership style.
“I think I got sick of being aggressive. I couldn't keep up with the boys, so I just stopped trying.
“I wanted to be authentically myself, and there's a balance between having a healthy ego and having humility.”
She said that being assertive allows her to gain the respect of her staff and colleagues by providing constructive feedback and high praise.
However, she said that having an assertive leadership style also upholds her integrity, which has been pivotal to her success.
“I think if you're going to have integrity, you have to be assertive because you've got to deliver on what you say. You can't be a shrinking violet and want to be the biggest,” she said.
When it comes to the matter of gender and real estate, Longmuir believes that being a woman doesn’t dictate whether one deserves promotions or leadership roles; determination does.
“Interestingly, my dad says to me all the time, ‘It's funny, I've never seen you as a woman. I just knew that you were going to be good at what you did because you were determined’.
“You’ve got to have grit, you've got to know what you want to do, and you've got to just create it.”
In fact, she said that women can bring new perspectives to real estate, such as empathy and intuition.
“I want to put in a big disclaimer that my husband has that in bucket loads … But I really pride myself on making sure that I know what I'm talking about, that I do have those head skills, but I also have those heart skills that sit underneath it,” she said.
Longmuir’s main piece of advice to women wanting to lead in the industry is to find an environment where they can make a difference, no matter their role, and continue to grow.
“To get into my position, I wasn't lucky. I knew what I wanted to do and I surrounded myself with people that I respected, people that I felt safe with, and I grew from there,” she said.
Ultimately, Longmuir said that leadership in real estate is evolving, with the newer generations asserting themselves in ways that are different from the more traditional aggressive style.
“Leadership is being redefined, it's more inclusive, it's courage, it's courageous, and it definitely has that human side that goes with it, which is probably not where my dad was, even though he had a huge impact on me,” she concluded.
Listen to the full episode here.
You might also like: [From agent to leader: What’s the mindset for ownership success?]
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