The HousingWire award spotlight series highlights the individuals and organizations that have been recognized through our Editors’ Choice Awards. Nominations for HousingWire’s 2023 HW Vanguards are open until, July 28, 2023. Click here to nominate someone from your organization, today.

For nearly a decade, the HW Vanguards award has been recognizing the outstanding leaders in housing who utilize their resources to solve problems, create solutions and drive innovation. This award has become one of the biggest achievements in the industry and includes the names of the industry’s heaviest hitters who have seen all sides of a cyclical industry that continues to face challenges.

These leaders have seen it all in their long and tenured careers. To learn more about their insights as leaders, HousingWire reached out to last year’s Vanguard honorees with the question: How can a leader best motivate a team to achieve a challenging objective?

“When motivating a team to obtain a challenging objective, I ask everyone what they think the biggest challenges are and work with them to break it down. By changing the dynamic to focus on the more bite-sized issues, we can typically solve any objections which would fester and prevent us from achieving our goal.” — Lisa Schreiber, President of LSK Consultants

“What propels [Planet Lending’s] success is the transparency and approachability running through every level of our organization. True innovation stems from actively listening to and considering the insights, challenges and opportunities our people see every day, regardless of their position within the company. We have built a strong foundation as an organization by empowering and supporting talented individuals, nurturing them to into leadership roles and welcoming experienced professionals into an environment that values teamwork. Fostering an atmosphere where everyone is encouraged to innovate is key to maintaining our competitive edge and achieving challenging objectives.” — Michael Dubeck, CEO and President of Planet Financial Group 

“As simple as it may sound, acknowledging the challenge is an incredibly important start. There is nothing less motivating to a team than to have a genuinely challenging objective put in front of them while leadership downplays it as something that is taken for granted or should be easy to complete. Conversely, I’ve always found that when you acknowledge that you’re asking the team to accomplish something difficult, explain why and how you believe they can get it done and clearly articulate the importance of the objective, the team is much more inclined to rally together with excitement to make it happen. My two favorite words in business are ‘accountability’ and ‘appreciation.’ Challenge your team and expect them to do great things, but always acknowledge the hard work that it takes to get there.” — Steve Sussman, Chief Business Development Officer at Nationwide Appraisal Network

“Leaders inspire others to believe they can achieve whatever they set out to accomplish. Challenging objectives can excite teams; motivate and grow business by opening possibilities through encouragement, creativity and welcoming new ideas. Today, successful leadership comes from those willing to step up, step in and walk with their teams to take on challenging objectives. The continuum of a group’s contribution comes from diverse experiences and perspectives and when leaders work with their teams and nurture a positive, inclusive environment — that’s when the challenge becomes fun and magic happens. A leader’s ability to communicate the ‘why’ and importance of the team’s involvement fosters pride of ownership and contribution toward the successful completion of the objective.  When a team believes in its value through participation and recognition, the company’s culture is grounded in equitable and meaningful purpose that is less about individuals or departments, and more about inclusiveness of the group’s success.” — Tawn Kelley, Executive Vice President, Financial Services, Taylor Morrison Home Funding

Nominations for the 2023 HW Vanguard award close Friday, July 28th. Nominate someone today before it’s too late.