Leading through pioneering leadership is an exciting and invigorating approach in business as it always enables something new, undiscovered, or not yet achieved. The character of a pioneering organization is dynamic, and the leadership practiced therein encourages creative responses in the midst of uncertainty. Pioneering leaders challenge conventional wisdom, seek out risk, learn about themselves and their organizations as they grow.
A substantial amount of time and effort is invested by these pioneering leaders in exploring both likely and potential futures. Building and leading rich, anti-fragile work environments that encourage curiosity, empathy, and inventiveness are among their responsibilities. Furthermore, by going beyond the boundaries of plausibility, such leaders open the door to the possibility of gaining a one-of-a-kind, game-changing strategic edge.
This is what Exeleon’s Pioneering Leaders issue is all about. It aims to showcase such leaders and their will to explore, develop, learn, and advance as they navigate the complexity and contradiction of a future that is unclear.
And our quest begins with an exceptional personality who has taken refuge under the tree whose roots are formed on ‘relationship’. Kate Broddick has taken the real estate industry by storm with her relationship-building skills and her drive to provide value through her services.
Starting Years
Growing up, Kate recalls having a wonderful childhood. She mentions how her parents have always been her biggest advocates in life. “They always made me feel I was capable of accomplishing anything I set my mind too,” she reminisces.
Kate was groomed to go to the University, get a degree, and seek a job out from there. However, the pioneering leader always had an entrepreneurial mindset. “I never quite wanted to work for someone else,” she recalls.
After spending years in the dental field, Kate realized her calling and chose the Real Estate industry as her pathway. But it was never her first career choice. “It’s funny how you fall into what you were born to do and after years in the dental field, my love for design, real estate and marketing/advertising came to fruition!”
The Journey
The initial phase of Kate’s journey as an entrepreneur was no different to any other individual starting their new business venture. Sleepless nights, endless cups of coffee, and anxiety accompanied the struggles. Kate explained that she had to sacrifice other areas of her life to get her business off the ground. “For every step forward, sometimes you feel like you had to take 3 steps back to get there,” she mentions.
However, over the course of the last 5 years, Kate has grown her real estate business by leaps and bounds and gone on to build the #1 Team of REALTORS in Brantford.
She chose Brantford as her preferred location to operate her business as the city is uniquely placed among the larger cities that are priced much higher. The draw therein is the easy highway access and close proximity to major cities such as Toronto. According to Kate, “It’s a beautiful place to raise a family and aesthetically gorgeous as it’s set on the Grand River, surrounded by beautiful nature trails.”
As her business started to grow in Brantford and her career started to take off, Kate realized the need for administrative support. “I hired my first team member (Allison VanderHarst) as an office manager. We set forth processes to keep me organized and before I knew it, the leads were coming in faster than I could manage them!”
This began the process for Kate to build a team; a team of like-minded agents and support staff who had the same intent of providing optimal client satisfaction. Moreover, she needed a team to facilitate client support and needs in order for the public to recognize a “brand and expectation” that they would be receiving when hiring The Kate Broddick Team.
The Daily Routine
When asked about a day in the life of Kate Broddick, she jokingly suggests that it might make one dizzy!
Kate starts her days at 5am in the morning with personal self-care and fitness routines to ground herself. Her three kids, aged between 2 and 7, have different schedules between school and day care. Once she has settled into their daytime locations, Kate hits the ground running with listing appointments, buyers’ showings, marketing/advertising meetings, team meetings, and following up on activities in the office.
“I have support staff to assist in client satisfaction and agents to assist in office leads that come in.”
She adds, “It’s a busy day that sometimes feels like there is no “end time” but with the use of my team, scheduled emails and keeping the tasks on point, I make it through my days successfully. My husband and kids are used to the hustle and bustle but they’re always my #1.”
#1 Goal
A busy personal schedule doesn’t stop Kate from ensuring the best experience for her clients through every step of the way. For her, “Client satisfaction is our #1 goal. Without their testimonials and referrals our business wouldn’t grow.”
Kate understands that one of the biggest challenges that one faces while working on any project is Time! She mentions that being a busy team, it is essential for them to ensure proper time management. Scheduling client meetings, offers, and shoots, being involved with the community, and networking with other REALTORS, can often become overwhelming. Additionally, it is important to be mindful that all members in the team have young families at home that needs them, thereby making prioritizing things extremely important. “We wish we could say yes to everything but there truly isn’t enough time in a day.”
This realization of time being a crucial factor to manage has enabled Kate and her team to be one of the pioneers in the industry. The collective experience and knowledge of the team has helped ensure that the process is smooth for the clients at every stage. Furthermore, a lot of emphasis is placed on the need to have effective communication with the clients in order to keep them on track and informed at all times.
Pioneering Leadership
For Kate Broddick, a pioneering leader is one who leads by example. These leaders have identified the core values of their business and relate each business decision back to themselves.
She explains, “To me the old saying “Do as I say, not what I do” is wrong in so many ways. You have to practice what you preach so to say.” Kate makes sure to keep this thought in mind everyday with everything she does – whether it be as a team leader, as a woman in business, as a mentor, as a mom, or even as a wife.
Moreover, she understands that it is very easy for any leader to get lost fast and feel defeated along the way. Hence, she stresses on the importance of adaptability and consistency. “Showing up every day, a little better and more positive than the day before are key ingredients. This takes a deep level of commitment to yourself,” she adds.
Transforming Future
In recent years, with the emergence of technology and social networking sites, it has changed the real estate industry in more ways than one. For one, the use of social media has elevated and heightened the profession of real estate. “We can reach thousands of people within seconds!”
“It’s allowed us to showcase our clients’ homes far more effectively with the use of Matterport, Drone and Professional Photography. We can really highlight our listings through various platforms and reach an amazing amount of people through ad targeting,” she claims.
And for the future, the emergence of new technologies and ideas are going to further add to the growth trajectory of The Kate Broddick Team. Kate is excited and ready to embrace the new adventures as they come by.
“I am a creature of habit and embrace organic and authentic growth. I don’t need the world to shift to make a statement, I just need it to feel good!” she concludes.
