Anywhere’s Sherry Chris talks brand building and crisis management with the ‘Real Estate Insiders’

This week on the “Real estate insiders unfiltered“podcast, hosts James Dwiggins and Keith Robinson sit down with Sherry Chris, Executive Advisor at Brands everywhereand the former CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. The episode dives deep into Chris’ background and features key insights into leadership, innovation, the power of relationships and new perspectives on the future of real estate over the next three years.

The episode begins with details about Chris’s early career and background. She started her career in Canada, where she established herself as an agent before receiving her real estate license. Chris later found her way to the US to pursue an opportunity Realologyand she hasn’t looked back after working in the United States for twenty years.

Dwiggins follows up with a question about how Sherry approaches new leadership roles at different companies. She explains that some leaders join companies and make it a point to change everything, while she focuses on implementing growth strategies to build on past successes. Chris strives to consistently surround himself with people who are smarter, have complementary skills, and demonstrate humility in the workplace.

Robinson then asks a question about the balance between building consensus on a major decision and making a solo decision as an executive leader. Chris says everything starts with trust within an organization, and she makes it a point to keep her team members informed when it comes to important leadership decisions.

“If you build trust and your team members know they have a say, absolutely. I value their opinion,” says Chris. “But at the end of the day there really is one final decision maker, and that’s how you have to build your team.”

Next, Robinson mentions Chris’s tenure as CEO of the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand. Chris dives into her experience building the brand from the ground up. When she took on the role, she faced challenges related to the 2008 financial crisis and other related issues. Despite these challenges, the brand grew to a 90% consumer awareness that continues today. Chis attributes her success to her positive outlook on life and willingness to take calculated risks.

“It’s a combination of vision and execution, so the vision is the positive and the execution is the hard work,” says Chris. “I haven’t gone on vacation for years because I was afraid I would miss a sale.”

Dwiggins also asks about the challenges Chris has faced as a female executive in a male-dominated industry. When her career started, Chris was not only the youngest in the room, but also the only woman. Today, she is happy to see that more than 50% of executives at Anywhere Real Estate are women. She works to give underrepresented individuals the strength to persevere and gain a sense of belonging.

In the next part of the conversation, the group offers advice for new leadership in the real estate industry, navigating industry change, and Chris’ vision for the future of the industry. Chris speaks to the new CEO of the National Association of Real Estate Agents (NAR), advising her and all new leaders to focus on building trust in the brokerage community by demonstrating efforts to improve rather than making promises. It is also important to embrace the rule changes resulting from the NAR Commission’s lawsuit settlement and focus on driving value for consumers.

Chris urges industry professionals to embrace change and move towards the industry as a whole, rather than trying to paddle upstream. A lack of information about changes can cause strong resistance to them. Concluding the conversation, she hopes to see industry-wide acceptance of the changes in business practices, along with greater trust between consumers and agents.