Carol Hall

I hold myself highly accountable. I'm very driven, I'm very competitive by nature, so I want to be the best. I hold myself very accountable doing all the things that a lot of folks won't always do, and I follow the basics. I take my training very seriously, I apply it, and I'm also very feedback-oriented. I've been really blessed in my life with some amazing coaches, amazing mentors, and I've leaned into them hard and soaked it all up. In my last 5 years especially, I've been able to grow a network of other really strong women in this industry and really locked arms with them. I look at them all as mentors and coaches, and that's what I attribute my success to.

Listen more than you talk. Honestly, the packaging of that feedback was tough - the day that I got it, it was literally like, shut up. But truly, in sales, you've got to be able to listen to understand your customer. As a leader, you've got to be able to listen to truly understand your customer, and in leadership, your customer changes to the people that you're growing around you. What worked for you doesn't necessarily mean it's going to work for them. In my shoes now, I have to listen to the market, I have to listen to the changing buyer wants and needs, I've got to listen to the needs in the room internally from my own internal customers. We've got to bring homes in at an affordable price, but we've also got to be able to make money. Listen, learn more and talk less has been my best advice given.

Show up, take it seriously, look the part, know your worth, and don't settle.

For myself, the biggest challenge is being a woman in this industry. At this point in my career and at my level, I have felt it from both the men and the women. It's interesting how that can turn sometimes. A challenge is just being accepted in the room as a female that has expertise and experience. I am very direct, and sometimes I say that I'm a wolf in sheep's clothing - I look a certain way, but what you're gonna get from me is that of a lot of men, frankly, that have poured into me. In my industry globally, ongoing challenges include development and municipalities that push back on overdevelopment while also still trying to serve the community. Housing, affordable housing especially, is a problem right now in America. Going a little bit more micro internally, I think the world is changing, and probably a big challenge that I see in my industry right now is the need to move away from senior leaders generally coming from a finance background or a construction background, and leaning more into sales expertise. The consumer is changing, I think people want more of an experience. Even when it comes to something that is a commodity, like a home, people want that experience, and so what we would call old school soft skills matter more now than your ability to be really good with a spreadsheet. I think that's a change nowadays that our industry is feeling, and I think they're kind of slow to adapt.

Do what you say you're gonna do, mean what you say. I'm a very direct person. I believe in candor over candy. Say what you mean, mean what you say. I'm honest, I'm very honest - you get what you get with me. I always laugh and tell people I'm a really bad liar. I'm known for having no poker face in the room, despite all the Botox, but the eyes will give it away sometimes. You know where you stand with me, I'm not gonna fake it, and I want that honesty in return. Again, the feedback orientation - I hope people around me would say that that shows up regularly. I'll ask you how I'm doing, I'll ask you how I could do better.