Mindy Geisser is the Chief People Officer at Colliers International, a leader in global real estate. Named a finalist for 2014 Chief Human Resources Officer of the Year by CHRO Magazine, Geisser is a recognized thought leader on issues ranging from the strategic use of social media for employee engagement, to the role of corporate responsibility within organizations, and creating a culture of agility. She is a frequent speaker and is often featured in leading business publications, from the Harvard Business Review to Profile Magazine.
What, in your opinion, is the biggest challenge faced by business leaders today?
No question, our biggest challenge is the war for talent. That is, finding, attracting and retaining the best talent. It's becoming more and more competitive to do that, especially in the service business. We don't make widgets--we sell expertise and service, and finding good people to do that is paramount to our success.
Is there any particular region, globally, that is more challenging than others?
Well, yes, but I think some of it has to do with economics. For example, the European market in the last couple years has been really tough, obviously. But I don't think we're that different than any other global company in that regard. We're affected by the same economic factors as anyone else around the world.
In more challenging economic times, people are more cautious about making career moves. Fear can compel them to stay, even if they aren't happy, but that's not always the best thing. I think we are predisposed to think that movement and attrition is bad, but sometimes movement creates new opportunities for fresh thinking and new perspective in the organization. You don't want so much going in and out of your door that it's costing you a lot of money and time--that's not good--but sometimes movement is a healthy thing.
It can also vary by industry. In the real estate industry, people can move, and sometimes the relationships follow them. So, top-talent attraction and retention is huge for us. We are in a people business--that's our business. What we offer is intellectual property around real estate--around the whole portfolio of issues that relate to real estate--and that comes from people. Without the people, we don't have a product. We're extremely compelled to create an environment that makes people want to stay.
How have you seen the strategies of leaders change during the course of your career?
I've seen some of the strategies change a lot and some things stay the same.
Technology and globalization are changing the way we do business and the way we lead. For example, there's the book Open Leadership by Charlene Li [founder of Altimeter Group; Li also authored 2008 bestseller, Groundswell, and is a speaker at the i4cp 2015 Conference]. It's about what has changed with this concept of social media and how that changes the way we live in business and the way we have to lead. We want to create more transparency and awareness--that's just the world we live in. That's what Twitter is about, that's what blogs are about, that's what Glassdoor is about.
Information is available and flowing everywhere, every minute, every second, and you can't prevent it. Instead we must embrace it and adapt and figure out how to lead differently in an environment in which when something is happening, a lot of people may know about it immediately.
So has leadership changed? Yes, it's changed a lot, and if it hasn't, you've got a big problem. With social media and technology, the ways of the world have changed, and we have to change with it. Information flow has changed. People are working remotely, they want access to business information on their phones or their iPads, and they're not sitting behind a desk looking at a screen in their office all day anymore. That's not the way it works. We work with people all over the world every day, business is becoming more and more global, and companies are becoming more seamless in their ability to reach and connect and do business with people all over the world. All of that compels us as leaders to think differently.
There are some things that are tried and true that haven't changed, like servant leadership. Servant leadership isn't a new concept, but I think it's still true, and it informs how we think about leadership. Our role as leaders is to serve others and help others grow and look good, and do so in such a way that they don't even know we're there. That's the sign of a good leader and it's a concept that still applies.
What is the one characteristic that you believe every leader must possess?
There are so many. Resiliency and being innovative are important, but I think it all starts with humility. Again, it follows the concept of servant leadership. One of the things I admire about the members of our senior leadership team is their humility. They don't need to be at the center of everything, and they genuinely care about people. They have a willingness to be wrong and to have ideas come from other places, and all of that speaks to me about the servant leadership mentality. Servant leaders are about serving others.
What is the one behavior or approach you've seen derail the careers of leaders?
Ego is a big one. Another thing I see is lack of EQ [emotional intelligence]. There are so many smart people in companies with high IQs, amazing intelligence, but no EQ, and it takes both to run a business.
Do you see EQ as an innate quality--it's something we're born with, or not--do you think it can be taught?
I think at some level it can be taught, but some people are predisposed to be better at it. We're all born with different gifts.
I was on a webinar the other day with Professor Linda Hill at Harvard, and she was talking about the responsibility of us as leaders to find the genius in everyone. I agree. Our job as servant leaders is to find the genius in everyone and help position each individual to use their greatest strengths. That's when people do their best work. Some are probably predisposed to be stronger on the right side of the brain, some on the left, and there are special people who have strength at both. There are also those who have a really hard time grasping the EQ side at all, and if they don't believe in it or that it's important, they are not going to get there. Can people improve? Yes, but it's hard.
Sometimes I see leaders who are so focused on the EBIDA [earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization] that they totally miss the people side of it. When you are about nothing but driving results and have trouble focusing on anything beyond the P&L [profits and loss], you may get that short-term win, but not the long-term win.
Do you believe that female leaders bring unique perspective and insight in terms of how to move the business forward, and if so, in what ways?
I believe that diversity of thought, ideas, culture, and geography all bring a more holistic perspective. It's not about men or women, per se. We all bring unique ideas and perspectives to the table. But the fact of it is, to have diversity of thoughts and ideas, you have to have that diverse demographic in the room.
In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg asserts that women are stagnating at a certain level in many corporations in part because, in her words, "we don't talk about gender in the workplace." Do you agree that internal barriers are keeping more women from leadership roles/the C-suite?
I've read Lean In--in fact, I've given copies of it to a lot of women. I think the best thing about the book is that she's real, she's honest, and she opens up the conversation. She tells stories about herself in the book that are not flattering in order to have that conversation, which is courageous, and it will generate more awareness.
I think to some extent it is hard for women to break into the higher ranks of some organizations, especially in certain professions that are dominated by men, and in some industries it's harder than others. Sandburg has a lot of great stats in her book that show that a lot of these senior roles are traditionally held by men, so I'm not saying it isn't reality. I also choose to believe that life is all about not what happens to you, but how you respond.
In my own career, I've worked hard and I've been given opportunities as a result. Have I experienced some bumps along the way? Yes. Have I met men who were less open to women in some of those leadership roles than others? Yes. But I've worked with a lot of men who were open to it too.
Do you think the success you've had has been about other people recognizing your contributions and your capabilities, or do you think it's been more about your willingness to put yourself out there and ask for what you want--have you been assertive in terms of saying "I really see myself in a leadership role; I want to move into senior management"?
You can't sit back and wait for the opportunities to come to you. There's no question that on the assertiveness scale I'm on the upper end. But I think it's a combination of things. It's good luck, timing, being in the right place at the right time, and a lot of hard work. I may not be the smartest person in the room but I'm probably one of the harder working ones in the room, in almost every room. I work hard and I've always worked hard, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but in most cases for me it has paid off. I've had new opportunities as a result.
And I'm not shy--I'm not afraid to ask for what I want. It's networking, it's taking on new things, being willing to take risks--all those things. I think success is a combination of ingredients, not just one. The best cookies have a lot of ingredients in them, right?
What do you think about Sandberg's assertion that another factor that holds women back is that, relative to men, women aren't comfortable with power?
I think we need to be careful with generalizations like that, and I just don't think that's true. I know plenty of women who aren't afraid of power. Incredibly powerful working women and at-home moms who do an unbelievable amount of work in the home, for the schools, and philanthropically, and they embrace their power in order to make a difference.
I do think there are some social norms that make it more acceptable for women to have power, particularly in some cultures. Working in a global company, I have the benefit of working with women from all over the world--we're in 64 countries and I've met amazingly powerful women in a lot of them.
What do you consider your greatest strength as a leader?
Honestly, my greatest strength is my ability to hire great people and create a diverse team of thought, skills and perspective. I have a great team, and I believe you're only as good as the people around you. I know what I'm good at and I know what I'm not good at, and I'm not afraid to hire people who are better than me at those things. What's brought me great success are the great teams I've been a part of over the years.
When you're adding to your team, do you hire for cultural fit?
I do hire for cultural fit--that's a big one. I think you can train to skill but it's hard train to culture--people either fit or they don't. Along the same lines of teaching emotional intelligence, if someone isn't aligned with the culture it's hard to change.
Who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader?
I've worked for a lot of companies--25 years in HR--and I've had a lot of bosses. There are certain characteristics that have inspired me along the way, such as humility and caring about people more than about profit.
I had an incredible boss early in my career who was a powerful, dynamic woman in a very male-dominated industry. She had come out of Harley Davidson and Bell & Howell and she was just an awesome woman--talk about breaking down all the stereotypes of what women can or can't do. I think when you're influenced early-on by people like that, you believe you can also do whatever you want to do. I've also had bosses who were not that progressive or open-minded and I learned a lot from those too.
Whom do you most admire and why?
High on my list would be my dad, who passed away last year. He demonstrated in his lifetime that he cared more about people than he did about money, and he acted that way. At his funeral, I heard the most beautiful stories about him that I didn't know--about his generosity and humility, about being a servant leader to others, and caring for others--and I hadn't realized until that moment how much he had inspired me and influenced who I am and who I'm becoming. We're lucky to have people like that in our lives.
What experience contributed significantly to the development of your business acumen?
I have 25 years business experience and I purposely diversified. I've worked for private companies, public companies, product companies, union, non-union, service companies, technology companies, and international companies, and they each contributed to my business knowledge. The decision to work for a lot of different types of companies made all the difference.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
I've been lucky for the blend of the things in my life. I have four kids, I have a wonderful husband of twenty years, I have a big job and I travel all over the world, so I'm really proud that I've been able to do all of that. It can be hard at times and we all have to make choices, but I feel fortunate I haven't had to make a choice not to do something I'm passionate about. I've always been very career-oriented, but I have been able to balance it. I have a teenage son and I have 12-year-old triplets, and it's not easy, for sure, but it was much harder when they were little. Somehow, we manage it and it all comes together. We have a great family, I have a great job, and I'm so proud of all of that.
What can organizations do to ensure the professional growth and development of women leaders?
One of things that we have been working on is making diversity part of the fiber of our organization, making it a core element of everything we do. What I've learned along the way is that it can't be a program or one of the 16 things that we are doing this year. Through awareness and education around diversity, it becomes part of our every day thinking and it makes our workplace a better one for women, for minorities, for everyone.
What advice would you give to a woman going into a leadership position for the first time?
One of the tenets that I've always ascribed to--and it's one that I tell my kids--is to focus on being the best you can be every day. Get up every morning and know that each new day is a chance to make a difference and give it your all. Be the very best that you can be, no matter what it is you do, but give yourself permission to make mistakes. As women, we are so hard on ourselves trying to manage family and work, and trying to do it all. I recently interviewed one of our leaders within Colliers on the topic of leadership and operational excellence and he said, "Every day I wake up and say to myself, 'I haven't done my best work yet.'" I really like that philosophy of keeping the bar high every single day and challenging yourself to do your best. When you put your heart into everything you do, the rest follows.
If you could recommend a book to other women, what would it be?
There are so many good ones out there. We have been working with another professor from Harvard, Frances Frei. She has a book out [co-authored by Anne Morriss] called Uncommon Service that's all about service excellence and putting the client first. I love that book, and I really like Marcus Buckingham's books. But the one we're talking a lot about in our company right now is Adam Grant's book, Give and Take, which is about the concept that there are givers, takers and matchers in the world, and it's not just about how much money we make, but it's also about the kind of organization we want to be, and what types of people we want to attract. It's about making a difference in the world.
About Mindy Geisser:
Mindy Geisser has worked in human resources for 25 years and has a proven track record in all aspects of HR management, general business expertise and leadership, working in the public and private sector, for global manufacturing, technology, services and product companies.
Prior to joining Colliers, she held the role of Vice President HR for Two Degrees, LLC, where she was responsible for designing and building sustainable human resources strategies and creating a best place to work for employees, developing policies, programs, tools and infrastructure. She has worked for major national and international companies throughout her career, such as Amazon.com, Philips Medical Systems, Ingersoll-Rand and Pillsbury.