The month of March marks Women’s History Month here in the U.S. As NEFAR celebrates this month of honoring women who have made remarkable accomplishments in the real estate industry, we recognize some of the great female leaders who have made strides for the association, the industry at the state and national levels, and for other women who want to pursue leadership positions in the field.
Despite being a female-dominated field, with the average real estate agent being a 55-year-old female, women are actually underrepresented in roles of leadership within the industry, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). This is common throughout both brokerages as well as real estate associations across the nation. Past NEFAR president Missi Howell (2021), has shared the things she has learned in her past leadership roles, presidential term, and career, her accomplishments, and how REALTORs can help bridge the gap between female agents and leadership roles.
Howell, a broker associate at Legends of Real Estate in Jacksonville Beach, looks back fondly on how she first learned she had leadership skills. “I was a teenager working in a restaurant part time, and the owner told me, “You’re not a follower. You’re a leader. I watch you and it doesn’t matter what other people are doing. If it’s not something you want to do, you don’t do it. If there’s something you want to do, you do it.” And then as I went on through my real estate career, I always had those moments of recognizing myself as a leader within the group, and I had managers that would also recognize and would nurture those traits in me,” said Howell.
Becoming NEFAR president was something that Howell found interest in through viewing the association and the industry around her and realizing she constantly wanted to do and learn more. “The real estate industry shaped my perspective on being NEFAR president. My journey in real estate and my desire to be involved at the local level, as well as the state and national, created a journey, that year over year, I found myself wanting to learn more, do more, be involved more. Whether it was changes that were happening in the industry, and I wanted to seek out more information either through education or legislative activities, or attending Leadership Academy and learning more about how NEFAR operates, it was really the journey that created the desire in me to go on and lead in this organization,” said Howell.
Howell’s real estate career has spanned almost 50 years. She has gone from being an agent, to a broker, to even an instructor for other agents. It’s no wonder that during her presidency she was able to make such a large impact on the association. “The thing that I was most proud of as president was the generation of the E.D.G.E. Society. I had to ask our CEO, Glenn East, if there was some type of recognition that could be developed that would recognize the associates that spent time and energy on increasing their professionalism. He went back to his staff and came up with the E.D.G.E. Society. Now, four years later, I see that it is growing. Our membership has embraced it and they’re thriving with it,” said Howell. The E.D.G.E professional society exists to educate REALTOR® members in a way that enhances their professionalism. E.D.G.E. stands for Ethics, Diversity, Goals, and Excellence.
Many women who are afraid to take leadership roles despite being overqualified often struggle with this due to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome “can cause people to doubt their abilities and fear being seen as frauds, even when they’re accomplished. This self-doubt can affect confidence and hinder career progress,” according to Growth Faculty. As a piece of advice to other women who may be interested in stepping into leadership roles, Howell stresses the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone when it comes to speaking up and being heard. “Some women need to learn to use their voice. They need to learn to engage. We do need more women in roles of leadership. We bring a different viewpoint to the table. So, yeah, I think women just need to really learn how to use their voices more. Then from there, set goals, and then go and reach for those goals. But it starts with a voice,” said Howell.
You can view Missi’s full interview below to hear more about her leadership journey, accomplishments, setbacks, and views on how to promote other women in leadership roles within the real estate business.
