Going Beyond YPN and Joining MAR Leadership Academy

YPN is a great way to jump in and get a career boost, but take it one step further by getting involved with Missouri Association of REALTORS® Leadership Academy. Jessica Kempf, broker with Crane & Crane Real Estate in Columbia, MO and YPN Advisory Board member credits the MAR Leadership Academy with improving her skills to make her an emerging leader in the real estate profession. In this article, she shares 5 powerful reasons of why you should consider getting involved.
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As my year of Leadership Academy is coming to a close, I reflect on all the different things I learned and what I really took away from the Leadership Academy (LA). Here is a Top Five (+ 1 bonus) list of what I learned from LA, and why you should apply for next year!

1. The camaraderie with other LA participants. I will never forget the 12 other participants that I spent 5 retreats with. From pool & washer tournaments, to collaborating on our group project, those are times I won’t forget. We grew as a class throughout the year, and it was so much fun!

2. Getting to know yourself! Throughout the Leadership Academy process, we participated in Forte, which is a self-scoring application to get to know how you communicate with others. It also helps understand why others communicate the way they do, and allows for adjustment to certain situations.

3. Special one-on-group sessions with top Realtors from MAR & NAR. We had individual sessions with Elizabeth Mendenhall, Richard Mendenhall, NAR First Vice President Ron Phipps, Corky Hyatt, John Mayfield and many others. They were wonderful people to learn from, and sessions I will remember for years.

4. MAR Participation. It provides education on how to become more involved with MAR & NAR, and allows for a tour of MAR Headquarters. I have become more involved this year than I ever would have because I am aware of the opportunities. It also encourages you to attend state meetings, because you meet so many other Realtors throughout the process.

5. The project. Each class is instructed to create a project that will benefit MAR members. Some in the past have been MARSpace, Political Outreach Program, the Realtor License plate, and more. Look for our project announcement at the September Business Conference!

Bonus: It’s a “mini-tour” of Missouri! From Excelsior Springs with a haunted hotel to the peaceful, serene setting of Cedar Creek in New Haven, you explore different areas of Missouri that you might never have found before!