Scott Kelly
President | CONREX
I entered military service immediately following high school graduation having watched too many John Wayne movies. Little did I realize that path would take me on an incredible journey not only of personal growth but being a part of some of the most secretive missions in our nation’s history.
At the beginning, however, I was just a private, which is a great place to start! No matter what level of responsibility you are given in an organization, the ability to understand and empathize with those at every rung of the ladder is invaluable. Listen to them, connect with them, feel their struggles; it helps you really know the company which ultimately, helps you make better decisions.
Seeing yourself is difficult and seeing your organization is even more difficult. As leaders, we should be purposeful about doing both. There is no better opportunity to become self-aware than in attending a selection and assessment course for Army special operations. The experience was invaluable for me with everything you could ask for; complete ambiguity, extreme physical and mental stress, and a humbling collection of the most talented people in the world! While I do not tend to wish that experience on anyone, I do encourage leaders to do hard things. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations that test you and strengthen you; physically, intellectually, spiritually, emotionally. We should be constant learners.
As a leader, testing and strengthening your team can be even more important. Shared hardships bind men and you need to capitalize on the opportunities that present themselves to do just that. Combat is historically the central crucible for forging deep connections among soldiers and I experienced plenty, having deployed nearly a dozen times for operations and intelligence activities, alongside some of the finest Americans I know. With demanding and focused preparation, teams will rise to meet ‘game time’. Like any sports coach, knowing when to achieve optimal performance can be more art than science and requires constant awareness of your people and the battlefield environment.
Time for a Change
After 20+ years in the military, I knew that I did not want to do anything related to national security and about one-year out from retirement, a good friend gave me the opportunity to consult for his firm which did Single Family Rentals. I got hooked and two weeks after my last day in uniform, the company had me come in and start running operations. It was a wonderful move for me and my family to Charleston, SC where we already had a solid church that we loved and a good group of very close friends. It made for a smooth transition from the military, though, as to be expected, there were several points of struggle that had to be managed.
Real Estate, like the Army, has an encyclopedia of acronyms and essentially, its own language, so I spent time reading and speaking with people to improve my knowledge of the industry’s vernacular. Additionally, because of the structure of Conrex, capital raising, REIT structures, financing and investor engagement are essential functions to our organization’s success and, as expected, areas of weakness for me. So, while I take various courses to improve my competency, I will never have the expertise of many others. Fortunately, the military is full of situations for leaders where you are not the expert!
During my career, I was given the responsibility to lead the finest commandos in the world. They are absolute masters of the requisite skills for such a profession; shooting, parachuting, diving, grappling, etc. They have nerves of steel, unending courage, and the ability to think clearly and deeply under incredible duress; the proverbial, ‘PhDs that can win a bar fight’! Unfortunately for them, I was but a pale shadow of these men and their tremendous competence and experience. I was grateful, however, to be told early on by one of the most seasoned of these warriors, “you are not here to be one of them, but to lead them.”
The ROI for leadership is facilitating optimized performance from individuals and achieving exponential performance from a collective group. This requires a tailored touch to people and organizations whether executing clandestine raids or buying, renovating, and renting single family homes! The most compelling commonality between leading a real estate company and leading a military unit is purpose. All individuals and therefore all organizations need a raison d’etre and great leaders provide this!
While my military career was rewarding and challenging, my personal purpose remains the same, Soli Deo Gloria! This purpose has made the transition from soldier to corporate leader generally seamless and serves me in all aspects of my life as husband, father, friend. I am very fortunate to be in a sector of the real estate market experiencing tremendous growth with still lots of runway ahead. Hopefully, my military experience from the Army will serve Conrex well as we continue to scale across the country!
