One of my favorite times of the year is personally welcoming NRP’s newest summer intern class. This summer I spoke with 44 students from across the country as they began their 12-week immersion in our business in areas including property management, construction, development, and corporate teams like marketing, human resources and accounting.
As leaders, it is critical that we continue to create programs to develop early talent; to teach, guide and mentor these young minds as the future of our respective industries. As part of their NRP orientation, I intentionally carve out time to meet with the group to answer their questions and share part of my own story in founding and growing the company they are joining for the summer.
As I reflect on our conversation and their questions, it’s relevant to seasoned leaders today. However, because of professional commitments and personal schedules, sometimes we lose sight of these lessons as leaders.
What is one thing you wish you knew when you started your career?
I wish I understood and had words for what I now refer to as a “mentorship mindset” earlier in my career because it’s important to create and cultivate those lasting relationships. The first half of that mindset is learning from other people. The other side of the mentorship mindset is to become a mentor yourself, and that could be at work or in your community. But, learning from others and then in turn helping others grow is a skill that will serve you throughout your life.
When you started the business, what gave you the confidence you could run this business?
As I look back to when I started NRP, I was in my late 20s and that was my moment to take a risk. I surrounded myself with great people who could mentor me since my partners were 14 years older, and we had financial backing, all of which provided me with the confidence to make the leap. I was able to leverage my intense work ethic and grit from my experience at The Townsend Group to apply to developing the business with my partners.
How do you have the time to do everything you want?
It’s an ongoing practice, but it’s a recipe for success in business and life. Early on in my role as CEO, I realized that I needed to set my ego aside and hire people smarter than me in their specialties and trust them to make good decisions. I can use my experience and wisdom to steer the ship and let my teams’ skillset shine. In regards to finding the time and prioritizing it, I like to say that life is like juggling four balls: work, community, self and family. If you let work, community or self fall, those balls are made of rubber and will bounce back, but if you let family fall, it is made of crystal and will break. Having a strong sense of purpose in my life keeps me centered, grounded and maintains the critical balance needed in my role.
My final advice to the interns remains relevant for all leaders: be a sponge, stay curious and find your mentors. As leaders, we often focus on teaching others, but the best leaders never stop being students themselves. Whether it’s learning from a mentor, a trusted colleague or even the next generation entering our workforce, some of the most valuable lessons are often hiding in plain sight. ●
J. David Heller is President, CEO and Co-founder of The NRP Group
