What makes Missouri REALTORS® so great are the members that we have. Not only do we care about real estate, but we care about each other as well. We know that by investing in our fellow REALTORS® we are making our community, and the industry as a whole, stronger. That’s why we created Missouri REALTORS® Leadership Academy, a program that trains emerging leaders so that they may exert a positive influence on the future of the real estate industry.
Our new Leadership Academy Alumni Member Spotlight series highlights the graduates of the program. We want to introduce some of our wonderful REALTOR® leaders and showcase how Leadership Academy helped them grow. This month we are shining our spotlight on Lin Van Meter.
Lin Van Meter, member of the Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORS®, sold paint for 30 years before joining the real estate industry. She was the first female commercial manager for Sherwin-Williams, but after company changes decided to try something new. Her husband encouraged her to get into real estate, which she says was an awesome decision.
Van Meter’s broker was a Leadership Academy graduate who encouraged her to apply. It proved to be another awesome decision, one that helped Van Meter fine-tune her role as a leader in both the Women’s Council of REALTORS® and her own business.
Since graduating from Leadership Academy in 2013, she has served on the Communications Committee for her local board. She also became the State Director, Secretary, and National Leadership Chair for State Women’s Council of REALTORS®.
Van Meter’s advice to those interested in leadership is to have an open mind.
“We all have opinions, but leadership means working together, listening to others, and working toward a solution,” she said.
If you are interested in pursuing leadership roles, we encourage you to apply to Leadership Academy. Applications open in February of 2018 and close in June of 2018. We would love to have you in the next class!