By Bobby Bryant
I’m often entertained by my male friends and fraternity brothers that jokingly ask “Isn’t WCR a woman’s organization?” My confidently speaking answer and demeanor to their question is “YES, WCR is a woman’s organization!” WCR is an acronym for Women’s Council of Realtors.
A few years ago, I was selected to be a part of a very prestigious group of Realtors. Houston is one of, if not the strongest Realtor Association in the Country. Out of 26,000 Realtors, I was selected to be one of seventeen Realtors to be accepted into TRLP(Texas Realtor Leadership Program). This program was designed to train future Leaders in our profession. I was selected and so was sixteen other strong candidates that was equally deserving of being accepted into this small fraternity of future real estate leaders.
One of the other Realtors in this group was someone by the name of Sharon Morton. This lady had a confidence and such poise about her. She was a member of WCR. Actually at that time, she was the President of a local WCR Chapter. As the year went on, we both had an opportunity to learn a lot about each other, respect for each other. In our class, she spoke about this WCR group and what it has done for her, in regards to building and cultivating her leadership skills. Midway through the year, I was flattered that she personally invited me to attend a meeting.
I attended. The room was packed. Sharon with a big sincere smile on her face welcomed me at the door with both arms wide open. “Thank you so much for coming!” Sharon said. She ushered me to her personal table and told me to network and meet some people before the luncheon started. I noticed a few people that I knew and had some good dialog with those that I didn’t know. I also noticed several people that was very respected in our industry at this meeting. People like Ann Walker that owns a Keller Williams, Gayla Skates that owns a Remax, and Neil Reed that owns Realm Realty. Just these three(3) owners collectively account for over one thousand Realtors in Houston, Texas. I was very impressed!
The luncheon started. Everything was in order. It was over 125 people there that included Realtors, Mortgage Professionals, Title Companies, Inspection Companies, etc.. This wasn’t the typical night time networking event with drinks, a lot of noise, and gift giving. This event was serious!! There was networking, order, and training. They had a Keynote speaker that gave a GREAT message and Vendors with tables talking about their service and how it could help Realtors increase their business. I was very impressed!
The luncheon was a power packed two hours of a Who’s Who crowd, a tasteful lunch, and a GREAT message! What more could you ask for?!?! Sharon approached me afterwards and asked “So, what do you think?” My response to her was “Sharon, what do I need to do to get involved?” She said, “I’m glad you asked! We actually have a New Member Orientation that will last for only about 15 to 20 minutes, you should go!” I assured her that I would go and check things out. Little did I know, once I went the rest was history!
As I was there, there was a diverse group of people. There were different professionals all in the real estate industry in some shape form or fashion. There were men and women. Most importantly, these were professionals that ranked among the BEST in the industry and I wanted to be around these type of people!! At this point, I’m standing in the Orientation after the Luncheon. I’m listening to the person speaking about this WCR(Women’s Council of Realtors) as they tell our small group of interested potential NEW members what the organization stood for. Then, they gave the MISSION STATEMENT: “We are a network of successful REALTORS® empowering women to exercise their potential as entrepreneurs and industry leaders!”
As I listened to that MISSION STATEMENT, I reflected on my office. I then thought about the diversity on my iBuy Realty team. I thought about how many of my Realtors are women. Then, I thought about how many Realtors are in our local Association or Board that are women. I reflected back to the MISSION STATEMENT and repeated to myself “A network of successful REALTORS empowering women to exercise their potential as entrepreneurs and industry leaders!”
With all that said, I respect and honor those that believe and voted for me to be the 2013 PRESIDENT of a well respected group of professionals that have a political presence, a voice, and a desire to breed and raise leaders in the real estate industry. I am all about empowering people! I am all about entrepreneurship! I am all about being an industry leader! I am all about WCR!! I believe in WCR and what they stand for as an organization. This is not about being just a women’s organization. This is an organization that is designed to educate, empower, and support professionals that have the desire to be a leader in their community.
Furthermore, as a man I support this cause. I align myself with the mission of this organization and will dedicate my year as PRESIDENT of the WCR-Greater West Houston Chapter to make my mark on this organization by having a successful year. If you are a Realtor and want to take your skill set to the next level, I encourage you to JOIN a local WCR Chapter. However, don’t just join, GET INVOLVED!! You will get out of WCR what you put into it. YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID!!
Today, Sharon Morton, the woman that introduced me to WCR-Greater West Houston, is currently President-Elect for the STATE OF TEXAS. She is also currently a Sales Manager and Broker of Record for a Re/Max office in Cypress Texas. Sharon is a Leader! I’m thankful for crossing paths with her. I’m also thankful that she fits for me to lead the Chapter that she once led. What an honor. Thank you Sharon Morton. You are a phenomenal woman!!!
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