Pursuing Organizational Excellence
Three years ago, Brian Ward became CEO of Trimont Real Estate Advisors, a global organization that manages approximately $130 billion of invested capital into commercial real estate on behalf of clients in many countries around the world. To acquire the frameworks he needed in order to propel his organization to greater heights, he chose to attend our Program for Leadership Development (PLD). After completing the program's fifth module, Brian obtained alumni status and joined our Harvard Alumni Real Estate Board. Recently, he sat down with us to discuss how he's overcome challenges as a leader and how he wants to help others do the same.
What initially inspired your interest in real estate?
My family was involved in the real estate industry, which gave me early exposure to the field. After graduating from law school, I went to work for a large law firm and found myself practicing commercial real estate finance and investment law for a number of global clients. I became fascinated by all the different pieces that go into an overall real estate puzzle—everything from finance and land use to environmental considerations, social policy, architecture, and history. It captivated me.
What do you enjoy about your role as CEO?
The bulk of my career has been spent on the investment side, so becoming the CEO of Trimont was a very different experience. Instead of working in a technical, investment and finance-oriented role, I'm now responsible for inspiring people to work towards something greater and bringing them together behind a unified purpose. I love that. Since I started, I've focused on culture, culture, culture. I've always believed that when a business's human capital thrives, overall profitability follows. My time at Trimont has really proven that theory.
What's your vision for the company?
Ultimately, I want Trimont to be the indisputable global leader in our space—and I think we're already well on the path. The company was going through some challenging times when I took over. At that time, the business had 26 separate business lines and our value proposition had become less clear. Today we have three. I got rid of the noise and the other distractions and focused on our company's core purpose. When we simplified our strategy, it became much easier for both our staff and the industry to understand and get behind our mission.
What led you to apply to PLD?
When I became CEO, I felt like I had solid intuition revolving around organizational excellence but that I lacked technical knowledge. I was very interested in understanding the science of organizational excellence, particularly from a management consulting perspective. I saw Harvard as the leader in this area.
I was visiting one of my daughters, who lives in Boston, and talking about how I wish I'd gone to business school. She told me, "Well, you can put up or shut up. Why don't you just do it?" I got home that weekend and I applied to PLD.
Were there any aspects of the program that really stood out to you?
I personally derived the greatest benefit from the Socratic case study method and the case studies themselves. In almost every case, I found repeatable patterns that were relevant to my company. I found the same issues—from creating culture in a global organization to driving our message in the marketplace to managing conflicts between ethics law and financial performance—that I was dealing with in my own business.
How did you get started with the Harvard Alumni Real Estate Board?
One of the things I'm passionate about is helping young people launch their careers. The Alumni Real Estate Board is a really great way to help do that; the Board also allows me to provide insights on commercial real estate and finance to both the undergraduate and graduate programs at Harvard. A close friend of mine is involved with the Alumni Real Estate Board and recommended me as a person who could add value to the University. It's been a great first step toward getting more involved with Harvard and the business school.
You're involved with several other nonprofit organizations. Is there one in particular that holds special meaning for you?
I'm a lead supporter of the National Symposium on Women in Real Estate, which encourages gender diversity and inclusion throughout our industry. It's very important to me for personal reasons, having all daughters, including one in real estate. But it's also just critical for the health and success of the commercial real estate and finance industry.
What advice would you give to real estate professionals who aspire to leadership roles?
Never, ever, ever give up. And when the inevitable disasters happen, figure out how to get back up. Take a breath if you need it, and then get back up and go fight. I had to bang my head against a lot of walls to get where I am. If you do that long enough, eventually good things happen.
What's next for you?
I want to continue to find ways to share my experiences and help people overcome challenges so they can reach their goals. During the 2009 global financial crisis, the real estate and finance industry got crushed. Many people lost everything, including their jobs. It was ugly. At the time, I swore that after I got through it, I would try to help people going through similar circumstances—like people helped me. That mission inspires everything I do.