Corina Lessa says visibility drives trust in real estate leadership

In Corina Lessa’s view, “real estate is the most powerful force shaping human civilization.” 

“Behind the real estate industry, there are leaders that are making the decisions that are shaping his industry,” Lessa, the broker-owner of Tampa Bay Key Real Estate told attendees on Thursday at the Women of Influence Forum during HousingWire’s The Gathering in Austin.

According to Lessa, many leaders in the industry are “completely invisible,” creating a void that is being filled by voices, many of whom are not even industry practitioners. 

“The story is being told by someone, and that someone is not just describing the story, they are actually defining it, defining our entire industry,” she said. “So we have a problem and the problem is the visibility gap. And we are missing so many of the great voices — a lot of the voices that are in this room, a lot of voices of women.” 

This lack of visibility leads to an erosion of trust with consumers, who ultimately will just listen to the noisiest voice they find, she said. 

“It can be a social media influencer or a commentator. It can be anyone that is being loud, and the consumer is then watching and listening to this information that they are then using to make the most important financial decision of their lives,” Lessa said.

“They are leaving a lot of the established leaders on the sidelines, and then you see a lot of those leaders with their heads down, looking at their phones, watching and reading the comments and being pissed about it just because they did not speak up.” 

‘Trust is the currency of leadership’

Throughout her career — first with a travel agency before transitioning into real estate over a decade ago — Lessa said she has learned that trust is not only built through relationships but through “visibility and voice.” 

“I realized that trust is the currency of leadership,” Lessa said. “And here’s the uncomfortable truth: People are making a lot of life-changing decisions and they are sometimes looking at leaders that are not the most qualified — they’re the noisiest and that makes them visible.” 

This realization led Lessa to build upon the “ABCs of leadership” framework she learned during her time at Harvard University. According to the existing framework, leaders are architects that build structures, organizations and systems; bridges that connect people, systems and communities; and catalysts that move people into action. 

“Harvard doesn’t name another one and that is ‘D’ for decoder,” Lessa said. “Modern leaders must be interpreting the complexities of our industry. Why? Because real estate is not the first language of the consumer. I think we can all agree that our industry is so complicated.” 

In today’s housing environment, Lessa said it is not enough for leaders to be architects, bridges and catalysts, they must also translate the complexities of the industry.

“A leader today must interpret regulations, must simplify decisions for investors. And if no one is seeing you, no one is hearing what you’re saying, if they don’t listen to your perspective, they are in the dark and you can’t make any impact,” Lessa said.

“The story of our companies, of our industry, it’s being written not only in boardrooms, not only in small spaces, it’s being written out there in the minds of the consumers. And consumers are desperately looking for trust.” 

Setting ego aside

With consumers on the hunt for trustworthy sources, Lessa said being invisible is no longer an option. Leaders need that foundation of trust if they hope to have any influence over consumers and impact their lives or the housing industry. 

“If you call yourself a leader, but you are not making an impact, can you really call yourself a leader? It is all about the impact,” Lessa said. 

But she noted that even the most capable leaders have a hard time shaping the narrative and therefore shaping the future. In her mind, visibility is a starting point. 

“Visibility is about responsibility, Visibility is not about ego, or about how many followers you have or attention,” she said. “It’s the responsibility and courage to put a face to leadership, to be in the conversations, to be leading the conversations, to shape the narrative, to earn the trust before someone else does.” 

For Lessa, housing will remain one of the most powerful forces shaping modern life. The future is not going to be decided only by institutions and companies, she said, but by human leaders.

“Every industry has a story, has a narrative and the question is not anymore what the story is, but who is telling it,” Lessa said. “And if it is not you, then who? Because if we don’t fill the gap, if we don’t shape the narrative, someone else will.”