Tag: Professional Success

Investing in our Leaders: How Executive Coaching can Strengthen Teams

Written by admin on June 1, 2026. Posted in Blog.

Organizations across real estate, hospitality, affordable housing, and other mission-driven sectors are seeing leadership transitions happen faster and with more complexity than ever before. Top performing professionals are often hired or promoted because of their technical expertise, operational success, or strategic insight, yet stepping into true executive leadership requires its own unique set of skills.

At Reneris, we understand that effective leadership teams are a result of thoughtful onboarding and intentional support around professional growth. Executive coaching can play an important role in helping leaders navigate periods of transition, strengthen communication, and maximize their impact during pivotal moments in their careers.

Transitioning Into a Larger Leadership Role

One of the most common moments for executive coaching is during a significant promotion.

A professional moving from director to vice president, or from operational leadership into enterprise leadership, often faces an entirely new set of expectations. Success is no longer defined only by personal execution. Instead, leaders are expected to influence culture, align teams, navigate organizational dynamics, and think strategically across the business.

This transition can be particularly challenging for high achievers who built their careers on technical expertise or operational excellence. Executive coaching provides an intentionally structured environment where leaders can strengthen executive presence, delegation, communication, and decision-making while building confidence in a new scope of responsibility.

Organizations that support leaders during these transitions often see stronger retention, faster integration into the role, and healthier team dynamics.

Joining a New Organization

Highly experienced executives face a unique set of challenges when entering a new company.

Every organization has its own culture, pace, communication style, and stakeholder dynamics. Leaders are expected to quickly establish credibility, build relationships, and create momentum, often while learning entirely new systems and teams.

The first 90 days can set the tone for long-term success.

Executive coaching during onboarding can help leaders:

Build trust with key stakeholders
Understand organizational culture more quickly
Prioritize effectively during periods of high information flow
Navigate communication and team dynamics
Develop a thoughtful leadership approach before reacting too quickly

For organizations making strategic hires, coaching can also protect the investment made in executive recruitment by supporting stronger integration and long-term retention.

Leading Through Organizational Change

Periods of growth, restructuring, mergers, or strategic transformation place significant pressure on leadership teams. Executives are often tasked with balancing operational demands while simultaneously maintaining morale, communication, and strategic clarity. Even experienced leaders can benefit from an outside perspective during these moments.

Executive coaching can provide support around change management, team communication, managing conflict or uncertainty, strategic prioritization and maintaining leadership consistency under pressure

For organizations experiencing rapid growth or change, leadership support can be critical to maintaining alignment and stability.

At Reneris, we view leadership as an ongoing journey rather than a single hiring decision. Whether supporting organizations through executive search, talent strategy, or leadership development conversations, our focus remains the same – helping organizations build strong, effective leadership teams positioned for long-term success.

Reflections from Housing California 2026: Rooted in Community, Focused on What’s Next

Written by admin on April 17, 2026. Posted in Blog.

Last month, the full Reneris team attended California’s largest gathering of affordable housing professionals. The Housing California Annual Conference felt especially meaningful this year. The theme, “Rooted in Community: Realizing California’s Promise Together,” was not just a tagline, but a feeling that carried through every session and into many interactions and conversations through the week.

The clear through line: solving California’s housing crisis requires more than policy. It requires deep collaboration, insight from lived experience, and a willingness to rethink systems that haven’t worked for far too many.

A Conference Grounded in Housing Justice

From the outset, the conference emphasized housing justice, not just as an idea, but as a call to action. Beginning with the Housing Justice Awards, many of the sessions to follow also centered on equity, renter protections, and addressing homelessness at a systems level.

What stood out most was the balance between urgency and intention. There was recognition that while the need for housing is immediate, the solutions must be thoughtful, community-driven, and sustainable. Conversations consistently circled back to closing equity gaps and ensuring that housing policy reflects the realities of those most impacted.

Hearing Directly from Gubernatorial Candidates

An early standout moment of the conference was the gubernatorial candidate forum. Bringing candidates into a space grounded in housing advocacy offered a unique opportunity to hear directly from these potential leaders as to how they intended to address the pervasive challenges around housing in this state. The discussion centered on the critical issues of housing affordability, production, renter protections, and long-term stability across California.

A Focus on Those Doing the Work

A standout session this year held during the last breakout session of the day on Thursday targeted emerging leaders in the affordable housing space. Darnell Williams, SVP of Property Operations at Eden Housing spoke of growing up in affordable housing in Chicago and yet not discovering the industry until pivoting from an interest in criminal justice in college. He encouraged early leaders to lean into opportunities that sparked their curiosity and take the leap to try something new within the industry. Lillian Lew-Hailer of Mercy Housing offered an insightful take on when one might consider the move from an operator role into a director role, exploring the ways managing a team is very different from managing a project, but how both offer great opportunity for impact. In a room where many attendees considered themselves “accidental housers” four industry leaders described paths that could be paved with courage and intention, demonstrating just how far this industry has come. It also reinforced how critical it is to intentionally find and support talent in this space, something we are fortunate to contribute to every day through our work as executive search partners.

Why This Conference Matters

What continues to set Housing California apart is its ability to convene a truly cross-sector group of developers, nonprofit leaders, policymakers, advocates, and private sector partners, all focused on a shared goal.

Leaving the conference, we felt both the weight of the challenges ahead and a renewed sense of optimism. There is no single solution to California’s housing crisis, but there is a growing network of people committed to solving it together. We feel privileged to support many of these individuals as they navigate their careers through this essential field. And that, ultimately, is what “Rooted in Community” feels like in practice.

Turning the Grind into the Goal

Written by admin on November 19, 2024. Posted in Blog.

Turning the Grind into the Goal

A world-renowned athletic coach was asked once what the difference was between the best athletes and everyone else. In other words, what do really successful people do that most people don’t? Of course, there were the typical responses of genetics, luck, and talent.

But there’s an added element that most don’t think of; it’s the ability to handle the boredom of training every day and doing the same lifts and drills over and over again that separates the professionals from the amateurs.

Think about it this way – it’s not that the best athletes have some insane passion or willpower that others don’t have; it’s the exact opposite. They can feel the same boredom and lack of motivation that everyone else feels; they aren’t immune to the daily grind.

What sets them apart is their commitment to the process. They fall in love with the daily practice, with the repetition, and with the plan in front of them.

Therefore, if you want to be a starting quarterback, you have to be in love with running drills and studying playbooks. If you want to be a New York Times bestseller, you have to be in love with the process of writing. If you want to get in better shape, you have to love the practice of eating in a healthier manner and exercising consistently.

You have to love the grind if you ever hope to turn it into the achievement of a goal.

The Pursuit of Happiness

Though some of the following may not be true all of the time, when you love the process of what you do, the following should ring true much of the time:

You don’t talk about other individuals; you talk about the great things other individuals are doing.
You help without thinking, or without being asked.
You don’t struggle to stay disciplined; you struggle to prioritize.
You’re excited about the job you are doing, but you’re more excited about the people you’re doing it with.
You leave work with items on your to-do list that you are eager to tackle tomorrow.
You think, “I hope I get to…” instead of, “I hope I don’t have to…”
You don’t focus on retirement, because retirement sounds boring – and a lot less fulfilling.

Now, there is a chance that our society may have overdone the need for the above to be true all of the time. We have been told that if you do what you love, the money and success will follow. We have been told that if you are not changing the world in bold ways, it is because you are too afraid to find your passion and follow it.

The Pursuit of Value

Author Cal Newport has emerged as one of the more vocal critics of the only-do-what-you-love movement, and says it is time to end the professional guilt trip. In his book, So Good They Can’t Ignore You, Newport argues that following one’s passions can be a dead end. He maintains that it’s better to identify which skills you have that could be unique and valuable in the workplace, and then hone those skills until you have career capital that you can spend in the way you choose.

Developing career capital requires a carefully balanced mix of deliberate action and patience. If you are in a self-directed professional environment and are responsible for carving your own path, take responsibility for the direction in which you are heading – and what you need from others to get there. Do not wait for someone to come along who can help; be proactive in seeking out those who can provide mentorship and guidance along the way.

If you are responsible for developing career capital in others, incorporate this exercise in ongoing or annual reviews. Always be aware of the following question: “what I am I doing to help others identify their competitive advantages, and how am I providing opportunities for those strengths to turn into eventual career capital.”

Outsourcing

Most roles have tasks that are required to engage in repeatedly; knowing the natural progression of a profession is essential. How many partners at a law firm still do all their own research? Does a surgeon want to spend more time in surgery, or in pre-op or post-op care? In these examples, practitioners outsource the less challenging work to junior staff that is not only capable of performing the work at a lower cost but also challenged by the work itself. What is the natural progression of your profession, and have you done a successful job of institutionalizing outsourcing?

Within a physician’s office, the nurse practitioner facilitates exams, the nurse checks blood pressure, and the scheduling department makes appointments. Each of those tasks are important but will neither provide the doctor with the challenge they need nor the financial rewards necessary to justify their time. In the case of lawyers, they have paralegals, legal secretaries, and associate lawyers they entrust. The lesson we can learn from both is that outsourcing certain tasks to other team members is not only more financially rewarding but also allows for greater challenges. Be aware of when the grind is necessary in the achievement of a goal, and be aware of when the grind must be alleviated in order to avoid turnover or burnout.

Building Teams for Meaningful Success

At Reneris, we understand that achieving extraordinary goals requires dedication to the grind, but we also recognize the value of aligning efforts with strengths and opportunities. Whether it’s fostering career capital or knowing when to delegate and outsource, success often lies in a balance between persistence and strategic decision-making.

As leaders in executive search for multifamily housing, affordable housing, hospitality, and nonprofit sectors, Reneris specializes in helping organizations identify and secure top talent. By partnering with us, you gain access to a team committed to supporting your long-term vision and delivering exceptional results. Let us help you turn the daily grind into meaningful achievements—building the leadership teams that drive your mission forward. Reach out to Reneris today to explore how we can assist in your pursuit of growth and success.

Reneris is a specialized executive search and management consulting firm that provides professional services to clients seeking a high-caliber consultative partner. We have successfully placed candidates in leadership positions in the Real Estate (Hospitality, Multi-Family Housing, Senior Living) and Non-Profit sectors.

Please contact us to learn how Reneris can help you attract executive-level talent for your leadership team.