Reader TTS

AN INTERVIEW WITH BEN ARI > You have to let things go. If you’re stepping into the role from > another position at the same company, you have to pass the torch and > delegate. And 

that is sometimes tough for people who get caught up > in the small things or things they enjoy. As CEO, you must turn over > previous responsibilities to others, which is tough for 

people to do > sometimes. As_ a part of our series called ‘__Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO__’ we had the pleasure of interviewing John Kobierowski._ _John

Kobierowski is President and CEO of ABI Multifamily. John earned his bachelor’s degree from ASU and began his career in real estate while when he bought his first duplex while still in

college. 2022 marked the thirty-first year of John’s career in real estate. After graduating from ASU, John honed his skills in Phoenix multifamily real estate at Hendricks & Partners,

as one of the organizations founding partners, and at Oppidan Partners, before co-founding ABI Multifamily in September 2013. ABI is headquartered in Phoenix, with offices in Tucson, San

Diego, and Las Vegas. In addition to his position at ABI, John also co-founded Neighborhood Ventures, Arizona’s first real estate crowdfunding company, in 2017. He is also owner of The

Grid.Works co-work space and founder of ABI Commercial Capital. John thrives on growing, learning, creating, inspiring others, and challenging the status quo. He is always passionately

searching for creative projects that will improve the company. Most prominently, he led the construction of our company’s headquarters, turning a vacant run-down building into a modern,

award-winning office building. The project included a co-working space with memberships available to the public, with the idea of bringing more entrepreneurial energy under one roof. It’s a

thriving space with an ambiance and energy that continues to propel his company’s success._ THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US IN THIS INTERVIEW SERIES! BEFORE WE DIG IN, OUR READERS WOULD

LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU A BIT MORE. CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR “BACKSTORY”? WHAT LED YOU TO THIS PARTICULAR CAREER PATH? I started as an assistant in college to a real estate brokerage

company and stuck with it, because I saw I had a knack for it. Not only that, but I liked it a lot. You could say I had a thirst for it. Real estate and brokerage have always come naturally

to me, and I love helping people understand the business. I would say I have always been comfortable with taking risks, so entrepreneurship also came naturally to me. My partners and I

started ABI Multifamily nearly ten years ago, and our company has gradually grown since then. Today we have offices in Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego, and Las Vegas. Up until a few years ago, I

was a senior managing partner, and we had no CEO. We realized that it was time for me to officially step into the role of CEO. I had informally been serving as CEO, but our company had

reached the size where it made sense to formalize the position. CAN YOU SHARE A STORY ABOUT THE FUNNIEST MISTAKE YOU MADE WHEN YOU WERE FIRST STARTING? CAN YOU TELL US WHAT LESSON YOU

LEARNED FROM THAT? We recently hired someone new, and I knew his name was Tommy, but I didn’t know his last name or much about him. I was sitting with him at his desk talking about his new

role at the company when I noticed his phone had a name programmed in — Thomas Toole. It wasn’t a name I recognized, so I started to reprogram it with Tommy’s name. He gave me a strange look

as I messed with his phone and asked what I was doing. I apologized for the phone having the wrong name, and he said — John, that is my name. As we continue to grow, I realize I need to do

a better job getting to know the people who work for us — and their names! In this case, thankfully Tommy understood my blunder, but I want everyone on our team to know that they are

important. And I see that little mistakes like these could make them feel like they’re not. NONE OF US ARE ABLE TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITHOUT SOME HELP ALONG THE WAY. IS THERE A PARTICULAR

PERSON WHO YOU ARE GRATEFUL TOWARDS WHO HELPED GET YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE? CAN YOU SHARE A STORY ABOUT THAT? I have extreme gratitude toward my friend Lloyd Cunningham, who was probably 40

years my senior and served as my mentor for years. For quite a while we would have lunch together on a regular basis. He has since passed, but some of the lessons he shared have stuck with

me. Early in his career, Lloyd owned a large regional advertising firm. He and his wife woke up one day and decided they had had enough running a large company. He said they were working

their tails off to keep the company going for 250 employees, and they weren’t having any fun. They decided to downsize the company and scale down to their top 5 or 10 clients. I often look

back to that story, not because I want to run a small company, but because I realize I need to be smart about growth. In Lloyd’s case, I think he may have grown too fast. Now I strategically

evaluate if we should grow in a particular area, and I realize that growth for the purpose of growth is not always good. Adding people to the team should make life easier, not more

difficult. AS YOU KNOW, THE UNITED STATES IS CURRENTLY FACING A VERY IMPORTANT SELF-RECKONING ABOUT RACE, DIVERSITY, EQUALITY AND INCLUSION. THIS MAY BE OBVIOUS TO YOU, BUT IT WILL BE

HELPFUL TO SPELL THIS OUT. CAN YOU ARTICULATE TO OUR READERS A FEW REASONS WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR A BUSINESS OR ORGANIZATION TO HAVE A DIVERSE EXECUTIVE TEAM? Having a diverse executive

team helps us look at things more carefully. Each team member brings a different background and a different perspective. AS A BUSINESS LEADER, CAN YOU PLEASE SHARE A FEW STEPS WE MUST TAKE

TO TRULY CREATE AN INCLUSIVE, REPRESENTATIVE, AND EQUITABLE SOCIETY? KINDLY SHARE A STORY OR EXAMPLE FOR EACH. It’s important to build teams that include a diverse skill set. As CEO, I know

that I can help our company’s success by getting to know each individual’s personality and figuring out their strengths and weaknesses, and where their skills can best be used. That is truly

the key — finding out what they can and can’t do and helping them excel in a role where they can apply their strengths best. OK, THANK YOU FOR THAT. LET’S NOW JUMP TO THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF

OUR INTERVIEW. MOST OF OUR READERS — IN FACT, MOST PEOPLE — THINK THEY HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT A CEO OR EXECUTIVE DOES. BUT IN JUST A FEW WORDS CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT AN EXECUTIVE DOES

THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE OTHER LEADERS? As CEO, you set the culture and direction of the company. As I see all the time in life, the company culture and attitude

come from the top. Things flow from to down. Bad and good. Good habits and bad habits get emulated throughout the company. Be careful what you project. WHAT ARE THE “MYTHS” THAT YOU WOULD

LIKE TO DISPEL ABOUT BEING A CEO OR EXECUTIVE. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT YOU MEAN? Myth: As CEO, you have complete freedom. Reality: You quickly find out you are always on point and your schedule

is no longer yours. A CEO doesn’t set their own schedule. In fact, their schedule is probably the least free in the company. I remember listening to a podcast about J.P. Morgan and how he

could go into any bank and if somebody wasn’t there, he could step in and take over their job. You truly need to be a Swiss army knife or jack of all trades and be able to do most of the

roles at the company. The ivory tower is definitely a myth. WHAT IS THE MOST STRIKING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR ACTUAL JOB AND HOW YOU THOUGHT THE JOB WOULD BE? Before becoming CEO, I thought

moving into this position would give me more freedom. I quickly learned the opposite was true. You don’t get freedom from moving up a ladder. You do get more responsibility. And this often

means I am the first to show up and the last to leave. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE IS CUT OUT TO BE AN EXECUTIVE? IN YOUR OPINION, WHICH SPECIFIC TRAITS INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT A PERSON WILL

BE A SUCCESSFUL EXECUTIVE AND WHAT TYPE OF PERSON SHOULD AVOID ASPIRING TO BE AN EXECUTIVE? CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT YOU MEAN? There are definitely people who are better in leadership roles, and

others who do best supporting others. Some people simply don’t want to be at the front because they are 100 percent an introvert. It’s tough to have social anxieties and be introverted in

this position, but that doesn’t discount the importance of someone playing a key supporting role. In addition to being willing to be the face of the company, a key trait that helps with CEO

success is being humble enough to accept that you have fault in a situation. You have to be human and fallible to be a successful leader, and it becomes toxic to the entire company if a CEO

is constantly looking to place blame instead of looking for what went wrong in a particular situation and how to fix it. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER BUSINESS LEADERS TO HELP CREATE A

FANTASTIC WORK CULTURE? CAN YOU SHARE A STORY OR AN EXAMPLE? I was meeting with some of our new brokers last week and I showed them some charts illustrating the ups and downs of starting a

business. One of the charts had what I call the “Oh Shit” circle — with a note that company culture is what is going to get you through this trough in the cycle of starting a business.

Company culture is so critical. If you don’t have it, it’s impossible to keep people focused. And it’s a lot of fun having a great culture! I’ve found that the hardest part is to implant

this culture into other offices when you’re not there all the time. Apple or Google like to have huge headquarters in one spot so they can train all people and impart their company culture

in the same space — once their employees have that culture implanted, then they can go to other markets. Culture is truly what gets you through all the ups and downs of your business. If you

don’t have strong leader who has implemented that, it can really take you sideways. It is by far the most important factor that drives success. Also, as CEO, it’s key to continue to be as

connected as possible as you can with people at all levels and listen to them. Give them a platform. It’s critical not just to preach to employees, but to get to know them. Get feedback from

them. We hear a lot these days about “quiet quitting.” Culture is the antidote to quiet quitting. If you’re connected and listening, you shouldn’t have people silently quitting on you. HOW

HAVE YOU USED YOUR SUCCESS TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE? I constantly try to be a positive influence on the people I work with and the people I surround myself with. Once you are viewed

as being successful, your advice doesn’t fall on deaf ears. I have always been a believer in sharing my advice when I see somebody going through something I’ve been through. Now, in part due

to my success, people actually listen! I am always trying to understand things even outside of my core business, and helping people find the best resources for what they need to have done.

It is extremely rewarding when people ask me for advice and take my advice. I have earned a reputation for helping people every chance I get. I am constantly trying to do what I can to help

people not make the mistakes I made or learn from what I’ve done wrong. Sometimes it’s called unsolicited advice. Sometimes it’s called caring. FANTASTIC. HERE IS THE PRIMARY QUESTION OF OUR

INTERVIEW. WHAT ARE YOUR “5 THINGS I WISH SOMEONE TOLD ME BEFORE I STARTED” AND WHY? * In the past year since I’ve become CEO, the majority of my time has been spent developing people. You

go from what you were doing before in the company and have to transition to spend most of your time developing people. That’s something you may not realize in advance, but it is one of the

most important roles you take on. When we started the company, we didn’t hire young, inexperienced brokers because it was a challenge to mentor and train them. In recent years, we developed

a structured training program so we could bring in new people to our communal workspace and collaborative environment. Today, most of our new brokers are new to the business and we are

coaching them on how to deal with a variety of situations. I am dedicated to helping these people grow every day — touching base with half dozen people every day in our office. It works out

really well. Hiring younger people and helping to develop them contributes to our collaborative and cohesive company culture. 2. Everything you say and do and the way you present yourself

matters — pay attention to the words you use. As CEO, you must be careful about what you put out there. The entire company is judged based on what you say and do and how you act. I was once

speaking at conference and heard another speaker explain to a crowd of owners, managers, operators, and lenders, that one of his clients was in trouble. We all knew who he was talking about,

and it was a friend of ours. This CEO thought he was giving a helpful story about the market, but in reality, he was denigrating the value of his client’s property. I can’t stress enough

how important it is to think things through before you speak — especially when in front of a crowd! 3. You are considered to be the thought leader. The person at the top sets the attitude

and the pace and the culture for the rest of the company. There are plenty of examples of companies who have a toxic culture. (CEOs always on vacation, out of office, spending frivolously)

Or on the flip side — there are those who showcase charitable involvement, hard work, leadership. The entire culture goes top down. The personality and character of a leader matters. I was

taking one of our new brokers to lunch the other day and he asked me how old my Tahoe was. 20 years, I told him. He told me later that he could see by the way I maintained this old car and

took good care of it — that I wasn’t afraid to get my hands dirty and figure things out. He also liked that I wasn’t afraid to be myself without trying to craft a certain image. He told me

that made him think that I was the kind of guy he wanted to work for. 4. No one steps into the role of CEO knowing exactly what to do. We are all learning every day. Everything you learn

comes from experiences. I fail all the time. I am a product of my mistakes. I spend a lot of time reading, listening to, and understanding as much as I can in groups of mentors to learn how

they have dealt with things. You don’t get trained to be CEO. You have to develop your own set of skills, and if you’re not with people who help you learn and provide advice, you won’t grow

and improve. One mistake people make in life is thinking if we have step into a new position, we should automatically have all the answers. I spend a lot of time talking with people with

more experience than I have and sharing what I’m struggling with. If they don’t have answers, they will usually point me to people who can help me. A lot of people are afraid to show

humility and weakness. I do that all the time. People are willing to help when you show you’re vulnerable and humble. All these issues you run into; someone has always dealt with it before.

I have found this to be a good way to connect to people legitimately. I try to surround myself with thought leaders who are willing to share their experiences. And of course, when given the

opportunity, I always do the same. 5. You have to let things go. If you’re stepping into the role from another position at the same company, you have to pass the torch and delegate. And that

is sometimes tough for people who get caught up in the small things or things they enjoy. As CEO, you must turn over previous responsibilities to others, which is tough for people to do

sometimes. It’s often easier for me to do everything myself and not delegate. There are many things I still need to delegate, but I continue to do myself because I can. I’m a work in

progress! YOU ARE A PERSON OF GREAT INFLUENCE. IF YOU COULD INSPIRE A MOVEMENT THAT WOULD BRING THE MOST AMOUNT OF GOOD FOR THE GREATEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE, WHAT WOULD THAT BE? YOU NEVER KNOW

WHAT YOUR IDEA CAN TRIGGER. I have long believed that everyone should have the opportunity to invest in commercial real estate projects — not just wealthy, accredited investors. This is why

I co-founded a real estate crowdfunding company called Neighborhood Ventures. I wanted to build a company where people who were previously blocked from investing in one of the more lucrative

investments — could get involved through crowdfunding. We get thanked all the time by hundreds of our investors who have now gotten the opportunity to buy shares in several commercial real

estate projects. It is lifechanging for people to make strong returns on good investments. If we can do more of this and become a national voice — it’s a great thing for everybody we work

with. CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE US YOUR FAVORITE “LIFE LESSON QUOTE”? CAN YOU SHARE HOW THAT WAS RELEVANT TO YOU IN YOUR LIFE? The harder I work, the luckier I get. I didn’t go to a top business

school. My family didn’t have connections. I had to work super hard to get to where I am today. I know that in any situation I can stay more focused, work longer hours, and work harder than

most people. I say this all the time to my kids. When they say I got lucky, this is what I tell them. WE ARE VERY BLESSED THAT SOME VERY PROMINENT NAMES IN BUSINESS, VC FUNDING, SPORTS, AND

ENTERTAINMENT READ THIS COLUMN. IS THERE A PERSON IN THE WORLD, OR IN THE US WITH WHOM YOU WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A PRIVATE BREAKFAST OR LUNCH WITH, AND WHY? HE OR SHE MIGHT JUST SEE THIS IF WE

TAG THEM I love listening to and reading biographies. Elon Musk is one of the first people who come to mind. Or David Sacks, a big VC guy who runs a podcast called All In. I would love to

meet him someday. If I could travel back in time, there are so many other people I would love to meet J.P. Morgan. Ben Franklin. Steve Jobs. THIS WAS VERY INSPIRING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR

JOINING US!