Part 1 of 2

IRVINE, CA—Corporate culture is very important to a broker's success, according to Martin Pupil, president of Colliers International's western region. GlobeSt.com sat down with Pupil for an exclusive two-part interview about why fitting into a company's culture is crucial to brokerage success. In part 1, we discuss what firms are looking for in a candidate, as well as what those who are considering a move to another company should look for and the type of brokers his firm is now recruiting. In part 2, we will discuss the intangible elements that give one candidate the edge over others.

GlobeSt.com: Given the current state of the market, there are many senior and executive position openings at commercial real estate services companies. What advice would you give to professionals who are considering a move to a new position?

Pupil: My biggest piece of advice is to make sure that it's the right fit. In the current state of the market, it's true there are a lot of opportunities available. I have seen many employees leave a firm solely to get that next great title or position on their run up the career ladder. Even people who have left our firm have looked at a bigger title or a corner office more than they have looked into the organization itself and whether it will be a cultural fit. They usually find out very quickly that it wasn't the fit culturally that they thought it was going to be, and then they want to come back. That then becomes a very difficult decision on our part.

GlobeSt.com: What other factors should candidates take into account when considering a new company?

Pupil: It's important to be sure that the next opportunity is not only the exact job you want, but that it's with an organization that you are proud to be a part of and that values the skill sets you possess. Just as important are the people with whom you will be working, your colleagues, your managers. An organization is made up of people, and it is those people, your co-workers, who, in the end, define a company's corporate culture. And the corporate culture can make or break you. Remember, these are the people, and this is the culture, with whom and in which, you will be living most of your daily life. More than your spouse, more than your kids, these are the people you will be spending the majority of your time with on a daily basis.

GlobeSt.com: Since a big part of your job is to recruit top talent, what types of candidates for brokerage positions are you now looking to hire?

Pupil: We are always on the hunt for new talent, just like our competitors. We are currently looking to populate our ranks with what I call entrepreneurial builder types. A builder is someone who is willing, and has the ability, to initiate new business, nurture that business, maintain it, and support it over the long term. “Builders” are those who are challenged by a new opportunity, can identify it and can go after those opportunities with a passion. Builders understand the company's long-range goals and are willing to work along service lines spelled out by the company's management. On the flip side, there are “operators,” who are an entirely different type of candidate.

GlobeSt.com: Are you now looking for operators and can you define an operator?

Pupil: There might be a time down the road when we no longer need builders, but, instead, need operators. Not now, but maybe in the future. Operators do best in organizations that hand them the business and who are expert at maintaining it. In either case, whether a builder or operator, if you don't take the time to look at the whole picture, including the corporate culture you may be entering, it will be a mismatch, regardless of how good you are at your job. It's the cliché of the square peg in the round hole. No matter how many times you try, it isn't going to be a fit, and that mismatch will become apparent very rapidly.

GlobeSt.com: When recruiting talent in commercial real estate, regardless of a candidate's skill set, how important is it to ensure a culture match that will result in a long-lasting and profitable relationship for both the candidate and the firm?

Pupil: It is without a doubt one of the top reasons for hiring someone. There may not be a business—with the exception, perhaps, of investment banking and professional sports—where fitting into the culture is so important. To use a sports analogy, a team's success often has more to do with that intangible thing called “chemistry.” A sports writer will say a team has chemistry or it doesn't, and then attribute that chemistry to the team's success. In fact, I was watching the Houston Astros beat the New York Yankees in their one-game elimination the other night, and the broadcasters must have mentioned chemistry a dozen times as a factor in the Astros going on to the playoffs and the Yankees going home. While the Yankees have the highest-paid players and largest payroll in the major leagues, it didn't buy them the chemistry they needed to win.