Leadership Starts With Authenticity

Hamilton noted how his philosophy and discipline has helped him personally and in other areas of his life.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA—“If you can’t be true to yourself, then you can’t be true to anybody,” noted Laird Hamilton, a speaker at the recent inaugural YPG Leadership Summit at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach here. As we previously reported, the event, hosted by NAIOP SoCal’s Young Professionals Group, was designed as a “seminal industry event for the next generation commercial real estate professional,” providing attendees with keynote and panel presentations focused on leadership, innovation, and personal development. Hamilton, a big-wave surfer and entrepreneur, gave the keynote address.

More than 300 up-and-coming and veteran real estate professionals were in attendance to hear from a diverse collection of speakers on leadership and personal and professional development. Hamilton, a world- renowned “waterman,” shared a collection of anecdotes about his life and what drives his success. His saying about being true to yourself has stuck with him, and he noted how that philosophy and discipline has helped him personally, with his family and in other areas of his life. Laird also added how important passion and focus is to success and that it makes everything he does possible. For him, his entire lifestyle, nutrition and training are all designed to sustain his passion for as long as possible and to maximize opportunities when they arise.

The summit also featured a panel presentation on “Taking the Leap—Stories from YPG Entrepreneurs,” with Joon Choi of Harbor Associates; Bridget Herdman of Herdman Architecture + Design; and Kevin Hayes of Pendulum Partners, moderated by Malcolm Johnson of JP Morgan.

Shaheen Sadeghi, president and CEO of LAB Holding Inc., gave an outstanding “TED”-style talk on “A Culture of Change.” As part of his presentation Sadeghi commented on how valued culture has become and how important authenticity and culture is to local communities. He encouraged the real estate audience to consider that culture may not be on a proforma, but it needs to be considered when developing and investing in a community.

The final panel presentation “Innovate and Influence—Thought Leaders Across Industries” featured Tom Davin, CEO of 5.11 Tactical; Wing Lam, co-founder/partner of Wahoo’s Fish Tacos; and moderator Brooke Birtcher Gustafson of Birtcher Development.

Below, some photos from the event.

Brad Schmitt, YPG chair.

The leadership-summit committee with Laird Hamilton.

Shaheen Sadeghi

The “Thought Leadership Across Industries” panel.

The “YPG Entrepreneurs” panel.