Top: The ballroom packed with young professionals.
Left: Celebrating leadership with mega agents Rachel Adams from Roseville, CA and Kristen Williams from Austin, TX.
Middle Right: KW CEO Mark Willis honoring founding member Alex Frank
Bottom Right: My mentors — KW President Mary Tennant and CEO of MAPS Coaching Dianna Kokoszka

It! Has! Launched! Hundreds of Keller Williams Realty associates from around the globe packed the room to celebrate the start of the KW Young Professionals Division. There was music and cheers – an electrifying group. But, most importantly, this was a meeting of like-minded real estate associates who are committed to working toward a bright future for both themselves and Keller Williams. I am the lucky girl who is driving this amazing new program!

What’s the purpose? This division will prepare the future leaders of Keller Williams to carry forth the company’s mission while maintaining and preserving our unique culture.

Once again, Keller Williams is leading the pack! We benchmarked the major real estate companies to determine what they are doing to cultivate their young professionals. We learned that most are counting on the National Association of Realtors or other local groups to do the job. The KW Young Professionals Division is the first program of its kind demonstrating Keller Williams’ commitment to developing our young leaders, providing them with every tool possible to propel their leadership path. Powered by Keller Williams and supported by MAPS Coaching, this division will be epic!

As we built the framework, we talked to our real estate associates around the globe to find out what they want to connect with our executives and to learn from the young associates who are already superstars. They want the chance to build an international network for referrals and business development. They are looking for leadership opportunities and chances to teach and share. They want to be pushed, want to dream and want to work hard, taking life and business to the next level.

We’ve got this!

• A members-only program and networking event at Family Reunion featuring KW executives and superstar young professionals
• A members-only networking event at Mega Camp
• A monthly live webinar featuring a KW executive or MAPS coach
• A series of monthly video clips spotlighting a KW Young Professional who is excelling at a high level providing the opportunity to learn the secrets to their success
• A wellness component
• And coming in early 2015, a members-only social media platform that allows for robust online conversations and networking opportunities

We are starting out with a BOOM! Keller Williams CEO Mark Willis will perform the first live webinar on October 1, teaching why the Recruit-Select process is important when building a real estate team. Superstar young professional Lisa Archer is featured on the October video clips, discussing how she uses social media to brand her business.

True to the Keller Williams way, we are putting our agents first and using the Keller Williams’ models of success! A KW Young Professionals Leadership Council will work to build upon the division’s foundation, utilizing discussions from five committees: Membership Growth, Current Events, Wellness, Technology, and Education and Special Events. Not only will this ensure we are providing what our associates want, it will also provide for leadership training opportunities.

It’s important to note that this is truly an organic effort started by five young Keller Williams associates who had the vision and intuition to create a group – a group that consists of more than 1,000 associates. They worked hard and as it continued to build, Keller Williams recognized that this is a product that will benefit our family for many generations to come! Just another example of why Keller Williams is the real estate company of choice!

Visit KWYP.org to learn more and join the online conversation with #KWYP!

Mega Camp is just a week away and Keller Williams Realty will welcome more than 6,000 top-producing real estate agents to our hometown of Austin, Texas. What a great opportunity for me to kick-off my blog — introducing my Keller Williams family to the city I love so much!?! In the spirit of Gary Keller‘s #1 best-selling book, The ONE Thing, I asked the people whose ONE thing is The One Thing what their ONE thing is to do in Austin.

I started by tweeting Jay Papasan, Keller’s co-author, and my “celebrity co-worker.” Jay’s answer is by far my favorite: EAT! The writer suggested three local hot spots, Uchi, Olivia and the Odd Duck. This makes me hungry! Uchi is the best sushi — EVER! The warm atmosphere, creative presentation, delicious food, and extensive wine list ensure a tremendous dining experience. If you are already an Uchi fan, stop by award winning chef Tyson Cole’s second restaurant, Uchiko. This Central Austin location offers the same level of experience with a slightly different twist on the menu. Olivia is a hot spot for dinner or weekend brunch. The restaurant was named one on the “Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America” list and is known for its seasonal dinner series. (Plus fabulous chef/owner James Holmes grew up down the street from my husband.)

Next, I dropped by the Keller & Company team to ask about their Austin ONE thing. This team was action focused. Don Hobbs recommends catching a movie and dinner at Alamo Drafthouse. I secretly envision Don at a Drafthouse quote-along. Maybe I should invite him to “Clueless”?!? Shon Kokoszka didn’t miss a beat with his answer, Top Golf. A visit to Top Golf pairs friendly, or not so friendly, competition through point scoring golf games with food and drinks. Everyone is happy! Charlotte Johnston, the woman who keeps Don and Shon in line, smiled brightly. “That’s easy, I am a history dork and love visiting the Texas Capitol!” If you drop by the Capitol while you are in town, take the short walk to the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum to learn the story of Texas.

Saving the best for last, I popped in on Ian Vaisman, the marketing genius who focuses on getting The One Thing into as many lives as possible. Ian remarked, “I’d say live music! After all, our current motto is ‘Austin is The Live Music Capital of the World’.”  Ian shared this helpful website listing what’s going on event-wise in Austin that can be sorted for music or any other type of entertainment.

What about you? What is your #theONEthing #Austin? Tweet me @hollypriestner to share with @kwri #KWMC attendees.

Capturing moments of my first Keller Williams Family Reunion

The music was pumping, the crowd was dancing, the atmosphere was electric! Ten thousand real estate associates from around the world in one room with the same mission – to build careers worth having, businesses worth owning, and lives worth living. This was my introduction to the Keller Williams Realty Family Reunion, one of the annual conferences for North America’s largest real estate company. I reflected on my conversation a few months before with Keller Williams President Mary Tennant about joining the corporate team, a conversation I knew was a professional game changer, but I never imagined how joining Keller Williams would significantly impact every single person in my life.

Why was this crowd so electric? One simple answer, the Keller Williams culture! Being part of Keller Williams is truly like being a part of a family – a family that believes in empowering, propelling, and taking care of one another. The training focused organization challenges our 100,000+ real estate associates to continue to stretch, learn, and develop a mindset that results in business growth beyond one’s wildest imagination. The success is not about the money, it is about what money can do to help others – family, friends, agents, and strangers in need. Our agents come from contribution and are dedicated to growing the next generation to ensure that they continue this important value in our company’s core.

My early career was in public service. I was so committed to serving others that when I earned my MBA at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas, I did not pursue corporate recruitment because I could not identify a company that would provide the opportunity to serve others while impacting a major business. Little did I know that in a few short years, I would join a company totally focused on serving others by landing my dream job at Keller Williams Realty International (KWRI), the Austin-based corporate headquarters for the real estate powerhouse, and also begin my own business serving others.

My goal of this blog is to tell the story of why Keller Williams is the real estate company of choice for agents and for homebuyers and sellers. The other goal is to connect. This is my opportunity to connect my friends and family to the phenomenal real estate professionals I am meeting from around the globe. I can connect my Keller Williams family to Austin, the city they frequent for trainings and conferences. I can also connect those new to Austin to their new community, the place that both Keller Williams and I are so proud to call our home!

I have a lot to share about Keller Williams! You will often hear me say that I am the luckiest girl in the real estate industry. In addition to participating in the company’s vast training curriculum, I also have the dream opportunity of shadowing some of our company’s top executives, Mo Anderson whom Gary Keller hired to be his successor as the company CEO and who is now vice chair of the board and Dianna Kokoszka, the CEO of MAPS Coaching. I am energized everyday by gaining invaluable business knowledge, learning how to expand my leadership skills and mindset, and meeting like-minded Keller Williams associates who are eager to grow and serve others. I have immense gratitude for the personal transformation that these experiences have sparked.

I also have a lot to share about Austin! I grew up in Portland, Texas, a small town on the Texas Coast. I found my move to Austin upon graduation from Texas Tech University a bit intimidating. I had zero experience driving in traffic. I knew only a handful of people. Always one to be involved in numerous activities and philanthropic endeavors, I questioned how I could become involved in a city basically starting from scratch. Austin is special! In no time, I found the most embracing community with interesting and generous people, a whacky culture, yummy food options, fun shopping, and endless activities. Fourteen years, hundreds of friends, countless hours of volunteer work, lots of exploration, and too many calories consumed to count – I have a lot to share about Austin!

I love it when my worlds collide and this is my creative way to bring together my passions and friends. This is about you, my friends! This is about how I can help you enjoy a city, find a home, and most importantly, achieve your professional dreams!