What makes a collaborative broker? How is Southeast Asia growing as a real estate market? In our latest Shaping What’s Next podcast, Dennis Yeo, Cushman & Wakefield’s Chief Executive for Singapore & Southeast Asia, talks about the current real estate landscape in Southeast Asia, the alternative assets that are shaping the region, and the importance of going the extra mile.
Check out some of the highlights from the interview below:
Dennis considers passion and focus as important attributes in achieving success in the business
“I think the two attributes that are essential would be first, passion. I entered this industry because I had passion for real estate. Passion keeps you going but at the end of the day, focus makes you better. So it’s passion – so that you have longevity in the industry – and secondly, focus. To be really good at what you do, you need to focus. Focus comes with a lot of things – discipline, making sure you do the right things better, learning from failures and all that.”
He lives by his personal motto of “being more”
“Being more to another person – and that person could be your team member, your client or the community – is a very powerful tool and I try to live by it. Everything I do, I try to be more – whether it’s to the client, making sure to create exceptional value, or to another colleague – whether with their life, their career or their family.
Being more basically means it’s not about yourself. It’s about them. It’s about your client, your people, and the organisation. It’s about everybody else other than yourself.”
Southeast Asia is a symphony of growth
“If you look at Southeast Asia, it is a symphony of growth. Southeast Asia is growing at a varied pace because we’re at different levels of maturity – as a market, as a country and as an economy. So with that varied pace of growth, we will be able to chart where our business will be. If you put a different lens on the region, you will be able to see the opportunities. If you [ask] me what interests me most, I’ll tell you it’s the potential. You can see the potential of achieving success, of growing the business in Southeast Asia.”
Cross-team collaboration is about acting as one and having the same mindset
“Having the same mindset as the company to better serve clients is so important. And if the organisation has the right mindset across the board, it becomes a culture.
Collaboration is really about us at Cushman & Wakefield acting as one across various departments – locally, regionally and globally. That is really important.”
Understanding the market enables the organisation to see what’s next and plan ahead
“To me, what’s next is really about understanding the position of each market and what role they play in the whole real estate ecosystem. When you understand that, that’s what’s next. This would then generate growth and revenue for our business because you are looking forward and charting strategies towards achieving your revenue and profit growth. So I’m very excited and very on board with what’s next as our goal.”
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Note: The above article has been edited for clarity.
