[dropcap sid=”dropcap-1446591497″]”L[/dropcap]eadership has changed dramatically over my career,” says distinguished alumnus Stan Ross, one of the nation’s most influential real estate accountants and chairman of the Lusk Center for Real Estate at the University of Southern California. Ross built a successful career as vice chairman of Ernst & Young and managing partner of E&Y Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group by recognizing the importance of merging tried-and-true leadership skills with new approaches that respond to business change and innovation.
THE CHANGES: Whereas leadership used to be represented by “very fixed and rigid organizational charts,” Ross sees yesteryear’s silos replaced by more open, collaborative work environments. This new paradigm results in better teamwork but makes leadership more important than ever. “You have to have a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities,” he advises. “That gives people the freedom to work together.”
THE CONSTANTS: What hasn’t changed is a leader’s need to look ahead. “For every key job, I had the next two successors planned, so those people could be nurtured and trained toward that position,” Ross says.