Welcome to growth minded conversations, a weekly podcast where we discuss growing lives, businesses wealth and mindset. I'm Amy diesel camp and today we're with Polina stock. The executive assistant for Brett quarry and the lab Realty Group in Virginia. How are you doing today, Elena?
Good, Amy. How are you?
I'm great. Thank you for joining us.
Yeah. Thanks for having me. I'm super excited. I never thought I'd be on a podcast but I can definitely check it off the bucket list now.
There you go. Yeah, your book, your podcast debut. I'm sure this won't be the last I love it. So Halina, tell us a little bit about what got you to real estate. Where did you were to start off?
Yeah, um, so I moved to Virginia from Colorado, about six months ago. And prior to moving here, I was working in the title industry. And while I love the title industry, and it taught me a lot about the real estate industry, the lender industry and the title industry all at once I realized that I wanted to be on the real estate side of things. So when I moved out here and had to start looking for a new job, I decided, You know what, I'm finally I'm just gonna go for it and see what happens. I ended up where I did.
Great. Why real estate.
I'm so working in the title company, I kind of got to interact with the clients and some of the agents to a certain degree, and I really loved it. That was my favorite part of my job at the title company. So for me to be able to do it now like completely and immersively. I'm a lot. It makes me really happy.
Yeah, yeah. So you get to spend all your, the majority of your day actually talking with clients.
Yeah, instead of just certain moments where it's like, oh, do the fraud call, it's like, now I actually get to have meaningful conversations. So yeah.
So how does that change your the way you feel or think about your career path?
Definitely, um, it's definitely changed. Like, I think that having knowledge previously from the title industry helped me with my real estate path and journey so far. But in the future, I think that this job is even a further stepping stone into, honestly, I don't really know what the future holds for me yet. When I first started in this job, I was like, oh, I want to be a real estate agent. And I don't think that that's something that's completely out of the picture in the future. But I've also learned how much I love my role as an executive assistant and the more operational side of things. And I'm excited to see where that will take me in the future as well.
Yeah. You're very naturally operations minded. I've gotten to work with you to see how you you think and how you, you problem solve? Was that always a big piece of the jobs that you would have before coming to lab Realty Group?
You know, I think it was and I think that this job has given me the opportunity to have that natural talent and execute and act on that talent, better light, like the mindset that I have, I think that a lot of my other previous roles. There were always not roadblocks, but people to go through chains that things had to work through. And now working one on one with Brett, I'm able to make those decisions, not to say that it's easy, or it comes naturally, the ability to just do those things I've learned. Since my other jobs are a little bit different. I've kind of learned how to adapt to that. But I would say that I've always loved to have systems and processes in place. I love when everybody knows their part. And if they don't have questions being comfortable enough to ask, like, hey, how do I do this better? Or? I make your life easier in that sense. So yeah,
yeah. Yeah. So take me back to the hiring process. You didn't get to talk to Brett right away. Right? You You have a few different interviews before you even got to that. Yeah. What was that like for you?
Um, the interview process was the best interview process that I've ever been through, honestly, and I say that because it was so in depth, but not in an extra sense. There were no extra questions being asked or just like, Oh, we're just gonna keep having more interviews just to keep going the questions that I was asked in mind Interview were, they weren't even personal. But I think that you guys got to know me as a person and who I was just by the questions that you were asking the types of exercises that we did the types of activities. I remember one of the things that we did was figure out what it was called. But we went through and kind of wrote down, like my life story. And I didn't even realize what was going on at the time. But at the end, whoever was interviewing me sends me this thing, or reads me this whole explanation about myself. And you're like, Does this sound like you? And the words that repeated? Does that sound like things that relate to you? I'm like, Oh, my gosh, yes. Like, the interview process was honestly kind of like a self discovery piece. Yeah, and I could see it being totally effective used on other people, because the questions by asking those kind of abstract questions, people have to be themselves, and then you kind of get to know them without any sort of opinions, any bias or anything like that, and you can verify and unbiased ly as well.
Yeah. Did you learn anything about yourself in the process?
I learned a lot about myself. Especially with the tests that I took, I think in, I think, before I even had a formal interview, the tests that I took, and just like all the problem solving questions that that was specifically had, I forgot what it was called. But personality assessment. Yeah, yeah, that one. And then when I got the results back from that, and it gave me like, a blurb about myself, I was like, oh, anytime somebody ever has a question about why I'll just send them the description from this. So I think it naturally kind of held a it's very fair test. And it helps you naturally realize like the personality traits that you possess, because like I said, it's very hard to you can't say, oh, I think this is the right answer. There is no right answer. It just figures out and tells you who you are. Yeah.
What would you say your highs were going through that hiring process.
I would say the highs, I think I had a really just the feeling that the people that were interviewing me cared about the position that I was being into, and that they weren't just trying to find somebody to fill the role or get somebody in there as quickly as possible. Which obviously, like when you get hired by an employer, they want you to stay for a long time, but at the same time being hired, you want to know that it's a good fit. And I just felt very comfortable with the whole process knowing that, okay, if this works out, this truly is the right fit, because they're asking all the right questions, and I'll be in a good place.
Yeah. Did you have any disappointments throughout the process?
There were a lot of interviews. However, now that I am where I am, I understand the importance of each and every single one of them. So it wasn't really a negative in the end, after all.
You just got to stick it out in the moment. It might seem like a lot. Strickland Yes. It all work, workout.
Yes, they all tell you something important. And I got valuable. I got valuable information from every single interview. It's almost like you guys gave something to me. Every single time. It's like, okay, well, here's this for you. And you know, here's your personality test. So it was really cool.
Great, great. What did you learn? Or how do you feel like you were? Let me think about how I will ask them. You said they, you felt that it was a really good fit. Because by the end we there have been so many interviews, you've learned so much. And you felt like you've shared so much that that the fit was going to be very natural. If if the hire was made? Do you feel like you got to know Brett and the lab Realty Group before? Like, do you feel like you knew what you were getting into with them? Or did it feel one sided?
Um, definitely after the last interview where I got to meet Brett, the structure that one was intimate enough to where I definitely felt like I got a good feel for who I would be working with. The exercise that we did was really going through what motivates you I believe that was the whole point of the interview is what motivates you, and through the questions that Paulo was asking me, and then the questions that he responded to by like following up on I don't want to say they were like super personal questions because they weren't, but They were the type of questions that you can tell a lot about a person. They weren't just surface level, like, what are your skills? Like? What motivates you? Where do you see yourself in five years? The questions that Paul asked then allowed Brett to ask questions, and I was like, okay, like, I could get a sense for what he valued.
Yeah, yeah. Do you think your values and his values are pretty aligned?
Oh, definitely. I do. I definitely do. Kind of got to read a little bit about him prior to that interview as well. And I just, I mean, I knew I knew in air quotes, it was going to be a good fit. But having that interview with him, really solidified it. Yeah.
Yeah. What does that do for you, and you get to go to work every day and know that on a personal level, right at a core at a intrinsic core, your values and the values of the team that you're working for are aligned. What does that do?
Yeah, I think that it makes me pause every once in a while and just kind of ask the big why question. In times of struggle, or in times of disconnect, or even in times of celebration, remembering the big why, and what Brett values and then just remembering that, oh, we share the same values. So like, this is awesome. That's great. Yeah.
So for those who are listening, who may realize that they're in a similar situation, right? Maybe they're they're just starting their job search. Or they're thinking about changing careers altogether and starting new, what advice would you have for them?
My biggest piece of advice would be to know that you're going to fail and know that it's okay, as long as you go for it. There have been a lot of times where I've been unsure of myself, especially in the new role. And I did carry over some knowledge from working in the title industry, but not nearly as much as I thought I would after I had started. And it took time to learn those things. But just ask those questions, ask the questions. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to be yourself in the interview as well. Because I think that if it's a good fit naturally, it'll work out. And you'll be able to tell if you think it's going to be a good fit or not, based off of all the interviews that you have, it's, it's quite easy to tell, especially because of the types of questions that are asked. But I think the most important thing is just going for going for it and kind of not being afraid to fail and ask questions.
Right? Yeah. Where did you say where would you say you've grown the most since starting with Brett now?
Oh, my gosh, I that is a hard question. Because I've learned more in the past. What is it like six ish months now than I've learned? I think like ever it was, it's crazy. The amount of knowledge that I've learned. I would say the biggest change is just my growth in kind of confidence and how to make decisions, how I impact the team, how I can make an difference in the team, and how important my role is, as somebody on the admin side, even though real estate, you know, you think of the real Realtors when you think of real estate. But just knowing how big of an impact I can make and how to make that impact what I can do.
Yeah. How has Brett invested in your growth?
Um, one of my favorite things that we do is that we have a book club every single week. And I think we've read three books so far. Right now we're reading the road less stupid, I forgot who it's by. But basically, it's really good book. You should check it out. It's really good. But we every single week we meet and we go get lunch and we just talk about the book and how it applies to the business. They're all business focus books. Another one that we read was The Go Giver. And that one was also amazing. And we have discussions about it. Every single time we sit down, we think about how we can apply whatever tips or tricks or knowledge that book is providing to us. Another way that he's helped me grow is Just always pushing me to go to the masterminds go to the classes, sign up for the things. I'm always free and welcome to do any of that. And he definitely encourages it.
That's great. Have you ever experienced work environment where they they invested back in you the way that Brett is doing now?
Not in the sense that it's happening right now? Definitely not. You know, there have been trainings or little things here and there with other companies, but never, that was custom tailored to me, and made me feel like okay, we're gonna focus on you. It's not just a company wide sort of training class. Yeah.
What are some other ways that Brett makes you feel like a valued team member?
I think that I just I like how he always encourages me to speak my mind, he encourages me to, like, poke him if I need to. He says, If I need to do something, poke me, poke me, poke me, it's okay. And honestly, having a boss that's like that is super helpful. Because I feel like a lot of times, with our bosses, we're like, oh, I don't want to bother them, or I don't want to, I don't want to bother them with this or that. And just the fact that he encourages it so heavily makes my job a lot easier. And I think our relationship is a whole lot easier.
That's amazing. That's amazing. So hold on one last question. What title would you call this chapter in your journey?
Oh, let me think here. I would call it sort of like the becoming like I'm becoming this new version of myself that I didn't even really think was possible. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's still a work in progress. But I think I'm getting there every single day. And you can't really end up on the other side without becoming and having your journey first. So that's what I would call.
That's amazing. I love that. I think that's probably one of my favorite answers.
I'm usually really bad at that stuff.
So it's really great. All right. So Halina, before we leave today, I know you you given some advice. But was there anything that we didn't cover today about your journey, going through the hiring process, going through your initial onboarding training process, stepping into this role, anything that any lessons that you've learned so far, that we didn't get to go over get today?
I just want to say that rainmakers and real estate agents tend to be very, very busy people. And I truly believe that although my boss holds all the knowledge that was shared with me, and he knows all the training stuff I went through, I truly don't think that I would be at the level that I'm at today without growth minded talent solutions, because I just like, the whole interview process and matching up process, like, I don't think they would have, maybe he maybe wouldn't have found the right match, and I wouldn't have been in the place that I am. And I'm just so thankful for the whole process, because it helped our team be the best that we can. So I just I guess what I'm trying to say is that, like, it's always okay to like, ask for help and have other people, like help you in finding somebody that's a good match for you and your team? Yeah,
kind of, I guess having that buffer of a totally objective. person saying, right, this is what you really need Halina, this is who you really are showing up as, and this is a fit for these reasons, versus both you and Brett trying to, you know, look internally and then and then say, are they meeting what I think they're meeting or are they doing what I think they'll do for me? Exactly. You're doing it with your own internal biases, and having having a third party there to kind of take that those filters out. Exactly. Yeah. Okay, exactly. Great. Well, thank you so much. It was so great to hear your take on it. I'm so glad that you enjoyed the process and that it's going so well for you and your team. You guys grow and see all the things you're doing so we'll definitely be following you closely to see how The journey continues.
Awesome. Yeah, maybe I'll have to start thinking of a new chapter name for down the road, but also thinking of that. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Then we'll have to have you back on and you're gonna have to tell us what the new chapter is and where you're going next.
Yeah, that sounds good to me. Sounds great. So
this won't be the last podcast. I probably no,
no, yes. I'll put the second column on my bucket list.
Yes. Very awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time today Halina. I really appreciate it. And we will talk with you soon.
All right, sounds good. Thanks, Amy. Thanks. Bye, bye.
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Transcribed by https://otter.ai
