Max Mednik

Steve Soboroff recently spoke at my leadership and ethics class led by Mayor Riordan, and it was a fun, very personal discussion. Steve is a successful real estate developer and has worked as a land broker for many large shopping center deals. He was also pivotal to bringing Staples Center to LA.

His talk centered on an acrostic about the characteristics of leaders and effective people:

• Ask questions
  
• Balanced lives
  
• Control (take charge)
  
• Don't be intimidated
  
• Encourage others
  
• Flexible
  
• Goals
  
• Honest
  
• Intense
  
• Juggle
  
• Know your strengths and weaknesses
  
• Lucky 
  
• Meet with people in person
  
• Niche
  
• Orchestrate
  
• Psychology (understand it)
  
• Quality people (surround yourself with them)
  
• Risks (take them)
  
• Seminars (listen to them)
  
• Tools
  
• Use professionals (high-quality vendors)
  
• Vacation (take time every single day to process and think)
  
• Win (like to do it)
  
• Xerox (copy and emulate others)
  
• Yes
  
• Zero vacancy