New kid on the block

zoom

Raymond Kuceli is the CEO of Madania Real Estate, a Dubai-based real estate agency.

Who do you work for?

I am the CEO of Madania Real Estate, a brokerage firm. We do sales, leasing, management, project marketing and sales. The company is new to Dubai so we are still working out the ‘how to’ in this market. At the moment, I have a team of twelve working for me.

Which leader do you admire the most?

The leader I most admire is an old boss of mine called David Cathcart. I dealt with him a few years ago when he was the CEO of a major franchise that I worked at. David might not be a world renowned leader, but he could make sure that people were performing to the best of their ability by really stretching them, while also offering them encouragement to work beyond their means. I learned a lot from him.

Delegation is probably one of the hardest tasks when you work in a management role. You always think it is easier to do it yourself, but David always set tasks that he expected to be delivered on time. He would never accept the excuse that it wasn’t possible. He would always want an explanation if something hadn’t worked out, along with a solution and a suggestion of how to deal with it in the best way.

This is what I do with my own team now — if they tell me it’s impossible then I ask them to find me a solution for the best way in which to solve it.

What did your father do?

Funnily enough, my father worked in real estate for 40 years. I probably have a bit more of an entrepreneurial desire than he did, which is why I am no longer in partnership with him — we are Italian and sometimes family and business don’t bode well together. Working with him was a great learning curve for me, though, — I helped him move a 1960s business into a 1980s business.

I did say to him once that real estate would be the very last thing I would do, but now it really will be the last thing I do.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

It was from someone I met at a real estate conference, who told me that “character is the way people move forward in life.” I have adapted this quote and now have it written up on my board at work. It says “character is the ability to get a great resolution, long after the mood in which the mood was created has left you.”

We all come up with really good ideas, but one of the biggest problems is getting those ideas implemented. There are often lots of obstacles that get in the way, so it’s about having the character to stay with that initial mood. Every time I feel like dropping something, I remember that and keep going.

What is the worst piece of advice you have ever been given?

It was “don’t go into real estate, you will regret it.” I don’t regret it. I have done many different things in my career, but what I have now and the opportunities I have now in Dubai, are the most challenging and most difficult I have ever had in my life. They are also the most exciting and I wouldn’t give it up for the world.

You suspect that a member of staff is leaking information to a rival firm, how would you best deal with it?

I prefer the direct approach. I would sit that person down and tell them that I have faith and trust in them, but at the moment something is breaking one of the reasons why I employed them I would ask them to prove to me that they didn’t do it, and if they couldn’t, I would ask them to please pack their bags and leave.

No one likes to sack a member of staff but it is part of the job, how would you best deal with it?

I have learnt that as much as we would like people to stay, the era of having someone work in your company for 20 or 30 years is not around any more.

I ask every member of my staff where they would like to be in five years, so I can help them get there. But if I find someone is not performing to a level, I will help them move out of that role and into a new one. It is not that they are bad people; it is just that they may not be performing to the level or they may not have the abilities that I thought they had when I hired them. I would try and help put them in a role which works. Of course, not everyone is accepting this, but it would always be my first approach.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

It would have to be coming up with an innovative idea and getting success out of it. It often takes a team a while to catch onto new ideas and that’s probably the hardest thing about management — taking your enthusiasm and excitement, and getting your team on board. But when they are on board and they see that change, and the possibility, it’s the best thing.

Do you think that your management skills are transferable?

I believe that managing people is the same way that we manage our customers and clients; it’s about achieving the best from them. I honestly believe that as long as I know the process of what is required, then managing people and getting the best of out them is transferable.

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

if you need management support ....
Posted by david kirk, marbella, spain on Wednesday 22 July 2009 at 16:00 UAE time


Interesting article to publish especially as a "new kid on the block"
Admire the fortright approach to teh Industry.. indeed just now is hard.. i myself have been in Real Estate for over 25 years.. working both as an independent Broker in such diverse property markets as Sardinia , Scotland Barbados but aslo as Managing Director of Savills in Spain for 5 years... if you are considering upgrading or beefing up your company make sure you drop me a line. I have an wealth of experience at high end Real Esate brokering .. Look forwrad to hearing from you

Just a kid
Posted by Holly Halston, Dubai, UAE on Friday 12 June 2009 at 13:23 UAE time


Sigh,,,,, just another kid that will do anything for the sake of some cash

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM