Eric` Williams Career Background
What is your biggest career achievement?
- As human beings, we so often choose to limit ourselves and shrink to fit preconceived notions of acceptance - especially in the workplace. There’s a culture of fear towards being an advocate and sharing your opinion, not because of the authority in the room – but because we fear being wrong or isolated. I have had the privilege to serve in the student housing space for over 8 years now, and not until a time of great uncertainty (a global pandemic) can I say I started to truly feel like I was in my career. When I reflect on what made that shift – I would honestly say that it was the moment I stopped getting in my own way that everything clicked.
Once that weight was lifted, I felt as if I entered the Matrix and could really take on any obstacle. We need to convert 20 assets to a new SEM group in less than a week? On it! We need to increase occupancy by 60% in a market where 70% of the populous is at home with their parents because it’s a pandemic and the university is all online, while onboarding 9 new assets? On it.
That weight that was lifted, was honestly replaced with a new garb and it was a sense of confidence combined with the trust of the community I served – and that’s when I knew had reached greatest career achievement. The reason why I chose this particular utterance, is largely due to the fact that it something that has been pivotal towards the success of everything I’ve touched since activating. This isn’t just any old confidence either that you get on Amazon. This is the confidence that is humble, honest, and willing to admit when it doesn’t know the answer, but knows when to phone a friend and do the homework to provide the answers later on. I take pride in this achievement because it’s something I plan on anchoring me into serving this industry to my best abilities.
What is your ultimate career goal within the rental housing industry?
- Most recently I was able to sit on a conference call with fellow members of the Greystar community and it was a conversation regarding diversity, equality and inclusivity in the workplace - specifically with respect to the black work experience. When I was on the call someone shared that we needed to redefine what professionalism looked like in the workplace. My ultimate career goal within the rental housing industry would really be to amplify that notion and make it happen. No longer is ok to sit by and let our teammates suffer in silence just to meet quotas.
I vow as a leader to always put my people first, identify opportunities for stress to be relieved in the workplace and make it known that it’s ok to not be ok. One of the main pillars of our Live here. Live well. program, here at Greystar mental health. As an industry leader, I plan on ensuring that we make the right choices and supply our peers with tools and resources to be successful and live mentally healthy lives.
Being that it is one of my ultimate career goals to see this through I'm not waiting until tomorrow to get this started, as it truly is something that I've been believing in for quite some time. With the platform I have and the space I’m in working with students it’s my duty to play my role in rearing the future generation of young people in whatever capacity that may be. I will continue creating media kits that help our students succeed in their endeavors, and creating resident experiences that are memorable and fruitful.
What's one rental housing trend you have your eye on?
- One trend that I'm noticing and loving - that it is explosive exploding in our in our stratosphere right now, is the reinvestment into people. Not only in our industry, but in pods across the world an emerging trend of DEI groups have surfaced and I love it! 2020 was painful for many people, with all of the drastic changes that shifted our view of what normal was. With the world in triage mode – we’ve learned that we don’t have it all figured out and that we’ve quite a lot of growing to do as a collective and because of that people are being treated with the respect that have been craving.
This is something that I truly feel is going to stick as well. Consumers are demanding that their business align with their values or have values of their own to stand on – and I look forward to celebrating a world where my future kids can be free and happy!