Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Hickman
Hi Mike, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I entered real estate by accident, not unheard of from many agents. What I did not expect was to be involved with real estate and specifically Seven Gables Real Estate for nearly 48 years. Like many people who believe in loyalty and have solid values, I aligned with the the vision, values and culture. From agent to manager, from manager to general manager, from general manager to President and finally as CEO, Broker of Record and majority owner. We currently employ well over 500 people in or in one way or another related to real estate. We have 7 different companies that are all related to Seven Gables. We have maintained our dominant presence in Orange County including the areas of Huntington Beach, Huntington Harbour, Orange, Tustin, Anaheim Hills, Los Alamitos and additional offices in Monrovia and Glendora in L.A. County.
My journey has endured 5 different market shifts and I truly believe we have survived due to an exceptional leadership group and a team of educated, compassionate and highly talented agents who align with the company values. WE have received awards for Most Innovative Real Estate Company among a group of 550 independent companies from around the world in 2018, Most Innovative Office Design in 2021, and finally for 10 consecutive years A Top Workplace in Orange County as voted by a neutral third party company. Of the ten years, the last two consecutive year we have been recognized as THE TOP WORKPLACE (large companies-outpaced Experian as an example) in Orange County. The path forward is filled with opportunity, but it requires a dedication to a vision, alignment of values, building culture, developing our teams and selectively attracting good people.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There is no smooth road in the industry of real estate. As an innovative company, we are always open to criticism by our competition and the ups and downs of the market.
5 market downturns, a pandemic, interest rates and expansion of new companies and the existing company has been filled with challenges and the naysayers have definitely tried to tell me why we would not succeed. We never settled and we have never been satisfied with the status quo or the average.
The roughest challenges came through the Great Recession and the pandemic. In both cases, our leadership teams stepped and did what leaders should do, be bold and courageous and be out in front of new innovative ideas and really stood along side our teams each and every day from morning to night, 7 days a week.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a CEO, I know and truly believe my role is to serve those that have placed their trust in one of our organizations. Leadership is not ego, it is not self serving, it is not authoritarian nor about a job title. It is about influence and the difference one can make in the lives of others. In a leadership role, we have the unique ability to “mess with people’s lives” and to that end, we have a duty to influence them by our vision, values and development.
I am most proud of our team’s many accomplishments, values and compassion. We live in a time when compassion does matter and outcomes are determined by the will to do the right thing for the client. Relationships with clients in the real estate industry have never been more important.
What sets us apart is our values, mindset, skillset, set of actions we prefer that outpace our competition often times. In leadership our intense focus on building culture, developing people and attracting the right people are the key to longevity and success.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Aha! That my mindset was shaped through athletics, namely Gary Adams, college baseball coach and John Wooden, basketball coach. I had the unique opportunity to play for Gary for two years and as a raw 18, 19 year old, he embedded the Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success into our mindset. to be honest, I did not have a clue that was happening. We were an exceptional team for two years garnering two national championships in baseball under Coach Adams.
Today, I have the pleasure of visiting Coach’s ranch every other year and assisting him during his camps. It is a good reminder of what values, hard work, preparation and integrity mean in today’s world. Love that man as many other do, like Dave Roberts , manager of the Dodgers, Torey Louvello, manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks-both played for Coach Adams and have similar qualities that have created their tremendous success.
People have figured out that I like coaching our agents, employees and providing a clear and concise vision for the future. I like high gain activities and cherish time with my family of 4 children-all of whom work in our companies and 8 grandchildren. Lastly, people may not know how much I despise mediocrity and just how mediocre at times the real estate industry can be.
