"You never know where an opportunity will take you."
Joshua Kramer Tweet
Joshua Kramer is the Managing Partner of Kramer Chandler, a real estate business based in Northern New Jersey and founded in 1922. He is also currently serving as Interim CEO at Real Connex, a real estate technology platform, for which he is a Founding Partner. He is the author and creator of The Unicorn in You, a soon-to-be-released book in February 2022, which is personal growth and development perspective that emphasizes five key principles as the foundation for peace and joy. An active member of YPO, Josh enjoys pursuing his passion for traveling, and can often be found walking around town with his beloved Havanese, Buddy.
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Table of Contents
Let’s start with a brief introduction first. Introduce yourself to our readers.
Joshua Kramer: I was born and raised in Northern New Jersey, the youngest of two children. My older sister and I were extremely close growing up and we were fortunate to have very loving parents, four grandparents, and a large extended family. We had every advantage and opportunity and were raised with a deep appreciation for that. My childhood was a happy one and I enjoyed learning, ultimately attending college in Washington, D.C. I began a career in real estate right out of school and have worked in different areas of the industry for the past twenty-four years.
Currently, I am the fourth generation in the family business I oversee, which is turning 100 years old in 2022. I also recently became a founding partner in Real Connex, an amazing real estate technology platform, for which I am serving as Interim CEO. One of the projects I am most excited about right now is the upcoming release of my new book, The Unicorn in You, which explores an “Un-Self Help” approach I created for the personal growth and development space. Lastly, any proper introduction should also include my blind devotion to my beloved Miami Dolphins, and even more beloved Havanese, Buddy.
Our audience is interested to know about how you got started in the first place. Did you always want to become a CEO or was it something you were led to? Our readers would love to know your story!
Joshua Kramer: Perhaps the best experience I’ve had was when I served as a Page in the House of Representatives during the 102nd Congress. As a sixteen-year-old, I was exposed to an incredible world and life view through the relationships with my classmates and the day-to-day workings of the government that we witnessed. Through that lens, I thought that exploring a career in politics would be a path I’d like to take.
Because of that, I chose my university based on it being located in the nation’s capital, but ultimately studied business and spent my summers interning at entertainment companies in music, film, and television. I loved it and despite having a long-standing family business in real estate, I considered that as a potential avenue. However, it was on a holiday break during my senior year that I was introduced to a successful real estate owner back home. We connected fairly immediately, and he offered to hire me as his property manager once I graduated. I accepted and that began a career I can’t say I ever really had in my specific sights. It’s since taken me to work in the industry in Miami, New York City, and now in New Jersey.
“Selfmade” is a myth. We all received help, no doubt you love to show appreciation to those who supported you when the going got tough, who has been your most important professional inspiration?
Joshua Kramer: There’s no question that no one does it alone and I have been inspired by many people along the way. For me, my great uncle Sam was a source of meaningful support on several levels. This is my second stint in the family business, and when I returned about fifteen years ago, I loved that he was still with us – and still coming to the office every day in a suit and tie – in his late eighties.
He was the ultimate gentleman, coming from an era that was fascinating to me and the last true link to the real development of our business. What has stayed with me the most though is that he demonstrated how it was possible to achieve great success while emphasizing kindness, integrity, and humility. I’ve been told that he always embodied those qualities and to me, he certainly never lost them. As a result, the lessons he taught by example are among my most cherished.
How did your journey lead you to become a CEO? What difficulties did you face along the way and what did you learn from them?
Joshua Kramer: I’ve always felt that like many, my journey has been a winding road, which is what life is all about. The experiences I’ve had have shaped me in ways that I probably couldn’t fully appreciate at the time, but it’s with the deep reflection that I’ve been able to develop a real sense of gratitude for all of them. My difficulties are not unlike anyone else’s, though I think I probably struggled more on the personal side. For a long time, I considered the importance of purpose and passion since I didn’t feel either. But for me, I came to instead emphasize peace and joy as my North Stars.
Tell us about your company. What does your business do and what are your responsibilities as a CEO?
Joshua Kramer: We are a real estate investment and management business with predominant holdings in multi-family properties, and additional interests in office, retail, industrial, hospitality, and self-storage assets. I oversee the management of a portion of our apartment portfolio and direct the investments in our secondary asset classes. For the latest business of which I joined my good friend who founded Real Connex, the platform is a single source marketplace for commercial real estate professionals to connect and collaborate. I am leading the effort to recruit our permanent executive team, among other strategic initiatives. Many exciting things and a variety of interests make each day a lot of fun!
What does CEO stand for? Beyond the dictionary definition, how would you define it?
Joshua Kramer: Certainly, it means something different to everyone, however, I’ve always viewed the CEO as the tone better tone-setter. It may sound a bit abstract, but I think the idea works well in understanding what one of the key roles is. The CEO can best lead by example, and that comes from setting the right tone is not only what employees need to do, but even more importantly, how they do it.
When you first became a CEO, how was it different from what you expected? What surprised you?
Joshua Kramer: I’m afraid I don’t have a great answer for this one because I don’t think I had any specific expectations. But I will say that what surprised me was how much everyone looked to me for guidance, reassurance, and optimism. It may sound like I was naïve, but the truth is that humility has always been a hallmark of my personality, and so perhaps I was a little caught off guard that I was held in esteem higher than I held myself.
There are many schools of thought as to what a CEO’s core roles and responsibilities are. Based on your experience, what are the main things a CEO should focus on? Explain and please share examples or stories to illustrate your vision.
Joshua Kramer: I’ll give one that I think is essential – listening. While it is key for the CEO to provide a strategic vision and project what lies ahead, it’s difficult to do that if you’re not listening to those that are doing the work in the trenches. To that end, I also think that hearing becomes the necessary extension of that role, and they’re not the same.
There’s a great quote from author Meg Cabot that I share in my book, The Unicorn in You, “There’s a difference between listening and hearing, just as there’s a difference between seeing and knowing.” It’s not uncommon to prepare our response to feedback while we’re still receiving it. That doesn’t serve anyone well, and by truly listening, we can hear what’s being said. Easy to say, harder to do.
Share with us one of the most difficult decisions you had to make for your company that benefited your employees or customers. What made this decision so difficult and what were the positive impacts?
Joshua Kramer: When I first took over my management business several years ago, there was a very long-tenured employee that fostered and perpetuated an extremely toxic culture. I was in the early stages of evaluating everyone, and as I gained the trust of the new people I was working with, I began to learn how negative the environment had become. Letting go of anyone is difficult; it’s just not a pleasant experience regardless of whether it’s with merit. I also did not know what the aftermath would look like since I was new to myself. But one of the most positive impacts was that I promoted a dedicated woman who raised her hand to step up, and to this day, she effectively runs our business and has become someone I consider to be a trusted partner and confidant.
On a personal level, I gained a certain amount of confidence from the experience that carried me forward from that point on. After making the change, I gathered everyone together and explained my reasoning and what my hopes were for the future. I think that message let people know that we were going to focus on making our company a respectful environment where everyone would be treated the right way. In many ways, it was a moment in which I came into my own, as I laid out my vision for the future and because of the team’s efforts, we’ve been able to execute it.
How would you define success? Does it mean generating a certain amount of wealth, gaining a certain level of popularity, or helping a certain number of people?
Joshua Kramer: I’m likely the wrong business leader to ask this question too since I feel that so much of what we do has very little to do with generating a certain amount of wealth or gaining a certain level of popularity. Kindness, driven by compassion, is how we focus on helping others. To be sure, we all need to earn a living, keep commerce and business moving forward, and recognize the realities of life. That also means recognizing the difficulties that so many faces and they are often struggling that we may not relate to. It’s this understanding that what matters most is a true generosity of spirit and action. When it’s all said and done, it’s the one thing that will count.
Some leadership skills are innate while others can be learned. What leadership skills do you possess innately and what skills have you cultivated over the years as a CEO?
Joshua Kramer: To refer back to my book, The Unicorn in You, I identify five principles that I believe can lead to a path toward peace and joy. It’s that path that can help us so much as leaders as well. For me, I believe that Kindness, Gratitude, Integrity, Humility, and Acceptance are qualities that I have made a part of my being. They are so simple, yet in other ways complex in how we apply them to both business and life. At one point or another, I have hoped to cultivate these into practical “skills”.
I’ve shared how kindness, gratitude, and humility have played an important part in my upbringing. Acceptance is a really interesting value and standard that may not be thought of as much. But I’ll offer one personal insight into the principle of integrity that’s always stayed with me. My grandfather was instrumental in the growth of our business in the 1940s and the one thing I’ll always remember him saying to me was that “your word is your bond.” That’s a phrase I’ll never forget because there’s no equivocation, and not in a self-righteous way. It means that when you say you’ll do something, you do it. When you shake someone’s hand, it means something. That’s served me well because it’s removed the gray area and made things very simple when it comes to my word.
How did your role as a CEO help your business overcome challenges caused by the pandemic? Explain with practical examples.
Joshua Kramer: I wish I could say I was effective in this capacity during this time, but I’m my own worst critic and can’t judge how well I helped us overcome the challenges. That’s not intended to sound like false modesty; it was a scary time at the outset, and I tried to project a measured optimism, despite being unsure of how to navigate the times. In hindsight, it was the best reminder that for many of us, we do the best we can with the information we have at that time. However, I will say one thing I’m proud of was the empathy we displayed to our residents. In our management business, we had to juggle so many elements and realities, but foremost to us was the idea that we would deal with everyone with compassion-driven kindness. Our mantra was that we were all in this together. We always are.
Do you have any advice for aspiring CEOs and future leaders? What advice would you give a CEO that is just starting on their journey?
Joshua Kramer: There’s probably a lot of great advice from those who aspired to be a CEO, but since that was not me, I would say there’s a lot of general wisdom on developing a career path. Perhaps something that isn’t talked about as much is to just be open to everything. For many starting, there is often a sense that there’s one path to follow and it’s necessary to stay on it. However, in business and life, it’s important to stay open-minded to all the possibilities that are out there. You never know where an opportunity will take you.
Thank you for sharing some of your knowledge with our readers! They would also like to know, what is one skill that you’ve always wanted to acquire but never really could?
Joshua Kramer: I played two instruments as a kid, and neither of them especially well. The older I’ve gotten, the more I appreciate the talents of musicians. So, if I could be more inclined in that department, I certainly wouldn’t mind.
Before we finish things off, we have one final question for you. If you wrote a book about your life today, what would the title be?
Joshua Kramer: It would be called “The Unicorn in You”, which happens to be coming out on February 22, 2022! As I think about it, the book didn’t entirely strike me as being about my life, but the more I’ve re-read it, it most definitely is about the person I continue striving to become.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Joshua Kramer for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Joshua Kramer or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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