IN THIS STORY<\/div>Your gut has years of wisdom<\/a>Treat your team as if you work for them<\/a>Listening can help grow business<\/a>The workplace has a new function<\/a>New York City will always bounce back<\/a><\/div>\n

When I was starting out in my career on a sublease desk, I’m not sure exactly what gave me the vision that one day I’d be the queen of real estate—but it had something to do with a pink princess phone. When the phone company installed my landline, they offered me a few colored options. When I heard pink, it felt fancy, so I said “I’ll take it!” I picked up that phone and I just saw<\/em> myself as the queen of real estate. I took on the tone in my voice and grew the dream in my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visualization is my gift, and that dream inspired my business plan. I visualized the clothing I would wear, the office we would build, and the team around me asking questions that I’d answer. I never let go of that image, and I built my business toward it, again and again and again. I can visualize the big picture and say, “We’re opening an office of 80 people. The first third will be productive right away, the next third may take six months to get there, and the last third won’t be productive for about a year. So we will need this much money.” That’s what guided me. I could always see everything in advance. <\/p>\n\n\n