What most notably stands out about your leadership style or what is an example of leadership success you can share with our readers?
I’ve built my commercial real estate brokerage firm, Keyser, around selfless leadership and selfless service. This strategy has allowed my firm to skyrocket to eight figures and has been a catalyst that attracts high-caliber talent and loyal clients.
Keyser is different from any other commercial real estate firm and is disrupting the industry because of the way we operate. We only serve and represent tenants, keeping us free of conflicts of interest; are collaborative between members and teams; and are centered on 15 core operating principles.
As a leader, it’s my duty and honor to serve my team, help them be successful, and lead by example, which is why my most notable leadership quality is my ability to listen and serve. While it may seem simple, many business leaders today are missing this vital quality. So much so that, as we kick off 2022, I am kicking off a leadership workshop series that teaches C-Suite leaders to implement a selfless service strategy into their own business. Those who adopt this game-changing approach to business will see the impacts reflected in their recruitment, retention and referral quality.
What impact has COVID-19 or the disruptions of the past 18 months had on you as a leader?
While many business leaders may have a negative perception about the events of 2020/2021, I refuse to see that time as anything less than a gift. The pandemic allowed me to be a better, more intentional leader.
As a firm, Keyser has always focused on selfless service, but our culture became more important than ever when connecting with my team and my clients. With the uncertainty rising, especially in the commercial real estate industry, we doubled down on our efforts to serve every individual, not just clients, whom we met, regardless of the immediate benefit to us. Moreover, we served without asking for anything in return — that’s how we define selfless service at Keyser.
With the health of their businesses on the line, many leaders were open to hearing and implementing new commercial real estate strategies that could not only save them money on their office, industrial, retail or healthcare leases, but provide stability and flexibility for their professional futures. As skilled negotiators for one of the most inflexible and costly elements in a business, our perspective and services were highly beneficial to our clients.
We were able to be a positive force for many in an uncertain time, and we continue to have the opportunity to serve companies because of their new, post-pandemic need to be flexible with their commercial real estate.
What do you feel we can be doing as a business community to empower economic growth here?
As many business leaders are already aware, the old way of doing things will not be sufficient for this new era. For some, that means offering flexible space for employees, which could mean offering the choice to work from home or the office. For others, that means doubling down on creating a culture that attracts top talent. As a business community, we need to make sure Arizona companies can be sustainable. From my perspective, that ability comes only by attracting top talent to our market.
As a company, Keyser recognized this need early on. Currently, we are working with dozens of local organizations to reduce their commercial real estate costs by renegotiating their lease agreements and helping them define their workforce and workplace strategy. The attention to commercial real estate and the needs of employees, in combination with a focus on cultural development, will help strengthen our business community.
What is new and notable for your company’s near future that will impact our economy?
Keyser is continuously focusing on the needs of our clients and adjusting our services to fit those needs. Currently, our clients have verbalized a significant need in cultural development, which is why we’re launching the 6,7,8 Workshop Series. This, in combination with some of our more established service lines like commercial real estate, project management, and business advisory services, will create an environment for our clients to thrive. Our job as client representatives is to do whatever we can to help our clients succeed, regardless of our job description. As a result, we often find ourselves customizing our services to fit our clients.
Another, more recent, service line we’ve developed this year is our business brokerage services. As business brokers, we assist entrepreneurs in the Greater Phoenix area and beyond who are buying or selling a business. Whether it’s an industrial-, retail-, office-, franchise- or service-based business, we help business owners navigate each stage of the business selling and/or buying process.
Name of Leader: Jonathan Keyser
Position of Leader: Founder
Company Name: Keyser
No. of Years with Company: 8
Main Local Office Address: 4141 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Phone: (602) 909-8081
Website: keyser.com
Number of offices in Greater Phoenix: 1
Year Established Locally: 2013
City Nationally Headquartered: Scottsdale
