Anyone who knows me knows that I am fairly passionate about the topic of leadership. To put a finer point on it, I'm passionate about GREAT leadership; the type of leadership that inspires both internally and externally, and makes people, companies and industries better.

The National Multifamily Housing Council"s recent annual meeting had a great deal to offer in terms of leadership. Not only were many of the industry's movers and shakers in attendance and participating on panels, but this year's CEO panel as well as keynote speaker and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were particularly impressive. 

NMHC always does a great job of pulling together intriguing personalities from leading companies for the CEO Panel, and this meeting was no exception with representation from Waterton, Greystar, Kettler, Marcus & Millichap and Steadfast.  While perspectives on various discussion topics may have differed slightly from company to company, one thing was a constant: all acknowledged that successful leaders and vision aren't the product of one individual, but of strong and diverse teams. Music to my ears.

And then, of course, is the impressive Dr. Condoleezza Rice.  Her credentials are far too extensive to enumerate here, but allow me to list a few:  aside from being the 66th Secretary of State of the United States (the second woman and the first African American to hold the post), she has earned three degrees, holds 11 honorary doctorates, has authored numerous books and served on many boards including three currently. And let's not forget that she's the first woman ever to be recognized by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame with their most prestigious honor, the NFF Gold Medal.  In other words, she rocks.

The most impressive thing about Rice, however, was the leadership perspective with which she fielded questions about both her time at the White House and the current administration. Her remarks were candid, thoughtful, intelligent, pragmatic and most of all, focused on building and looking forward. All signs of a great leader. Rice also injected some much-welcomed humor without a hint of sarcasm - also a sign of a strong leader.

Kudos to NMHC for showcasing leadership at it's best!