People, balance and culture…oh my! Why a seasoned corporate real estate professional says he joined CoreNet Global some 16 years ago.
John H. Lucas, Juniper Networks’ Vice President of Global Real Estate and Workplace Services, first joined CoreNet Global back in 2002 and has been a member ever since. We asked him a few questions about his CoreNet Global membership experience.
John, why are you a member of CoreNet Global?
I find CoreNet Global to be one of the best industry organizations to learn about the industry, and find high-quality vendors, suppliers, partners, and fellow corporate real estate peers at all levels of their respective careers. This network of people has helped me learn, grow, and advance my career by providing a way to find key resources to meet the professional challenges I am faced with every day, and those that I need to plan for in the future. It is an excellent way to meet smart, talented, like-minded people in our industry across a vast array of disciplines who support a wide variety of corporate real estate needs. I also find the organization to be filled with interesting, upbeat, fun people who generally love the profession they have chosen, and truly love their work. This makes for great social and professional networking, and an enjoyable experience over all.
Why did you join in the first place?
I joined CoreNet Global at a point in my career where I was branching out from managing real estate responsibilities just in the San Francisco Bay Area. Once I started taking on domestic, and eventually international responsibilities, it became imperative to find resources that could help support corporate needs and requirements in locations across the continental US, and the world. I found CoreNet Global an invaluable resource in this regard.
What advice would you give a new member trying to get involved?
Don’t wait. Honestly, I would have benefited from joining CoreNet Global earlier in my career, but at that time I wasn’t sure how it would benefit me. It also seemed pretty intimidating especially when I was very junior in my career. In retrospect, I think this was simply a case of not knowing what I didn’t know. I have met so many wonderful people and found a host of individuals willing to provide advice, assistance, resources, and guidance, especially for those who are at the beginning of their career. Also, the educational opportunities through the MCR classes are fantastic. I often find new members involved in this industry that come from educational backgrounds that have nothing to do with corporate real estate, or facilities management. Well, where are you going to learn about these responsibilities and this industry? Take the MCR series of classes, of course. Not only will you learn valuable information, you will find similar people in the same position as yourself, and immediately make industry connections just by showing up. So, show up, and get involved, you will look back and say, ‘I was pretty smart to do that early in my career.’
What is the best part of your member experience?
Three things: the people, the balance of CoreNet Global, and the culture. I find the people to be socially engaging, happy in their profession, and honestly enjoyable to be around. I also think CoreNet Global does a wonderful job of keeping the end user and service provider ratio close to 50-50, which makes for a good mix of interests. The culture also is one of collaboration where going to CoreNet Global events does not feel like I am bombarded by an endless supply of business cards, and people pitching their goods and services. I would say it is quite the opposite. Certainly, people do exchange business cards and have conversations about needs, services, and products. However, this is done at a very low level with an understanding that CoreNet Global events are held for the purpose of sharing, not selling. This makes a world of difference attending events, especially for end users. I always go to a CoreNet Global event wondering what I will learn today, or what I can share with others that they might benefit from my experience. I find this is why most everyone goes to CoreNet Global events.
To benefit from the kind of professional content networking that John has found so helpful, make plans now to attend an upcoming Summit!