Eric Rehling Graduates from NAR’s Leadership Academy

PAR 2024 Treasurer and Tri-County Suburban Realtors® member Eric Rehling graduated from NAR’s Leadership Academy this month. Rehling is the chair of the Suburban Realtors® Alliance and was named Realtor® of the Year in 2022 by the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors®.

The Leadership Academy identifies, inspires and mentors emerging leaders from the local and state levels. Realtors® with leadership at these levels are encouraged to apply to further develop their institutional, industry and association knowledge. Over the course of a year, Leadership Academy participants develop and hone their leadership skills, learn the history and inner workings of NAR leadership and present a Capstone Project.

With his group, Rehling created a Capstone that centered around mental health and wellness resources for Realtors®, with the three pillars of the project being prevention, intervention and post-crisis. The goal of the project was to help Realtors® connect with both resources and each other to better understand and improve their mental health and wellness.

In addition to helping create and present their project, Rehling was able to meet influential guest speakers, work with driven industry leaders and create meaningful friendships and connections throughout the program. He also gained more exposure and knowledge on NAR and formed a better understanding of their research, library and advocacy efforts.

“I think my main takeaway was the message from a certain speaker about how leaders and followers should be circling around organizational goals,” Rehling reflected. “It’s like a bullseye target. The goals are in the center, and the leaders and followers are circling around them.”

“A leader is an active listener,” he added. “A leader is someone who is listening first and acting second, as opposed to having all the answers and dictating everyone else’s path.”

“I found it very powerful,” Rehling said of his overall experience in the Leadership Academy. “I think I’m a better, more well-rounded person from going through the program. In it, you learn more about who you are and what your strengths and weaknesses are, and I really liked that.”