by Michele Gillis
Staff Writer
Audrey Lackie of Watson Realty didn’t realize the value of volunteering in real estate organizations until about seven years ago. Now, she can’t be stopped.
Though she has been in real estate for 27 years, she really wasn’t involved until she was asked to be the Jacksonville WCR Program chair in 2004.
“I didn’t get it,” said Lackie. “Until people get involved they generally won’t get it. It’s all about giving back — when you do give, you get something back. I’m not doing it to get something back in return, but it never fails. You learn a lesson, learn something new, a new angle that may help someone else and that’s the best way to do something.
“It’s not like you have to do this. You want people to do it because it’s the right thing to do and they will reap some benefits as well. Until you get involved in doing other things in the organizations, you just don’t realize the benefits.”
Here’s her current list:
• Secretary, Florida Women’s Council of Realtors. Chair, Outreach and Influence Committee.
• Chair, NEFAR Leadership Academy.
• Director, Northeast Florida Association of Realtors.
• University of North Florida Dean’s Leadership Council.
In addition, she’s frequently listed as a sponsor for events, and you’ll almost always see her at association meetings.
Plus, she still has her regular job as a career counselor and family responsibilities.
“You have to have a great support system, especially at home,” said Lackie. “My husband is absolutely wonderful. I have a 91-year-old father who lives with me and two kids in college so my husband helps to take care of a lot of things at home. A lot of it is having systems in place and a good support staff at work.”
Her job — she’s a recruiter for Watson — is 24/7.
“People think I work Monday through Friday from 8 to 5 but never have I been that,” said Lackie. “I do a lot of my calls and follow-up at night and on holidays and weekends.
“People get excited because it’s Friday, but what does that mean? There is no such thing as a weekend. I have personal responsibilities that may require me to do something in the morning and I may spend 6-7 hours in the office, but then I may go home and work an additional four hours. Or I’m making follow-up calls on my way home from work. You just can’t get it done Monday through Friday, so it takes anytime of the day, any hours that you have available to get it done.”
Her job which requires her to get out of the office, socialize with people and get involved in organizations.
“My job is to recruit, but I don’t go into (volunteer work) saying I’m doing this because I’m a recruiter,” said Lackie. “I’m probably one of the last ones that would go in and say ‘You need to come work for me’. I don’t do that. I want people to get to know who I am and become a colleague. Then if they want to make a change, they will generally feel comfortable talking with me because I have a different kind of relationship with them.
“I probably have the best job that anyone could have. I am visible so that if someone does need some help or want to make a change or they are not quite sure what they want to do generally, they will feel comfortable coming to me because they have dealt with me on a personal level.
“I also do career seminars and help merge other companies with ours.”
Lackie started volunteering with the Jacksonville WCR in 2004 as the programs chair. She then joined the board and moved up the ladder. She served as president in 2007 and then became the Northeast Florida district vice president for WCR in 2008.
She’s now on the state ladder and should become president in 2016.
Lackie, believe it or not, experienced a fear of speaking in front of others, but leading WCR changed all that.
“I was scared to death and thought I was going to pass out,” she said. “It was excruciating. I didn’t know how put together a program, form a committee or direct a board meeting. Unless you do it, you don’t know how to do it. When you are actually in charge of something, it forces you to learn how to do these things and it helps you in a lot of different avenues as far as your business, as far as being more organized professionally and personally.”