2017 Women in Professional Services: Janet Woods of Stan Johnson Company

Name: Janet Woods

Title: Regional Managing Director, East Region

Company Name: Stan Johnson Company 

Years in real estate: 23

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of? REBNY

How have you navigated obstacles to achieve success in your career? Sports and competition have always been a big part of my life, and drawing from that competitive foundation has helped me navigate in the hyper-competitive world of real estate brokerage. As a two-sport Division I collegiate athlete, the lessons I learned about the fantastic accomplishments teams can achieve when they work together have absolutely translated into my professional career. I have for years approached obstacles by teaming with a group of highly talented, highly motivated individuals all working toward the same goals, and that approach continues to yield benefits for me in my current role at Stan Johnson Co. 

How do you play your strengths to your advantage in your career? First, with all of the life changes that come to us in our careers, drawing on my competitive spirit gave me the energy to push a little bit harder than my competition throughout the challenges that come with a marriage, children and a management position. Second, building great teams and motivating a highly talented group of people to a common goal is something I’ve done throughout my entire career. And finally, creating strategies and having the discipline to execute them through often difficult market conditions has helped my teams tremendously.

What trends are you seeing so far this year? Creativity and advice are winning more than ever. With the the uncertainty in the capital markets – a repeat of the choppiness in investor sentiment that we saw last year – we are winning the most where we provide an advisory approach to our clients. They want help solving the problems of today, not last year. For instance, while retail has been hit with negative headlines in the first quarter, we are working with our clients to re-structure their portfolios and shift their investment prospectus; every market twist presents an opportunity, and we work hard to help them capitalize on trends as they emerge. 

What do you do for fun? Great question! I play tennis when I can between watching my girls’ volleyball games and touring colleges with great art programs!