Advice From An Award Winning Indian Realtor – Sush Clays

I had an opportunity to listen to Sush Clays, an award-winning Indian Realtor, talk about empowering women and men. Sush was kind enough to speak virtually to the BYU Management Society India Chapter from New Dehli, India, in September 2021.

I found Sush Clays’ talk inspiring. Though her webinar was about empowering women, she gave a lot of great thoughts on how to empower both women and men.Here are some of the things I was able to glean from her talk to the BYU Management Society.

Table of Contents

• Advice From An Award Winning Indian Realtor – Sush Clays
• You Do Not Need To Come From Privilege
• A Woman Can Do Or Be Anything In Life
• Women Can Get Torn Into Two
• See A Need And Run With It
• Every Human Being Is Good At Something
• Stand Up For Yourself
• Core Aspects of a Realtor And Advice For All Businesses
  • About Sush Clays – Founding Partner, Welcome Home Luxury Real Estate Service
• Related Content
  • What Is Moral Leadership?
  • What is the BYU Management Society?

You Do Not Need To Come From Privilege

The first thing that Sush taught us is that you do not need to come from privilege to be successful in life. So many people think they have to go from money to make something of their lives, but this is untrue.

A Woman Can Do Or Be Anything In Life

She also asked the question, What is suitable for a woman? She then said that everything is ideal for a woman if she decides to do that thing.

Many women are afraid to do something or become something as they think it is a job for a man. But Sush showed us that she could successfully break into the Indian real estate market even though that market has been predominately male-oriented.

She spoke about how society begins to tell a woman or anyone that it is inappropriate to do a specific job or tell them they are reaching above their station in life. Sush pointed out this is when you need to take a deep breath and keep moving forward.

Sush pointed out there is no right or wrong on what job you can take unless you hurt someone or do something illegal. In other words, no law says a woman cannot be in real estate or a realtor. Even though the industry may be predominately male, nothing says that a woman cannot succeed.

Sush pointed out some of the stereotypes and the struggles that she had. She also said that now, finally, the government of India acknowledges that being a realtor can be a career path for a woman.

Women Can Get Torn Into Two

Sush spoke honestly about how when a woman becomes a mother, she can get torn into two, having to leave her children at home. When Sush had her daughter, she was at the top of her field as a news commentator for a local Indian television station; she decided to leave that career behind to raise her daughter.

She pointed out that she’s never regretted giving up her career to raise her daughter; the ideal job for her then was being a mom, Sush said:

Sush Clays eloquently pointed out something that many women feel. She understood that being a mother was one of the most important things she could do in her life.

She further pointed out that women must understand that there is no shame in giving up their ideal career to stay home as a mom. She also fully understood that sometimes mothers need to compartmentalize between work and family. Sometimes, deciding whether a woman will work outside the home is not always easy.

She spoke of how it can be difficult for women to navigate between being a wife and mother and how hard it can sometimes be.

She suggested that women spend a portion of time celebrating their sadness or anxiety or whatever they’re feeling. But do it for only a few minutes a day and then move forward the rest of the time.

She also pointed out how important the role of a mother is and how a woman can change the issues of the lack of respect for women by men by first changing and educating their sons, she said:

Sush left India to live in the UK with her daughter and husband.

See A Need And Run With It

When she moved back to India when her daughter was 14 years old, she looked for her and her family to live. She quickly realized that the men realtors she was working with had no idea how to help her find a suitable place.

Because Sush understood firsthand about ex-pats moving to India, she had compassion for them. She also understood how difficult it could be to uproot a family to live in another country.

She quickly realized the men realtors she was working with had no idea how to help her and other women like her with their family’s significant move to live in India.

Every Human Being Is Good At Something

Sush pointed out every human being is good at something. To find out what you are good at and then run with that. Be an active participant in life and go after what you want. Please find what you were good at and then go out and do it.

Stand Up For Yourself

Many times women allow others to push them down. Or they may feel they need to try to live up to the expectations of others for what they should or should not do.

Sush reminded us all to stand up for yourselves. Do not let anyone trample you or your self-esteem because you are a woman.

Women also need to learn to love themselves as no one is perfect. Parents are not perfect children are not perfect. Our human condition means that we will always make mistakes, but we must all learn to forgive.

Core Aspects of a Realtor And Advice For All Businesses

Sush gave us some things to think about and skills we can all learn for those who want to go into real estate or any business. These skills may be specifically for realtors, but they apply to all kinds of companies.

• Communication – Learned to have the ability to communicate what you think to another person. Just because you may have an accent doesn’t mean you cannot communicate. Do not be afraid to communicate.
  
• Listen Clearly – Listen clearly to precisely what the other person wants. Knowing what that person wants will help you to be successful. Be respectful and listen.
  
• Have Empathy – Learn to have empathy for what another person may be going through.
  
• Learn to Understand People – You need to learn to understand people. Be interested in other people. Learn to understand them and their culture.
  
• Cultural Understanding – Learn to be culturally understanding. Not every culture is the same so embrace new cultures and people.
  
• Help People Adjust Expectations – One of the most important roles as a realtor in India was to help people adjust their expectations. Do not lie to the people. Be honest with them, then people will trust you and your judgment.
  
• Integrity is Important – Integrity is fundamental. People want to know that you are honest and that you will look after them and their interests.
  
• Money Cannot Be Your Focus – Money cannot be your focus. Money will come if you are doing something that you are good at and enjoy. But there needs to be something more than money, something that you love to do.
  
• Business is a long game – Business is a long game. You need to have the view of having a long game. Otherwise, you will get discouraged and quit before you are successful.
  
• Morals and Ethics – Morals and ethics are essential to every people and in every industry. You cannot separate yourself from people. Having morals and ethics is a key ingredient in becoming successful.
  
• Do Your Research – Research is vital so that you know what you are doing. Do your research. It will help you with your negotiations, and it will show your clients that you know what you are doing. You need to do all you can to ensure that you are the expert and people see you as the expert.
  
• Understand the Legal Aspects – As a realtor, you will need to work with contracts. So you need to get yourself a legal background and know and understand all aspects of the business. We can all become legal experts. Show others that you know what you were doing that you know all your legal stuff.
  
• Network – Learn how to speak to other people and to be a networker. You never know who knows someone else. So make a lot of friends. Make a new friend every day.
  
• Accept Rejection – Rejection will come, so learn to accept rejection as much as you do your success. Do not celebrate success too much or dwell too much on your failures are rejection. Understand that every problem has a solution.
  
• Be Blunt When You Need To Be – Sometimes, you might need to be blunt or be very direct with someone in life. Be honest with them and tell them that something is not acceptable. If you have to, don’t be afraid to take legal support but let people know that what they are doing is not acceptable behavior. You can do this by explaining to a client who is trying to cheat you – this is my livelihood.
  
• Keep Your Reputation – A reputation is significant so do all you can to keep your reputation. It will help you to be successful.
  
• Be Educated – Even if you were not able to get an education, you could still learn. But get all the education you can. It will help you with your success.

Sush Clays’ talk was inspirational. She left me understanding that I and any other woman can do anything in life. Our success or failure is up to us!.

The BYU Management Society is about helping individuals continue to grow and learn. We are a society that is open to all that share our vision of “Growing Moral and Ethical Leadership around the world.” If you are interested to find out more, you can contact us by clicking here.

About Sush Clays – Founding Partner, Welcome Home Luxury Real Estate Service

Sush Clays has grown up in Delhi and lived in England, France, Spain, and Germany. She has carved a genuine path towards curing the malaise of local real estate industry issues, along with a deep-seated global understanding of how different nationalities can best acclimatize to living comfortably in India. A very well-entrenched member of the ex-pat circles in the city, she doesn’t just help clients find the best home to suit them, she helps them navigate the various aspects of city life with a vast knowledge of schools, extracurricular activities, entertainment, travel, and lifestyle. Her clients include the BBC, World Bank, United Nations, several top corporates and embassies.

In an industry supremely populated by women everywhere else in the world, Sush Clays found Indian Real estate to be the sole propriety of men. Who better than a team led by a woman to best understand setting up a home in this city where security, family, and children form the foundation of happiness. The extra resonance of another glass ceiling shattered brings joy every day!

Curation is an aspect of real estate she takes very seriously. At any given point, there is a reasonable amount of luxury real estate available in the city. The standard practice in the city is to drag the client through every available property. Sush Clays and her team listen carefully to the clients’ needs, taste preferences and crucial aspects with regard to location aspects, children’s needs that the many men in the industry choose not to address. And confidentiality of buyers in the sales category is taken very seriously in a territory where loose talk abounds.

“We are deeply committed to expanding our team to incorporate women in an industry that has been feared by the women of our country. Our ideal team will consist of women of every race, color and creed so we truly become synonymous as industry leaders for woman empowerment.”

Having begun her career as a flight attendant for Lufthansa, Sush Clays has been a news presenter for Sun TV, worked in Public Relations in London and Delhi, and the astounding response to her first entrepreneurial venture, Welcome Home, as the mother of a then 15-year-old, has been heartwarming.

“Luxury and style are words that are used too easily, today. To truly understand world-class luxury, you have to have lived it. Fine travel, fine dining, and fine service can only be understood if you’ve experienced it. Welcome Home brings a wealth of luxury experience to an industry hitherto run like a cottage industry, for a clientele accustomed to the Ritz,”

A true Indian at heart, Sush Clays, insisted on persuading her British husband and daughter to return with her to India as she was firm on the stance of having her child raised, at least partially, in the country.  Sush Clays speaks five languages (Hindi, Tamil, English, French & German) and is as comfortable wrapped in a Kancheevaram sari as she is swathed in a ball gown.

Related Content

What Is Moral Leadership?

Moral leadership is a leader who leads others with moral and ethical choices in mind. It is a leader who can gently persuade others to do the right thing. A moral leader is a very different kind of leader as a moral leader is not afraid to make the problem right choices because that choice is the right thing to do.

You can discover more by reading What Is Moral Leadership? by clicking here.

What is the BYU Management Society?

The BYU Management Society is a business, professional network, and career development program whose primary focus is to help grow moral and ethical leadership worldwide. It also helps support the local communities in the areas the BYU Management is organized and operating. The organization is open to all.

You can discover more by reading What is the BYU Management Society by clicking here.