How These CRE Leaders Communicate with Clarity and Instill Confidence

I've attended a lot of conferences over my nearly 20 years in the commercial real estate industry. Some are great for deal flow. Some are great for market intelligence. Most are great for maintaining relationships and forging new ones.

But GlobeSt.’s Women of Influence Conference hits differently.

Last year was my first time attending, and I left genuinely energized by the depth of the conversations, the quality of the content and the intentionality behind the entire experience. Mostly, I left inspired by the remarkable women across commercial real estate who are not just participating in the industry’s evolution, but actively shaping what comes next.

That’s why I’m excited to head back to Denver for the 7th Annual GlobeSt Women of Influence Conference and Awards, where CRE leaders from across disciplines will come together to talk about the issues, strategies and relationships moving the industry forward.

And this year, I’m especially looking forward to moderating a breakout panel that sits squarely at the intersection of leadership, communication and career growth.

Inspiring Down & Managing Up

On Tuesday, July 14, I’ll be moderating “Inspiring Down & Managing Up: Invaluable Tools for Effective Communications & Career Growth.”

The title says a lot — leadership is rarely one-directional.

Yes, leaders need to motivate teams, set expectations, provide clarity and create momentum. But they also need to influence decision-makers, build trust with senior stakeholders, translate complexity across functions and communicate with confidence when the path forward is not always obvious.

That’s not easy in any industry. It’s especially complex in commercial real estate, where every project can involve owners, investors, developers, brokers, lenders, tenants, municipalities, civic partners, community stakeholders, brands, data users and internal teams all trying to move toward a shared outcome.

The best leaders I know are not just good at having a vision. They’re great at making that vision digestible, relatable and applicable across internal and external audiences.

That’s what we’ll dig into.

A Conversation With Leaders Across CRE

I’m truly looking forward to joining three thoughtful, accomplished female leaders who bring different perspectives from across the industry:

Courtney Ettus, CMO of REsimplifi, brings a sharp perspective on brand, trust, leadership and how companies communicate value in a noisy market. Having served as CMO of Crexi during arguably the company’s most explosive growth years, she understands navigating dramatic change at an extremely elevated level.

Ekta Naik, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Development at SoLa Impact, brings deep experience in real estate development, acquisitions, affordable housing and impact-driven investment. In the nuanced affordable housing sector, Ekta’s transactions are rarely straightforward. Her communication style commands confidence from investors and municipal leaders alike.

Deena Zimmerman, Principal at Baum Realty Group, brings a relationship-driven point of view from brokerage, retail real estate, redevelopment and national business development. Known for her incredibly adaptable approach to leadership and management, Deena believes in curating the right team for every project, setting expectations — and presenting growth opportunities — with absolute clarity.

We’ll talk about the real tools women leaders use to communicate clearly, advocate effectively and create alignment between vision and execution.

We’re not talking in generalities. We’re getting real with practical applications for emerging and existing CRE leaders.

• How do you create and reinforce the right messaging — even when teams are stretched?
• How do you create accountability without killing momentum?
• How do you adapt your communication style for different audiences without losing the core message?
• How do you communicate in a way that commands stakeholder confidence at critical turning points?
• How do you keep human relationships authentic as technology and AI continue to reshape how the world works?

Those are the kinds of questions I’m excited to explore.

Communication Is a Leadership Advantage

As a PR leader and people manager, I think about communication constantly.

Not just polished messaging. Not just media statements. I think about daily communication as one of the most important leadership tools we have.

It is how we build trust before we need it. How we create clarity. How we help top talent understand not just what we do, but why it matters and how they fit into the bigger picture. Communication is how we speak out on behalf of our teams, our clients and our ideas.

And, when done well, it is how we develop rockstars. Or, as we say at Identity, Gamelovers.

CRE today is a sector defined by change: shifting capital markets, evolving tenant expectations, new workplace norms, technology adoption, AI acceleration, housing pressures, community expectations and an increasingly complex stakeholder environment.

Amidst change, communication cannot be an afterthought. It has to be a leadership discipline.

Effective leaders know how to listen and learn. They know how to communicate where a team is headed in a way that inspires others to want to be in the room where it’s all happening. They give not only direct feedback, but proactive coaching and guidance before the misstep occurs. And they communicate in a way that makes the people around them stronger people and professionals. Gallup research shows that managers who have at least one meaningful conversation each week with every employee lead substantially more engaged teams, highlighting the importance of consistent communication over occasional check-ins.

That kind of leadership matters right now.

What Attendees Can Expect

If we do it right, attendees of this panel will walk away with actionable ideas they can implement immediately. An interesting communications tactic they can apply in their next team meeting or during that really critical growth conversation. A slightly different approach to creating messaging that motivates.

I hope attendees hear something relatable and feel a part of a broader supportive community.

Because leadership is incredibly rewarding, but it’s complicated. People are complex. Companies are complex. Change is complex. And communication is often where that complexity shows up first.

That’s why conversations like this matter. They give us a chance to talk transparently about what it takes to lead effectively, grow thoughtfully and support the next generation of women shaping CRE.

I’m looking forward to being back in the room with so many smart, generous, high-impact leaders at GlobeSt.’s Women of Influence Conference.

See you soon, Denver.

Post Summary - Globe St. Women of Influence 2026 Event

• Erin Sabo will moderate the breakout session "Inspiring Down & Managing Up: Invaluable Tools for Effective Communications & Career Growth" at GlobeSt.'s 2026 Women of Influence Conference.
• The discussion explores how commercial real estate leaders build trust, communicate through complexity and inspire teams while influencing executive stakeholders.
• Panelists represent leadership across brokerage, affordable housing, development, technology and marketing, offering practical perspectives from different areas of CRE.
• Effective communication has become a competitive leadership skill as commercial real estate faces shifting capital markets, AI adoption, evolving tenant expectations and increasingly complex stakeholder environments.
• Women of Influence provides a forum for networking, leadership development and industry collaboration among some of commercial real estate's most influential professionals.
• Identity works with commercial real estate owners, developers, investors, brokerages and service providers to strengthen executive visibility, thought leadership, media relations and strategic communications that build trust with key stakeholders.

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