By Nate Amidon, Sales Leader - New Home Star
I remember my first day at New Home Star like it was yesterday. I had just left a position with a large public builder and, in leaving that position, left the security of a good salary, benefits, bonus opportunities and the perceived safety of a large organization. New Home Star was in its infant stages as a company and could not offer me any of those things I was leaving behind, yet I knew it could offer one thing that no one else could: personal and professional growth. As I reflected on the decision, I remember debating my dad about it and through those conversations, it became apparent to me that above all else, my highest priority was to become the best version of myself. After that realization, the decision was easy.
This is the first time that I’ve ever attempted to articulate my professional journey, in large part because my character leads me to believe that it’s not relevant to others. However, as I reflect on the decisions and experiences I’ve had, I wanted to share some of the lessons I’ve learned in hopes that it helps you realize two concrete truths: You are in control of your professional life, and it’s up to you to become the best version of yourself; in fact, it’s your responsibility to do so.
You are in the right place to spread your wings and find out what that best version truly looks like.
When I made the decision to come to New Home Star, I was naïve and overconfident with the belief that my success early in my career would translate into success in any venture I dare go after. I soon learned that not all builders are created equal, and the skill set I had developed from my first experience would not be enough to succeed through the downturn, which did not translate correctly to skills necessary to succeed with all builders. I did not yet realize the springboard, branded New Home Star that I was jumping on at the time, but I tried different approaches and received mentoring through amazing people that taught me to try, get up and try again. New Home Star created processes, taught skills and then recreated processes and created new skills that would help us thrive in the ever-changing environment we were in. The pains we were feeling were defining who we would become, and we were the only ones out there doing it!
Fast forward a few years to today and the core of the company that we joined is bigger and better than ever. The company you are a part of today has a culture of continuous learning and improving, right down to learning about YOU, your dreams and desires, and then putting into action a plan to help you realize it. I joined New Home Star in hopes of becoming the best version of myself, and New Home Star has provided me the challenges and opportunities to grow. I’m certain I am better today because of my investment of time at New Home Star than I ever would have been somewhere else, and we want that for you too. In fact, the business model depends on it!
Let’s explore some fundamental truths that lead me to conclude the premise of this article; that in fact, New Home Star offers the single best place to find and develop the best version of you. My hope in this is to help you gain perspective and, perhaps, even an intense appreciation for the best decision you ever made – joining New Home Star.
The first truth I want to point out is there is significant autonomy to accomplish your objectives, yet there is a sense of accountability in exceeding expectations and goals. This combination allows for creative problem solving without anyone forcing you to “do it my way” while also placing the premium on the results obtained and recognizing those results. This atmosphere encourages sharing, and with some of the best connectivity technology in the industry, it’s easier than ever to reach out to learn how others are accomplishing their goals so that you can borrow, enhance and create solutions inside your own operation. This philosophy of encouraging autonomy gives you the latitude to try, fail, improve and grow. Add in the significant resources offered to each and every person inside the company, and it significantly increases the speed of your learning curve and ensures success. In essence, it takes away a significant portion of the risk to be an entrepreneur while giving you all the benefits for your professional growth.
The second piece of evidence I’ll offer is the explosive growth of the company. This growth, coupled with the desire to promote from within the ranks of New Home Star gives you nearly an endless runway to grow your career. The reality is that growth creates a need for you to continue to develop new skills and continue to gain new experiences because each growth milestone opens up a need for new positions of leadership, new skills to navigate the opportunities and new challenges that must be solved. In other words, no case of the “Mondays” here!
Finally, and perhaps the most important truth is the fact that New Home Star promotes on merit. Merit, in it’s simplest form, is the idea that if your peers recognize you as a leader, only then will you be given the title. So in essence, New Home Star doesn’t promote you, your peers do. This means that anyone who rises and adds value to their team of peers will have new opportunities coming their way. This places the control of your career directly into your hands. Those that lead, add value to their peers and desire to grow WILL GROW.
I would encourage every single person in New Home Star to work hard to understand the essence of the organization you are in. If you came to New Home Star with a similar desire to realize the best version of yourself, I can tell you with certainty that you have to put yourself in the right environment, surrounded by an army of people who want the same for you and supported by tools and processes aimed at teaching you anything you want to learn. So, it stands to reason that the only ingredient left is for your full application inside that environment. Ask for help, go out and DO something so that you might feel the development and coaching mindset at your side. We can coach actions – what we can’t develop is someone sitting on the sidelines waiting for something; waiting for someone to give them a “sign” or hand them the golden ticket. You are holding the golden ticket because you are inside our organization. Your sign is this article. What you do with it is up to you. We will push you, make you feel uncomfortable and challenge you – but only if you step up and show your desire to be the very best version of you.
Nate Amidon, Sales Leader
Nate Amidon leads the Melbourne Division of Maronda Homes, an award-winning national homebuilder. As one of the longest tenured team members at New Home Star, Amidon has been an integral part of building New Home Star from the ground up. With over thirteen years’ experience in new home sales and sales management, he brings a unique perspective shaped from working with three of the largest private builders in the country, as well as mid-sized builders all located in various markets.