The Leader - March/April 2009 - (Page 88) CAREER DEVELOPMENT by Jennie Lazarus Frank Robinson, MCR, Vice President of Real Estate Services at McKesson Understanding One Size Doesn’t Fit All MCKESSON’S FRANK ROBINSON Flexibility is the key to success for Frank Robinson, MCR, Vice President of Real Estate Services at McKesson, beginning with a job in sales and marketing after completing college with a degree in business. He changed course to start the real estate department for Data General Computers in the 1980s with the intention of learning more about computers and going back to a sales job, discovering that he liked corporate real estate (CRE) and never went back to customer sales. What has been the most significant key to his success? “Learning Flexibility – understanding that one size doesn’t fit all,” Robinson says. “What worked very well for me at one company doesn’t necessarily work at the next one – and what worked last year might not work this year.” In fact, the industry itself has changed dramatically over the years, and it has been this flexibility that has carried him through. “Early in my career, technical knowledge was important in the job. However, as I progressed, skills such as business acumen, communications and people skills are what my company looked for in leaders,” Robinson explains. “I tried to really understand the company culture, strategies, products/services and biggest challenges, and I developed and drove real estate strategies aimed at enabling those business goals.” Building a strong key team (internal and external) has always been critical, he says, as is creating and sustaining strong peer relationships within the company. “I make sure I understand what my company needs and equally important, what my internal clients value from CRE. I have tried to develop my skills at spotting and moving quickly on opportunities, always expressing my strategies and ideas in terms that senior management could relate to.” see that his flexibility to navigate through the constant changes in the challenging world of Corporate Real Estate has served him well. ROBINSON’S ADVICE TO NAVIGATE THROUGH TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES STAY CURRENT on your profession and your company. Building a strong key team (internal and external) has always been critical, as is creating and sustaining strong peer relationships within the company. ° Don’t isolate yourself ° Talk to lots of people about what you are doing ° Eliminate non-critical things ° Create your ‘CRE Opportunity Map’ and look for openings to deploy. In tough times, people are more open to ideas that didn’t fly in the past STAY FOCUSED on just the few most critical short term initiatives. Robinson is a long-time member and leader of CoreNet Global. He expresses that his association membership experience has been critical, and that he dove in with both feet. He credits his experience getting his Master of Corporate Real Estate (MCR) in teaching him what is necessary to succeed in this profession. “CoreNet Global educational and networking opportunities continue to keep current,” he says. “Which is absolutely critical given the myriad of challenges that we all face today.” In looking at Robinson’s career, it is plain to ° Validate new CRE strategies/initiatives that you think are required to win in tough times with senior management ° Create/track check points for those initiatives BE AGILE AND ADAPTABLE to changes and shifts as conditions dictate. ° Stay positive. Tough times always create opportunities. 2 0 0 9 T HE LE ADE R 88 MARCH / APRIL
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