Realtor.com’s Damian Eales on the transformation of the portal

In today’s RealTrending, we speak with Damian Eales, CEO of Move, operator of Realtor.com. Not happy with Realtor.com’s position as No. 2, Damian outlines the strategic moves the company will take to leverage the News Corp audience and launch new products to help agents get listings.

We also delve into the lessons he learned in his career and how his understanding of company culture has shifted over the years.

Here is a small preview of today’s interview with Damian. The transcript below has been lightly edited for length and clarity:

Tracey Velt: I always ask this question because I find it fascinating. Most leaders and entrepreneurs, they kind of have these “Aha!” moments throughout their careers where they realize that they need to change things up. I need to do something differently. A lot of times there are multiple moments, but what is the moment that you’ve had that’s made the greatest impact?

Damian Eales: When I was a younger leader, I probably was a little cynical to the term culture when referenced in terms of business. Maybe it’s because I didn’t fully understand it and I didn’t have a good definition of culture. Over the years, I’ve studied and experimented through trial and error. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out how I can create a culture of high performance.

Culture for me is establishing circumstances by which people are pointing in the same direction when you’re not looking. When you’re not in the same building, let alone the same city, let alone the same country. People are moving in one direction. They’re committed, they’re delivering the best work of their career. you want them to look back and say, that’s the time that I did the best work, the work that I was most proud of.

The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch.