In this episode, I sit down with Village Green CEO Diane Batayeh to talk about leading a 106-year-old company.

Our conversation goes beyond operations, diving into lessons from Batayeh’s decades-long career, including getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, learning from “fresh mistakes” and mentoring the next generation of leaders.

Batayeh shares how she bridges resident expectations with investor priorities and why transparency and data always factor into her decision-making.

She talks about the risks and tough decisions that come with leadership and her role as a steward for investors.    

Here are some highlights from this episode:

• (5:04) Early lessons that taught Batayeh how to get comfortable with being uncomfortable
• (11:34) Why intentional reputation management matters in today’s social media environment
• (15:30) How defining what’s urgent vs. what’s lasting to investors leads to better decisions and ROI
• (22:30) The unusual move that proved Village Green’s long-term commitment
• (27:16) The risk property managers underestimate the most
• (32:20) How investors’ mindset has shifted from five years ago