Profile of Pat Lashinsky in San Francisco Business Times
July 10, 2009
Background: Lashinsky joined online real estate brokerage ZipRealty in 2000 and held several positions, including president and vice president. He led product strategy, marketing and sales before being named CEO in 2007. Lashinsky spent 10 years developing products and marketing brands at Del Monte and General Mills.
First job: Driving a propane gas tank truck for CalGas at age 18.
Education: M.B.A. from UCLA and a B.A. in political economies from University of California, Berkeley.
Residence: Lafayette.
Business philosophy
Best way to keep competitive edge: Really listen to clients and your competitors. Talk to your customers on a regular basis and continually innovate. The people that get stuck don’t want to interrupt their own business.
Guiding principle: Listen, listen, listen, design and then execute. You have to listen more than you do anything else. Reacting by itself is not good.
Yardstick of success: Do we continue to have happy clients? Are we continuing to grow the share and grow the business?
Goal yet to be achieved: Successfully proving ZipRealty to be a profitable, long-term model.
Judgment calls
Best business decision: Going to business school instead of law school.
Worst business decision: Holding on to the wrong people for too long.
Toughest business decision: We decided to right-size the organization in October 2007. … It was very early in the cycle and people didn’t understand why we were doing it.
Biggest missed opportunity: Continuing to find ways to make the process (of buying a home) easier, less stressful and more enjoyable.
Mentor: John Haugen, my boss at General Mills, and John Mewis, chief executive of Wafernet.
Words that best describe you: Blue-collar leader. I’m one of the people, but at the same time I’m definitely a strong leader who takes charge and is not afraid of confrontation.
True confessions
Like best about job: Talking to clients and agents.
Like least about job: The short-term focus of being a public company sucks.
Pet peeve: People who tell you what you want to hear instead of giving you their own or the right opinion.
Most important lesson learned: No one person has the answer. It takes a strong team to be successful.
Most respected competitor: The Group, a real estate brokerage based in Boulder, Colorado.
Three greatest passions: My kids (ages 4 and 6), great food and sports.
First choice for a new career: Two things. One would probably be an innovation and execution expert. A lot of great ideas out there are from people who don’t know how to execute them or bring them to life. Second, a general manager of a major sports franchise.
Predilections
Favorite quote: “The three great essentials to achieve anything are first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.” — Thomas Edison.
Most influential book: “Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times” by Donald Phillips.
Favorite cause: Anything that tries to help kids.
Favorite status symbol: None.
Favorite movie: The Godfather, Part I.
Favorite restaurant: Spruce and Slanted Door.
Favorite vacation spot: Anywhere warm with beaches.
Favorite way to spend free time: Playing with my kids.
What do you drive: Mercedes E 350.