Servant Leadership Never Goes Out of Style | Featuring Brandon Babyak, Valet Living

What if the greatest lesson in sales has nothing to do with selling?

What if it begins with serving?

In this episode of The 7-Minute Harvest, I sit down with Brandon Babyak, Regional Sales Executive with Valet Living and one of the 2026 Apartment Association of North Carolina 20 on the Rise honorees.

After nearly three decades in luxury retail, Brandon made a remarkable career transition into the multifamily industry in her fifties. Along the way, she discovered a leadership philosophy that transformed not only the teams she led, but also the way she builds relationships with clients.

Influenced by the teachings of Dave Ramsey and Simon Sinek, Brandon explains why servant leadership has become the foundation of her professional life. When people feel seen, heard, safe, and valued, extraordinary things happen.

Our conversation also explores the growing pressures facing today's property managers, the difference between a transactional vendor and a trusted partner, and why authenticity and integrity will never be replaced—even in the age of artificial intelligence.

In this episode:

• How servant leadership transformed Brandon's career
• Why people perform best when they feel seen, heard, and safe
• The increasing demands placed on today's property managers
• What separates a true partner from an ordinary vendor
• Why authenticity and integrity still matter
• Building relationships that last beyond the transaction
• How AI may reshape the future of multifamily while preserving the human connection

Whether you're a property manager, supplier, business developer, or leader, this conversation is a powerful reminder that the strongest relationships are built through service, trust, and genuine care for people.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

This is the seven-minute harvest, built for commercial property professionals responsible for asset performance, tenant experience, and operating results. This podcast is for those who expect more from their properties, their people, and their partnerships. Each episode features real conversations with industry leaders, sharing practical insight you can apply immediately. Hosted by Eric Hayes, a senior sales leader and revenue strategist with more than two decades of experience developing high-performing teams and driving disciplined growth across commercial service organizations. Let's get today's harvest.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Welcome to today's episode of the Seven Minute Harvest. Today I'm pleased to be sitting with Brandon Babiac of Valet Living. We're in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I'm really pleased to introduce her to the listeners. Brandon was just recently recognized by the Apartment Association of North Carolina as one of the 20 on the rise. So, Brandon, congratulations and say hello to the audience.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Thank you so much, Eric, and thank you so much for the invitation. And yes, I was thrilled to be one of the 20 on the rise. Um, Jesse Jenkins uh nominated me, and he is a mentor, a friend, and a leader in our industry. He's in the Hall of Fame for the Apartment Association. So I was excited to be nominated. Wow. I was stunned that I actually received the honor. So a really big um year for me and just thrilled to be here. I am a regional sales executive for Valet Living. Right. I cover Charlotte, Greenville, South Carolina, and Clemson, South Carolina, where my son is a junior. So that's uh a nice perk. But uh we invented ballet trash 30 years ago, 31 years ago. 31 years ago, 31 years ago, and we service over two million homes across the country.

SPEAKER_02 2:10

Two million doors, multifamily doors. Yes. You serve with multifamily uh exclusively, correct? Multifamily exclusively. Two million doors, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Wow, and this August 1st will be uh my three-year anniversary. Okay, I am new to the industry. Um, I was in luxury retail for 28 yearish. So um made a career pivot in my 50s, and I've loved every minute of it. That's wonderful.

SPEAKER_02 2:41

Congratulations.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 2:42

So, my first question is the most important. Are you ready to get your hands dirty and get into this harvest?

SPEAKER_01 2:47

I am very ready. I am very ready. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 2:50

All right, here we go, Brandon. Question number one: looking back on your career, what experience has most shaped the way you approach managing your multifamily clients today?

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Ooh, great question. Great question. And um, I'm excited to tell you about what shaped it. Uh, 20 years ago, I would say, probably 20 years ago, listening to Dave Ramsey and Simon Sinek, and really learning and honing the servant leadership aspect of managing people. And it really transformed my business, um, caring about your people on a human level, making them feel seen, making them feel heard, uh, making them feel safe at work, right? Them understanding that you're working towards a goal and the why of what you're doing, rather than just being compliant and checking off a box. Um, and we were really able to grow, develop, and lead some high-performing teams. Like I said, it was transformational. When people feel safe, heard, and that they belong, and then they're working towards something bigger than just um a result or just output, it creates a great work environment that that's very, very harmonious and um people stay longer, it increases retention, and it just fulfills them on a lot of different levels.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

That's a beautiful answer. Uh we were created to serve, we truly were. Agreed. Part of my morning uh time, my quiet time is to focus on who is it that I can serve today, each day. And and uh and I had a similar experience. I read a book about the same time as this, so 20 years ago, called Built to Serve. And uh it really radically changed my approach. So that's that's beautiful. And so then, Brenda, what is uh maybe one operational challenge that your property management clients are dealing with today that people outside the industry might not fully appreciate?

SPEAKER_01 5:11

What I'm hearing is that they are pulled in way too many directions. Okay. And you know, that's not that's not exclusive to just multifamily, it's a lot of industries, but specifically, I'm hearing they're pulled in too many directions. Everything's a 9-1-1, and they're not able to focus on the basics anymore. Um, second part of that, their owners are in things that they didn't used to be. So they're really getting into the minutiae of their business. And I'm I'm really specifically talking about third-party management here. Um, and it's keeping them from the basics.

SPEAKER_02 5:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

Understanding what's a 9-1-1, understanding what's a 4-1-1. Right. And I like that you've got to set boundaries and prioritize, but they just feel drained and pulled in a lot of directions.

SPEAKER_02 6:09

So very good, very insightful. Okay, then Brandon, in your experience, what separates a truly great service partner such as yourself, obviously, versus just the typical average vendor? So partner versus vendor.

SPEAKER_01 6:24

I think authenticity and integrity, period. Like get to know your clients, build a relationship with your clients because you're in this for the long run, not just a transactional experience, really a transformative experience. That goes back to servant leadership as well. I'm there to serve my clients, I'm there to help them, to solve, to be an expert, and to create solutions for their communities. And I want to do it in an authentic way. I want to know about them. I want to know about their kids and the graduation that they just went to and their grandma's birthday party. Again, you're in it for the long haul. I have so many clients that I still keep in touch with from my retail days. Like it's not just about a transaction, it's about creating an experience.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

It truly is. It's uh relationships do matter. All right, final question. As you look ahead over the next year or two, what areas of property management will require the most attention from the industry?

SPEAKER_01 7:32

Well, I think that the industry is really gonna have to look at how AI and especially agentic AI, how it's gonna be handled. Yes, uh, appropriately, ethically, very carefully, strategically. That's you know, it's already a movement, but how is multifamily going to move forward with it, embrace it, and also not lose the personal touch that multifamily does so well through that. So that's that's gonna be, in my opinion, well, you're the third straight uh uh guest that has said the same thing.

SPEAKER_02 8:17

So to be continuing, we're gonna, it's gonna be really fascinating to see how this all plays out. So thank you for your time this morning.

SPEAKER_01 8:25

Thank you so much for having me. This was really fun.

SPEAKER_02 8:28

It was a pleasure meeting you.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

It was nice to meet you, too.

SPEAKER_02 8:30

Bless you, bless you so much.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

Thank you. You've been listening to the Seven Minute Harvest, a platform where commercial property professionals share practical real world insight from the realities of managing commercial properties. If this conversation added value, share it with someone on your team. Now take what you've heard and translate it into measurable results across your portfolio. And we'll see you at the next harvest.