Leadership Spotlight on Paris Cox
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Paris Cox was born in Los Angeles, grew up in Sonoma County in Northern California, and in 1995 planted roots in San Diego after visiting and falling in love with America’s Finest City. She raised her son here and considers San Diego her home.
Paris works for Kearny Real Estate as a Property Manager. Her responsibilities include managing office and industrial portfolios, working on financial reports, overseeing tenant improvement projects, building maintenance, staff, day-to-day operations, and maintaining vendor contracts and relationships.
In 2017, Paris joined BOMA San Diego. She volunteered on the Energy & Sustainability Committee for the first two years. In 2019, she joined the Education Committee serving as Vice Chairperson and now as the Chairperson. Paris was selected to participate in the BOMI Certified Manager of Commercial Properties (CMCP) program which is “designed for early-career property professionals who are looking to validate their industry knowledge, this new certification will take your career to the next level.” She became the first BOMA San Diego Principal Member to earn the CMCP designation. Today, she participates as a member of the Board of Appeals for the CMCP certification program. In 2020, Paris won the BOMA San Diego Principal Member of the Year award.
We asked Paris a few questions about being a leader. Here’s what she had to say:
BOMA San Diego: How would you describe your leadership style?
Paris: I think my leadership style is to lead by example, showing enthusiasm and helping others understand the importance common goals, the process of doing certain things, etc. I’m a big believer in TEAM and it is important to me that everyone feels valued and heard. I like to motivate, inspire, be helpful and support. I also think delegating is an important tool and lets all members of the team feel included.
BOMA San Diego: What motivated you to volunteer for a leadership position in our Organization?
Paris: After attending my first BOMA luncheon I knew I wanted to be a part of the Organization. There is so much experience in BOMA and so many different people to learn from. I think I understood that by getting involved I was going to be exposed to more, grow in this profession, and have the hands-on opportunity to network and learn from others.
BOMA San Diego: How has your experience in BOMA helped your professional development and how do you express your achievements/skills you’ve learned to your leadership at Kearny Real Estate?
Paris: BOMA has been a great teacher and facilitator of connections to knowledgeable professionals from every aspect of this industry. I learn from other members and leaders of the organization – they show me how to be successful, encourage me to participate, and get me out of my comfort zone. Through these experiences, I’ve learned to set professional goals for myself and now enjoy helping others reach theirs too – especially in my role as Education Committee Chair.
BOMA San Diego: What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a BOMA leader and how did you overcome it?
Paris: COVID! The shut downs affected all of us, but education had some big hurdles to get over with taking all in-person courses to online formats. Many people did not like the idea of online learning for such detailed classes, we all (students, teachers, committee members) had to change our thinking and attitude about virtual learning. We worked with BOMI to come up with solutions and navigate platforms and policies and faced fears and challenges to find a platform that works. We held many successful online classes that are live and interactive. This method has also allowed us to pull in students from around the country that we would rarely be able to include. This year we have helped 3 students complete their RPA (1 from San Diego, 1 from Indianapolis and 1 from Chicago) by way of virtual learning.
BOMA San Diego: Who has influenced you most when it comes to how you approach work?
Paris: Definitely my leaders here at Kearny. They trust and encourage my ability to problem solve, be proactive, creative and take charge of projects. I do give a lot of credit to Sonia Miro for introducing me to BOMA and being a great mentor. She and others at Kearny teach me to turn errors and mistakes into learning lessons, motivate and trust me to take on challenges, and are perceptive of my strengths and weaknesses.
BOMA San Diego: What personality trait helps you as a leader and why?
Paris: I like to think I am outgoing, personable, and find it easy to talk to people. I hope I am approachable and make people feel comfortable and welcome – that is something I am drawn to in others, so I try emulate that trait myself.
BOMA San Diego: What do you think is most important in creating a positive culture?
Paris: A positive workplace culture creates employee loyalty, effectiveness, attitude, team work, etc. Having a positive culture shows in employee performance by the work they do and the quality of services they provide. It goes a long way in making happy employees who will go above and beyond in their job, feel heard, appreciated, and valued.
BOMA San Diego: We heard that you are an artist! Tell us a little bit about your artwork and inspiration.
Paris: My art is all abstract and just one of my creative outlets. I do always have something in mind when I paint – sometimes I find myself re-doing a canvas many times and sometimes I love what I create on the first try. I use a fluid art paint pouring technique that is relatively simple; it involves experimenting with color and letting paint move across a canvas.
BOMA San Diego: How do you define success?
Paris: Setting goals and reaching them – no matter how small or big a goal is, simply finishing a job or completing something I set out to do is very satisfying to me. This could be both personal and professional goals, but if I set out to do something, I feel successful if I know I did my best, maybe helped others along the way, and ultimately learned to enjoy the process. Liking what you do helps too!