Herman Bulls, Vice Chairman at JLL, is a seasoned executive with expertise in real estate, finance, marketing, and operations. He holds significant experience in Fortune 500 board positions. His specialties encompass real estate, strategy, leadership, public speaking, privatization, university real estate, government real estate, real estate finance, and corporate boards. With strong communication skills, he excels at bringing diverse groups together to tackle complex problems.
In 2017, Herman was recognized by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) as one of the 50 most influential directors in America. He has an extensive background in governance, having served on seven public company boards, five private company boards, and four national nonprofit boards.
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and Herman Bulls:
Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace.
I’m a caring individual who likes to connect with people. I get my power from these meaningful interactions with others. I guess one could call me a reserved extrovert. My leadership style is participatory and caring in nature, but, at the same time, I can be direct when needed. I operate under the Golden Rule of treating people the way you want to be treated. When I get motivational messages, I do more; when I get demotivational messages, I do less, and I’m certain other people are the same.
My home life has changed over the last couple of years, as I lost my wife of 42 years; however, I have three kids and three grandkids with whom I spend a lot of time and provide them with a lot of attention and guidance. For relaxation, I do like to read, but unfortunately, I don’t read non-business items at this point. I’m saving that for retirement. I also enjoy traveling and particularly enjoy golf. I try to get two rounds in a week—one work and one play.
Describe your background and what did you do before you started/joined the company?
I’m a country boy from Alabama who had the opportunity to attend West Point, which opened my eyes to so many opportunities in the world and provided a foundation for my leadership style. After serving in the army, I had the opportunity to attend Harvard Business School and was introduced to commercial real estate for the first time. I taught finance and economics at West Point for three years after graduate school and worked with some of the most outstanding men and women in the world. Then I worked in the Pentagon on defense budget and finance issues before joining LaSalle Partners, which became JLL. That’s where my real estate career started.
Tell us about the FOUNDING OF JLL’S PUBLIC SECTOR PRACTICE. How did it all start?
Based on my experience in the Army and understanding how government organizations work, combined with the newfound love that I had for real estate, I looked for an opportunity to combine the two. After JLL was awarded a large facilities management contract with a baby Bell company, I thought, “How can we do this for the government?” I investigated opportunities and created a business plan that explored how to provide real estate best practices from the commercial sector to federal, state, and local government entities, as well as colleges and universities. Thus, the founding of JLL’s government and education businesses At the time, we mostly did corporate work, and it was an uphill battle all the way to convince others to put in the time and resources for this brave new venture, but I saw an opportunity, and it’s paid off.
What has made you successful? What do you value?
I think my commitment to people and to excellence has made me successful. By that, I mean my ability to connect with people because, when you connect with someone, you’re willing to do something for or with them without any expectation of anything in return. This is vastly different from networking, which is somewhat transactional in nature. Connecting requires you to be vulnerable, consistent, and open. I value something that I certainly think was embedded in me in my home life; however, it was even more so imprinted on me at West Point. That is honesty, truthfulness, and the importance of leadership and leading by example.
Which are the major services of the company and how do the company to get ahead in the competition? What value-added services does the company provide?
JLL is a global services firm that shapes the future of real estate for a better world. We do this by providing specialized services to those who own real estate and desire a higher return on their investment. We also provide services to organizations that use real estate to further their mission and goals. These services include everything from capital markets, leasing, workplace strategy, portfolio management, design services, infrastructure advisory, engineering, integrated facilities management, technology and so much more. We also keep a focus on helping our clients reach their sustainability and ESG goals while working on achieving our own.
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture?
The best cultural aspect that we have at JLL is teamwork and collaboration. We build that in terms of the way we recruit, train, promote, and compensate our people.
What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company?
Real estate has been around for centuries and is generally not thought of as a place for innovation; however, our focus on technology and the fact that we invest hundreds of millions a year in developing new ways to construct, operate, and repurpose real estate support our goal of making the world a better place to live.
Give us your opinion on do organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes.
Based on my experience and leadership training at West Point and serving in the Army, it’s all about the team because individual leadership is important for setting a vision and defining the mission, but the accomplishment of that mission requires a coordinated effort from the entire team.
What are your responsibilities within the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
My responsibilities have evolved over the last 33 years with JLL, going from managing projects and people and impacting thousands of employees to the role that I play now as a senior executive. I focus on client interface, so I work with our largest clients to help them grow and implement real estate strategies to help their businesses operate more effectively. I get joy from leading teams to win assignments and watching our team members grow and prosper as they add value for our clients.
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
One of my mottos has always been “mission first, people always.” That means one has to understand not only what needs to be accomplished but also how much it takes people working together to make it happen.
