Insights from the Former Texas Apartment Association President, Hugh Cobb

Asset Living Principal Hugh Cobb was appointed as the President of the Texas Apartment Association (“TAA”) on September 1, 2020, and went on to serve as the longest-standing President in TAA’s history, ending his term after 16 months of service in December 2021. In light of the pandemic, there were many new challenges and trends that emerged during his time as President. While there are numerous lessons learned, Cobb reflects and shares three key takeaways from his experience. These three insights fueled his ability to become more resilient and stronger as a leader, while enjoying every experience along the way.  

Having a servant’s heart matters.

Often leadership is given to those with credentials, designations, and applicable background experiences. While all of those are important, leadership can also be seen as an innate ability to serve others. During my term, I worked alongside many people who had a servant’s heart, and those individuals were full of grit, passion, and perseverance. The TAA board of directors, executive committee, and staff all have "hearts full of grit” that pushed the organization and its people to be a success.  

Live and lead in the moment.

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to be a reoccurring topic of discussion last year. During this time, I witnessed and experienced firsthand the demonstration of care and compassion across the entire TAA organization. Our membership served, sacrificed, mourned, and celebrated every milestone. Together, we navigated challenges and it was important for us to build relationships with one another through trust and not forgetting to live and lead in the moment.  

Utilize (and never underestimate the power of) clear communication.

‍We often hear that our words matter, and this could not be truer when communicating updates and news to an entire industry statewide. During my term, a special initiative was implemented to increase communication to our more than 12,000 members and 3.5 million residents to share updates, industry news, trends, and other helpful information coming from our organization across the state of Texas. Frequent communications not only helped to build trust, but over time our audiences had come to expect it.

With more than 30 years in the real estate industry, Cobb is a leader of the affordable  and multi-family divisions and  helps  to lead strategic new business initiatives at Asset Living. A passionate leader, Cobb is leading the Leadership Committee of TAA for 2022.   For more background on the Asset Living executive team, visit the leadership page or learn more about available career opportunities by visiting Asset Living’s careers page.

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