Today’s episode is going to fundamentally change how you think about leadership.
Danielle & Heather sit down with Neda Nevab, President, Compass Real Estate to talk everything from why feedback can be a growth superpower to the mindset shift that helped her rise fast—before she felt ready.
Whether you’re leading brokerage, teams, or aspiring to do so one day, this episode will give you multiple practical ways to enhance your approach right now.
It Started with Her Mother
Neda Navab didn’t grow up dreaming of a career in real estate. Her journey began with strategy decks and whiteboards—Harvard Business School, a stint at McKinsey, then rising through the tech world. On paper, her path looked linear, logical, and ambitious. But the story behind it is deeply personal. It starts, as many defining stories do, with her mother.
Neda’s mother fled Iran during the Islamic Revolution, seeking safety and a new beginning in the United States. She found it—through real estate. Watching her mother build a career from the ground up shaped how Neda sees the industry: not as a transaction engine, but as a powerful lever for fairness, opportunity, and reinvention. “You don’t have to be from the right side of the tracks to build something extraordinary in this industry,” she says. “It is so fair.”
A Career Move Rooted in Purpose
That core belief—about fairness, access, and possibility—became a throughline in Neda’s career. Even as she built a reputation in tech and consulting, she found herself drawn to places where she could solve real, human problems. When she eventually stepped into the real estate space, it wasn’t about the industry—it was about the mission. She describes her shift as a move toward something that felt more aligned with the kind of leader she wanted to become: one grounded in purpose, clarity, and service.
At Compass, she’s not just applying frameworks from her previous roles—she’s rethinking them entirely. She’s clear about one thing: “Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.” In a space full of shiny new tech and trend-driven tools, Neda stays focused on what actually needs fixing. What’s broken, not what’s sexy.
Rising Before You Feel Ready
That clarity helped her rise quickly. Just six months into her role at Compass, she was asked to oversee the entire East Coast business. Thousands of agents and employees reported into her. She hadn’t asked for the role. And if she’d sent her résumé to a recruiter for it, she jokes, it probably would’ve been ignored. But instead of letting doubt creep in, she leaned into what she knew: humility, speed, and self-belief.
“I wasn’t ready in the traditional sense,” she says. “But I was ready to rise to the challenge.”
Feedback as a Growth Strategy
Part of what makes Neda’s leadership style so resonant is her comfort with feedback—both receiving it and acting on it. She treats it as a tool, not a threat. “I take it, break it down, use what serves me, and let the rest go.” It’s a skill she’s refined over years, and one she actively models for her team. She even shares her formal feedback with them. By naming her own growth edges, she creates a space where others can be honest about theirs.
But Neda doesn’t just rely on external signals. She listens closely to what’s happening internally. “Fear is feedback,” she explains. “If something scares me, I pay attention to it. That usually means it’s the thing I need to do.”
Self-Advocacy, Not Self-Promotion
She’s also a fierce advocate—for herself and for other women. She makes a habit of praising people to their bosses and reminding women not to assume their work will always speak for itself. “Sixty percent is results,” she says. “But forty percent is the story you tell about it.” Her advice? Keep a “hype doc.” Track your wins. Revisit them when you forget how far you’ve come.
That grounded approach shows up in the way she manages her energy, too. As a mother of two and the president of a major brokerage, her calendar is full. But she’s learned how to be fully present—wherever she is. “When I’m with someone, I’m with them. When I’m done, I move on.” That presence, she’s found, is what allows her to lead effectively while still making space for joy.
Leading with Joy
And make no mistake—joy is part of her strategy. Whether it’s a concert, a spontaneous night with a friend, or carving out space for a walk with her kids, she’s unapologetic about fun. “Fun gives me energy,” she says. “It’s not extra. It’s essential.”
A Leadership Model Built on Clarity and Care
Neda Navab isn’t building her leadership legacy by following a script. She’s writing her own—one that makes room for feedback and fierceness, humility and ambition, precision and play. Her story is a reminder that the best leaders aren’t the ones who know all the answers. They’re the ones who keep asking better questions—and invite others to grow alongside them.
About Neda Navab
Neda Navab is the President of Compass Real Estate, the largest brokerage in the U.S. by sales volume as of 2024. She has a B.A. in Economics from Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Neda brings a strong academic and strategic foundation to her leadership. Before Compass, she worked at McKinsey, Box, and Sidewalk Labs.
Her leadership at Compass focuses on scaling operations. She focuses on leading through hypergrowth and driving innovation in real estate technology. Neda is known for her empathetic, mission-driven approach. She is committed to empowering agents to become trusted advisors in their markets.