Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chris Hartley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Chris, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
Like many people out in the world today, we’ve lost numerous family members to cancer. My dad is a cancer survivor. I have always been passionate about raising money for various charities…the two that I focus on the most are The American Cancer Society and The National Angels; a foster care organization that I completed a Full Ironman and Half Ironman for and the organization that will be the beneficiary of my children’s book…Life Lessons with Daddy.
I am a strong believer that it is our responsibility to look out for those that are less fortunate than ourselves. I am blessed to have a strong network that is supportive of the causes that I am passionate about. Together we have raised over $250K for Cancer related charities and over $20K for the National Angels. My children’s book is a series, it’s my dream that with the success of the book we will be able to donate a substantial amount each year.
I have two very loving and generous parents. We always knew we were more fortunate than others and we did what we could.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I have over two decades of New Home Sales Experience in various roles across the industry. In addition to my current role as Vice President of Sales for K. Hovnanian Homes in DFW, I am a frequent contributor to many industry leading publications, a guest on countless industry podcasts, and a highly sought out Public Speaker. I’ve worked with both public and private homebuilders across the country and have won numerous awards on a local, regional, and national level including a Gold Award at The Nationals through the National Association of Homebuilders. I am an active member of the Zillow Builder Advisor Board as well as a Board Member for AtlasRTX. The best title I have is dad. I have two incredible little girls, Jensen 5 and Harper 8. Each day these two littles teach me so much about life and love.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The best lessons I have ever learned in life came from my parents. At the start of elementary school my mother had told me that no one in life is better than me and I am never to act better than anyone else…however, if someone ever felt the need to act like they were better than I was, that it was my responsibility to put them back in their place. It’s a lesson that at the age of 43, stays with me still to this day…being humble is important…but it is equally important to have the confidence in yourself to make sure you are never taken advantage of!
Another lesson I learned early in life came from my father. His lesson was simple…pay now or pay later! This meant that both my sister and I were to throw everything we had at all we did early in life so that we could quickly get to a position in life that set not only ourselves up for a successful future but our families as well.
The advice that I give anyone coming into their careers is simple…be humble, be happy, hustle at all you do, and have the horsepower to out work, and out last your fellow coworkers!
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
One of my favorite books is Red Shoes Living by my dear friend Lonnie Mayne. This book is an absolute must for anyone looking to make a difference in their personal life and their career. Inside of Red Shoes Living Lonnie focuses on five pillars; Awareness, Gratitude, Everyone has a story, Respect and Kindness, and putting yourself out into the world. Once you start reading this book you wont put it down. If you ever get the chance to see Lonnie speak in person I would highly encourage you to take that opportunity. He has coached successful CEO’s, professional sports teams, and people of influence all over the globe.
The second book that is an absolute must is Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. If I could craft an entire company around one philosophy it would be this!
If you read any two books this year, make it these two and watch your world completely change!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lifelessonswithdaddy.com/
- Instagram: @christopherbrianhartley
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrishartleydhnc/
Image Credits
No credits needed.
