According to Bob Burg and John David Mann, “success is a result of specific habits of action; creating value, touching people’s lives, putting others’ interests first, being real and having the humility to stay open to receiving.”
Burg and Mann are the authors of “The Go-Giver,” a book that tells the story of an ambitious man who finds success after applying the “Five Laws of Stratospheric Success.” These laws were found to improve success, both professionally and personally.
“At Jack Conway we live and work by the guidance of the Go-Giver. We encourage all members of our organization to immerse themselves in service to others and ties to the community, with no expectation of something in return. A personal and professional life committed to these principals is proven to be more fulfilling and more successful, and we see this happening every day at Conway,” said Carol Bulman.
To show our appreciation for those that strive to better their community, we are highlighting Jack Conway Go-Givers in a new series, and LeeAnn Cerretani is up next!
LeeAnn joined Conway Country in 2018. She works at the Mansfield office, and takes an active role in her community, working as a licensed social worker, a Council on Aging board member, a member of the Housing Corporation Board in Mansfield, and Stockings for Seniors volunteer.
How are you involved in your community?
Even as LeeAnn made the decision to become a real estate agent, after 20 years as a licensed social worker, she wanted to keep her foot in the door continuing her work specializing in geriatrics. And when she’s not busy selling houses, or working on discharge planning with seniors at Sturdy Hospital, she serves on the Housing Corporation Board in Mansfield creating affordable housing.
With her background in social work, LeeAnn would often get calls from the hospital to help certain seniors in the community, which lead to her involvement with the Council on Aging. She said that when it comes to social services, there are never enough staff and the money is never there, so it has been a natural progression for her.
“I don’t think about my business, to be honest with you. I’m not thinking ‘Oh, well, these seniors are low-income housing, I can’t benefit from that,’ it’s not about that, it’s just something that I’ve always just done.”
Now, with the holiday season approaching, one of LeeAnn’s favorite ways to give back is on the horizon: Stockings for Seniors.
“These Stockings go to people that have nothing, they don’t have family, they’re pretty isolated, they can’t get out of the house, so they’re homebound. They get Meals on Wheels, and for many of them, that’s the only thing they’ll have at Christmas, so that’s just a feel-good thing. You feel good about giving back to your community.”
Why did you decide to get involved in your community?
Getting involved was an easy decision for LeeAnn. As a social worker, she knows a lot of the community services and ways she can help. She will also bring opportunities to the Mansfield office, and everyone is extremely generous and willing to lend a hand.
“It’s not just me donating to these stockings or anything else I do. It really takes a village to pull this all together. If I can help spark that and get that going, I’m grateful that people want to jump in and participate with me.”
LeeAnn keeps herself busy with the volunteerism she donates her time to. Even her husband, Joe, who is also a Jack Conway agent, is amazed by her.
After describing all the different ways LeeAnn gives back, Joe said, “Why? I ask her constantly! Her answer is ‘she loves helping those that need it the most.’ She impresses me with her energy, professionalism, kindness, and make it happen attitude. Honestly, she is an amazing person, and I am one lucky guy.”
Why is service important to you?
“I think as human beings we should all help each other, I just I think I was just raised that way. My parents always volunteered in our community and always helped those who are less fortunate and even people who were fortunate, and financially were fine, but maybe they were down and out during a hard time. My family always wanted to step up and help those people. It feels good to help people, but it also feels awful when you see someone struggling and you don’t do anything to help them.”
LeeAnn said that leading by example can be the best way to get more people involved. Over the years of volunteering, she initially saw a lot of the same people volunteering, but the more she talked about it, the more she saw people step up to help. She said it is a beautiful thing to see people taking care of one another.
How has service impacted your life professionally?
LeeAnn said that service has positively impacted her business. She has friends that will refer clients, or agents will call her with unique circumstances where her skills could be useful.
“I did have someone from Foxboro reach out to me from doing the Stockings for Seniors. Their mother had not been doing well and they didn’t live in the state, and they did receive one of the stockings, and they gave me a call, so I have definitely received business, but that hasn’t been the expectation.”
How have you benefited from giving back to your community?
“It just warms my heart to put smiles on people’s faces.”
LeeAnn recalls one time that she got a call from the social worker that delivered her stocking to a senior named Rose. The agent told LeeAnn that Rose could not stop crying tears of joy when she received her stocking. For LeeAnn, hearing experiences like that make it all worth it.
“Just to know that it made their day or their holiday, there’s just no value you can put on that.”
Thank you, LeeAnn, for all you do to support your community, for representing Jack Conway so well, and for being a true Go-Giver.
