Navigating Leadership at Soul Spaces: Being Authentic

Nathan, our Account and Partnerships Director, Shares How Authenticity Drives Success at Soul Spaces and the Office Space Industry.

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I’ve been immersed in the commercial property and office space industry for nearly four years now, and during this time, I’ve gained invaluable insights into business, people and even myself. The learning never stops, and I’m constantly growing.

At the start of the year, I stepped into the role of Account & Partnerships Director, tasked with multiple ambitious targets. This new responsibility has allowed me to shape and add value to two crucial functions at Soul Spaces. While balancing these demands hasn’t been without its challenges—like ensuring each area gets the attention it needs—I see this role as a long-term commitment. Every week and every month, I’m building and managing these areas to ensure they flourish.

The main thing I’ve learned is that authenticity is key to winning. Being genuine not only helps you secure clients but also builds lasting relationships and even friendships. Authenticity creates successful collaborations between landlords and service providers, ensuring clients get the best office space deals. Most importantly, being true to yourself makes every interaction and negotiation a lot more seamless.

I was recently tasked with setting up an industry basketball event, using a personal hobby of mine to help develop partnerships both within and outside the property world. Through meeting a diverse range of people across industries and clients, I’ve learned that people buy into people. It’s not just about your experience and the quality of your work; it’s also about your personality. Building genuine, niche connections is invaluable—it’s something people truly appreciate and often becomes the gateway to professional collaboration.

Building genuine and authentic relationships with our clients and partners has always been key to our process. Over the years, the importance of this approach has only become clearer. We’ve seen clients return to us after 12-18 months with even larger office requirements and it’s not just because of the exceptional service we provide. It’s the relationships we build and maintain that keep them coming back.

We take great pride in watching our clients succeed and we firmly believe that our next biggest opportunity often comes from those we’ve already worked with. This year alone, we’ve assisted Heimdal Security in finding and negotiating a larger office space in Covent Garden and helped Central FX secure a new serviced office in Bank.

As we look ahead, the dynamics of account management and partnerships continue to evolve. With key information like compelling events and contact details becoming more accessible, genuine relationship-building grows even more important. Increased access to information leads to greater competition and less willingness from prospects and partners to engage, making it essential to consistently deliver value.

Value comes in many forms and varies for each person and company. Here’s what has worked well for our team this year:

• Consultancy: Clients value being informed about current market conditions and rates. This guidance is crucial in helping them make decisions that align with their employees’ needs and financial goals. By providing the latest insights on the market and sub-markets, our clients benefit from understanding the conditions they are transacting in. Soon we will also be able to provide instantaneous cash flows to help them understand the real cost for each building they are analysing.
• Experiences & Social Contribution: Social experiences are highly valued as they allow us to connect with people outside of formal settings. These connections build trust and a genuine desire to collaborate. Whether it’s sports, food and wine tastings, go-karting, or non-alcoholic events, these experiences have become increasingly important. 
• Community Hub: Offering our clients access to our broader network is incredibly valuable. It provides opportunities for business development through shared connections. Influencers have birthed the idea of creating communities rather than fans or clients and we have made this transition too. By offering our community access to our clients, by trying to cross-pollinate and hosting events that provide real value, we are making the move away from “long lunches” to a more long-lasting and meaningful relationship

In summary, successful account management and partnerships are about consistently demonstrating value and taking the initiative to show clients and partners that their success is our priority. Building and maintaining authentic relationships is at the heart of what we do. Our communities best possible result is all that matters to us, we have no conflict of interest and ultimately one goal, to make our clients journey a fun one, full of soul.