I’ve had the unique privilege of seeing inside hundreds of real estate businesses during my time as CEO of Ray White New South Wales.
What separated the average from the extraordinary wasn’t location, market conditions, or even talent – it was their ability to envision what’s possible.
The Backflip Mentality
Years ago, I lived in a house with a bunch of blokes who rode dirt bikes.
At that time, no one had ever successfully backflipped a dirt bike.
These guys tried for over a year, launching themselves into foam pits, getting close but never quite pulling it off.
Then one day, one of them did it. The very next day, all of them did it.
The bikes hadn’t changed. The ramp hadn’t changed. The environment hadn’t changed.
What changed was their belief that it could be done.
Once they’d seen it with their own eyes, their self-limiting beliefs evaporated.
This same principle plays out in real estate every single day.
The Leaderboard Effect
When Ray White introduced Pulse – our app with real-time leaderboards – we witnessed something remarkable.
We saw top performers like Josh Tesolin, Vivian Yap, and Gavin Rubinstein constantly pushing each other to new heights.
When one wrote $3 million in commission, the others saw it and pushed harder.
Then it became $4 million, then $5 million, and now they’re writing $10 million.
None of them would be achieving these figures if they weren’t seeing what their peers were doing.
It’s like watching elite athletes compete – the four-minute mile was “impossible” until Roger Bannister broke it in 1954.
Within just 46 days, someone else had broken it too. Now high school students run sub-four-minute miles.
From Sydney to the Gold Coast
When I bought Ray White Shore Group on the Gold Coast, I knew I had to bring this mentality with me.
The Gold Coast market is more relaxed and I think some agents might have self-imposed ceilings on what they think is possible.
I’d love to shake this up.
Sometimes I feel like I’m moving too fast; when I look around, people’s heads are spinning because I’m challenging their notions of what’s achievable in this market.
But what if they can?
Recently, I took one of my sales guys, James Drake, over to WA to sit with Vivian Yap.
I wanted him to see firsthand how she operates, how she structures her day, and most importantly, what’s possible at that level.
It’s not about telling someone they can write $5 million in commission – it’s about showing them.
Because until they’ve seen it with their own eyes, they might not truly believe it.
Breaking Through Your Own Ceiling
If you’re hitting a performance ceiling, ask yourself: have I seen someone at my level achieve what I’m aiming for?
If not, find them. Study them. Sit with them if possible.
I’m extremely impatient by nature.
When I started at Shore Group, I wanted to transform everything within a week. I had to slow down – but my impatience also comes from knowing what’s possible.
I’ve seen businesses go from good to extraordinary when their people stop limiting themselves.
I’ve watched agents double, triple, and quadruple their output not by working harder, but by seeing what’s possible and adjusting their mindset accordingly.
Creating a Culture of Possibility
As a leader, one of your most crucial roles is exposing your team to possibility.
That might mean bringing in speakers, arranging mentoring sessions with top performers, or taking your team to see high-performers in action.
When I put my sales team on six buses running from Coolangatta to Coomera, it wasn’t just about advertising – it was about showing them I believe in them.
It was about creating a mindset that we’re now playing at a higher level.
At Shore Group, the goal is to build a $40 million business, and to do that, I need people who can see that future clearly.
I need people who don’t say “that’s not how we do things on the Gold Coast” but instead ask “how can we raise the bar?”
Because the moment you see what’s possible, everything changes.
The bike flips. The record breaks. The commission doubles.
It’s not magic – it’s the power of possibility made visible.
And that, more than any market trend or tech innovation, is what will determine your ceiling in this business.
