In a profession long shaped by hard edges and loud voices, one of regional Queensland’s standout performers is proving that real influence comes from an entirely different place.
At REMAX Select in Mackay, sales leader Leanne Druery has built a thriving, high volume business anchored in empathy, structure and genuine care, an approach she once feared would be seen as weakness.
Instead, it has become her greatest strength.
When she first stepped into leadership, Leanne followed the traditional scripts she saw around her.
She thought she needed to be forceful, unrelenting and constantly on guard so no one would undermine her, particularly as a woman in a leadership role. It did not feel right, and it did not work.
“I realised the old models simply did not fit,” she says.
“I kept trying to adopt approaches that never felt natural, and it showed.”
So she started again. She went to seminars, read books, listened to podcasts and watched female leaders in the industry who felt more aligned with who she was.
Bit by bit, she discarded the rigid behaviours she had been told were required and replaced them with something very different.
“I thought empathy and kindness would be seen as softness,” she reflects.
“Now I understand they are my strength.”
Empathy as a practical system
Within her office, empathy is not a slogan. It is a practical method that shapes how Leanne and her team run listing consultations and serve clients.
In every appointment, the goal is to understand the story behind the sale.
Her team follows a structured questionnaire that starts with neutral, lighter questions to build trust.
As the conversation develops, they move into deeper territory to uncover the client’s real motivations and pressures.
“Every client arrives with their own fears, hopes and perspective,” Leanne says.
“The more we understand their story, the better we can help.”
The emphasis is squarely on listening. Leanne has taught her team that they are there to solve problems first, not to rush to the price or the paperwork.
They notice details in the home, point to shared interests and look for genuine common ground.
From there, the conversation can move naturally to the more sensitive reasons for selling.
That approach does more than create rapport. It builds loyalty.
Many of Leanne’s clients come back again and again, sometimes for seven or eight separate transactions over time.
“When people feel heard, they stay with you,” she says.
“They know we care about the outcome, not just the transaction.”
Teaching empathy across the team
Leanne is clear that empathy is not tied to gender. Her team includes both men and women, and all are taught the same way, through modelling and repetition.
“Ash, one of our listing agents, used to let me do most of the talking in appointments,” she explains.
“Over time the balance shifted. Now he handles the conversations and understands why taking that extra moment to sit down and talk matters.”
That way of working extends internally. Leanne invests time in understanding what drives each member of her team.
Motivations differ from person to person, so she adjusts the support and accountability she offers accordingly.
“It is not one size fits everyone,” she says.
“When you actually listen to what your people are worried about, and what they hope for, you know how to back them properly.”
For all the warmth that underpins her leadership, Leanne’s office is far from gentle in output.
REMAX Select operates at a fast pace, with close to 130 sales recorded by her team alone so far this year, supported by a consistently full calendar.
She is very clear that a people first approach does not sit in opposition to commercial results. In her view, one supports the other.
“Kindness does not mean the absence of structure,” she says. “We have targets, accountability and weekly meetings. The difference is in how we handle the tough parts.”
Leanne talks about creating a sense of psychological safety where her agents can speak honestly about mistakes and missed opportunities.
She sets the tone by sharing her own missteps and the lessons she has taken from them.
“Some of our best improvements have come from talking about failures,” she says. “You learn faster when you are not afraid to be honest.”
That openness invites innovation. Team members are encouraged to suggest new ideas and improvements.
Often, those suggestions turn into changes in process that save time or improve client experience.
“Sometimes someone will raise something and I think, why on earth did we not do this years ago,” she says.
A different future for real estate leadership
Leanne believes the industry is shifting. Consumers are tired of ego driven agents, and younger professionals entering the field seem more aware that clients expect more than just a sharp suit and a sales pitch.
She sees this as a positive change.
“Most agents genuinely care about their clients and their communities,” she says.
“But the loud minority with inflated self importance still colours how the public sees us.”
Her hope is that more leaders will normalise empathy, collaboration and honesty as everyday practice, not just marketing language.
In Mackay, she collaborates freely with agents from other brands, something that would once have been unthinkable.
“I open the door and they open the door,” she says.
“We do not share every trade secret, but we share enough to lift standards for everyone.”
When she speaks at events, she holds nothing back. Her view is that if other agents raise the bar, the whole industry benefits.
Strength and softness, side by side
After years of active learning and self examination, Leanne has reached a clear position on what leadership should look like in her world.
“Strength and softness can exist together,” she says.
“You can be kind and still be clear. You can be empathetic and still be effective.”
Her results over the past five years suggest that she is right.
Culture and commercial outcomes do not compete in her office. They support each other.
“For us, success is not about making a certain number of calls or ticking off a quota of appraisals,” she says.
“My measure is, who did we genuinely help today, and did we get a strong outcome for them.”
That focus, she believes, is exactly what clients want from modern agents.
No theatrics, no ego, just real conversations and clear results.
“We are warm and we genuinely care,” she says. “That is why we are wildly successful, because we are coming from the right place.”
For Leanne, empathy is no longer a soft skill.
It is the centre of her leadership and the reason her business continues to build long term relationships, strong repeat business and a reputation for care that lasts far beyond a single sale.
