LEADERSHIP
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The three-person leadership model transforming agencies
For many agency principals, growth becomes a trap. The bigger the business, the more decisions land on one desk - and the harder it is to step back and lead. Michael Nitschke faced the same pressure before restructuring his agency around a simple idea: three key leaders, meeting with intent, backed by a quarterly system that forces focus.
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Why growth only works when strategy and infrastructure keep pace
After a $25 million launch, Matt Lahood shares the hard lessons of growing The Agency: why planning, systems, and keeping your team aligned make - or break - real estate expansion.
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Beyond the transaction: why the modern real estate agent must be a community pillar
Adrian Knowles explains how modern real estate agents are moving beyond transactional roles to become trusted community advocates, using technology to enhance service while building lasting relationships in their neighbourhood.
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Switch off to switch on: how smarter boundaries sharpen your edge in real estate
Why real estate agents can’t switch off - and how to stop rumination from stealing your downtime
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When family is the business: How to lead, negotiate and survive in a family-run agency
What a leadership discussion reveals about authority, succession and when loyalty holds agencies back.
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Why speed and systems can’t replace judgement in real estate: “You can automate tasks. You can’t automate care.”
As real estate leans harder on automation and AI, performance gaps are emerging. Kiarni Hall explains why judgement, trust and relationships still underpin strong agency results.
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The two things that have the greatest impact on a real estate career
Luke Evans, General Manager of Sales NSW/ACT for The Agency, says the agents who have great real estate careers focus on two main things.
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When leadership shifts from selling to setting standards
When Tristan Brown talks about leadership, he does not start with targets or market share. He talks about presence - the energy in the room, and the difference between telling people what to do and creating an environment where expectations are clear without being imposed.
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As a leader, you need to learn your entire business
If you’re growing a real estate agency, you know there are different departments and verticals of the business.
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If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’ve hired the wrong team
Strong real estate leaders are not the smartest person in the room. Harcourts NSW CEO Andrew McCulloch explains why hiring people who challenge you is the difference between building a team and holding one back.
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Beyond the clues: why real growth demands more than easy answers
Tina Ashton, Harcourts Australia's Chief Growth Officer says it's time we traded our comfortable clichés for something more challenging.
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When data isn’t enough: why great leaders must trust their gut
CEO Harcourts South Australia believes that some of her best decisions as CEO didn't come from spreadsheets or market analyses, they came from that peculiar feeling in her stomach whispering, "This is right."
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The difference between good and great
High-achieving commercial real estate agents consistently outperform their peers through disciplined systems rather than motivation alone. They meticulously manage their pipelines, maintain prospecting routines regardless of market conditions, and clearly communicate their specialised value to clients. These are habits that separate the top 10% from the rest.
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End-of-year fatigue is real: how real estate professionals can reset
In the high-pressure real estate industry where 70% of professionals experience burnout, one agent's kitchen floor breakdown reveals the warning signs and practical solutions for maintaining wellbeing. From establishing boundaries to scheduling recovery time, the path back to professional fulfillment requires treating personal health as seriously as client needs.
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The hidden cost of leadership
Real estate CEO Michael Nitschke reveals the rarely discussed emotional toll of leadership, from mistakes made "in the trenches" to the constant mental burden even successful business owners carry.
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The simple question transforming how leaders work
Many leaders still operate from the boardroom down, convinced they already know what their teams and business partners need. According to Harcourts NSW CEO Andrew McCulloch, that mindset is a fast route to becoming irrelevant. Real progress begins by asking a simple, direct question: What do you want?
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Embrace change, empower your career
As Harcourts nears opening its record-setting 50th new office in 2025 - a combination of new offices and rebranding, with new faces and familiar faces, new ideas, and new energy - Tina Ashton, Harcourts Chief Growth Officer, reflects on the transformative power of change.
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Why “being yourself” can hold you back
In real estate, you’re told to “be authentic," but former U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Evy Poumpouras says unfiltered honesty can quietly weaken your authority. Speaking with Steven Bartlett on The Diary of a CEO, she shared lessons on composure, confidence and communication that can help agents stay calm, inspire trust and lead under pressure.
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Why happiness should come before success in real estate
In real estate, success is often measured in listings, sales, and market share, but chasing those milestones without looking after your own wellbeing can leave you burnt out. Harvard professor and author Arthur C. Brooks argues in The Happiness Files that the real formula works the other way around: focus on your happiness first, and greater, more sustainable success will…
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What clients aren’t telling you (and why it matters)
Harcourts NSW CEO Katrina Tarrant says agents need to know about the "door handle question" that changes everything in real estate.
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Why top agents stall: the psychology of comfort over change in real estate sales
“I’ve always done it this way.” It’s the comfort phrase of countless top agents, but as sales psychologist Pancho Mehrotra of Frontier Performance points out, it’s also the biggest handbrake on future growth. What once delivered success can quietly trap even high performers in cycles of resistance, slowing results and stalling income. The psychology behind it isn’t laziness, it’s wiring.…
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Father’s Day is extra special for doting dad Scott after ‘shock’ surgery
Brisbane real estate principal Scott Darwon faces Father's Day with renewed perspective after brain tumour surgery earlier this year. The 40-year-old father of two discovered the cancer during routine health checks and now bears a 15cm scar—a permanent reminder of life's fragility and the importance of early detection.
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The $1,000/hour mindset to grow your GCI
Darren Krakowiak believes your income isn’t determined by how many hours you work. It’s directly tied to what you do with and produce during those hours.
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The leadership trap that’s killing your culture (and how to fix it)
Harcourts WA CEO Shane Kempton shares why ego kills culture - and how mission-driven leadership can transform your team's performance, retention, and legacy. A must-read for real estate leaders ready to level up.
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“Who’s winning?” is the wrong question. Here’s a smarter way to negotiate in real estate
In real estate, negotiation happens daily, but if your strategy still centres on “winning,” you might be doing it wrong. Roger Fisher and William Ury, authors of Getting to Yes, argue that great deals come from collaboration, not combat. Their Harvard-backed framework isn’t just for diplomats, it’s built for agents juggling price, pressure, and personalities.
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5 tips for developing high-performing sales agents
Michael Nitschke shares his five go-to strategies for transforming new recruits into confident, high-performing sales agents.
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How to stay ambitious without burning out
Ambition might get you into the industry. But without boundaries, it won’t keep you there. That’s the warning TED speaker Tarveen Forrester wants professionals to take seriously.
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Forget the RBA: This is the only ‘interest rate’ that really grows your real estate business
While the industry obsesses over interest rate movements from the RBA, Harcourts Australia CEO Adrian Knowles says there’s another rate that has an even bigger impact on your success.
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The truth about running a real estate business today … it’s not what you think
Forget the flashy sales numbers, leading a real estate business today is a pressure-cooker mix of strategy, structure and constant adaptation. Industry veteran Aaron Chuah reveals the hard truths behind running a high-performing agency in 2025 and beyond.
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From sales to strategy: Why becoming a non-selling principal was the right move
Breaking industry norms, Ben Kingsberry learned that stepping away from active selling created a stronger business foundation. By choosing leadership over competition with his own team, he built a thriving 60-person agency where salespeople close up to 60 deals annually without competing against the boss for listings.
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They don’t need a new friend — they need a better agent
Real estate isn’t group therapy. Sellers don’t invite you in to make friends — they want a confident expert who can get the job done. Yet too many agents are prioritising likeability over credibility. If you’re losing listings you should be winning, this might be why.
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Real estate leadership is changing – and agents are calling the shots
The era of command-and-control leadership in real estate is fading fast. Today’s agents want more than KPIs and top-down directives — they’re looking for empathy, collaboration, and leaders who prioritise wellbeing as much as performance. According to Laing+Simmons CEO and REIA President Leanne Pilkington, leadership that truly connects with teams now looks very different to what it did a decade…
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A wake-up call for property managers is needed
Kylie Walker believes that property managers need to change the way they do things, or risk making the same mistakes for the next decade.
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Why big-city agents should start thinking small(er)
When it comes to shaking up your real estate playbook, the instinct is often to look offshore—London, New York, Singapore. But according to Townsville local and Harcourts principal Ben Kingsberry, the most practical, high-impact lessons might be hiding in plain sight. Drawing from more than a decade in regional real estate, he makes a compelling case: regional agencies aren't just…
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The real reason your sales team isn’t performing (yet)
“Talent wins deals. But structure wins seasons.” Real estate veteran Aaron Chuah exposes what really powers top-performing sales teams, and it’s not superstar agents. From mindset to metrics, he reveals seven game-changing pillars every leader should know - but most overlook.
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