Real estate has never been more efficient – or more strained. Automation, CRMs and AI-driven workflows have transformed how agencies operate, but many businesses are now grappling with burnout, retention challenges and a growing disconnect between speed and experience.
Kiarni Hall, Harcourts’ Head of Business Operations, has seen this tension play out across sales, property management and operations.
Her perspective is not anti-technology, but pragmatic: efficiency only works when it supports judgement, relationships and accountability, rather than replacing them.
Having spent much of her career working closely with agents, property managers and operational leaders, Kiarni has seen first-hand what happens when speed and scale come at the expense of relationships.
“Technology is essential,” she says. “I train it, I support it, and I believe in it. But when it replaces conversation instead of supporting it, that’s where we start to lose something important.”
The hidden cost of moving too fast
Real estate has become very good at doing things quickly. Automated texts, pre-written follow-ups and AI-generated workflows mean agents can touch more people in less time than ever before. But Kiarni believes many businesses have swung too far in that direction.
“Agents will tell you relationships matter, and they genuinely believe that,” she says.
“Yet they’re often the first to avoid a phone call, avoid a visit, or rely on automation instead of a real interaction.”
That behaviour doesn’t just affect clients; it shapes team culture as well.
“When leaders focus only on KPIs and outcomes, without understanding the person behind the performance, you end up rewarding numbers instead of effort,” she explains.
“People start feeling like they’re there to produce, not to contribute.”
Over time, that mindset can lead to burnout, high turnover and what she describes as a ‘churn and burn’ approach to both clients and staff.
“You might get the next deal done, but what about the relationship that could have delivered value in five or seven years’ time?”
What ‘whole human’ leadership looks like in practice
Kiarni often speaks about showing up as a whole human at work. For her, that starts with recognising that people bring their full life experience into the office, whether leaders acknowledge it or not.
“We’re all products of our history,” she says. “How we deal with stress, how we listen, how we respond under pressure, that doesn’t switch off when we walk into work.”
Rather than expecting everyone to operate the same way, she believes strong leaders adapt their management style to the individual.
“Some people do their best work early in the day. Others build momentum later,” she says.
“If you’re measuring contribution purely by hours at a desk, you’re missing what actually drives results.”
That flexibility, she says, requires trust and communication on both sides. It also means leaders need to let go of rigid assumptions about what productivity looks like.
Vulnerability as a leadership strength
One of the most defining moments in Kiarni’s career came when she spoke openly about her own challenges at a Harcourts Queensland leadership event. It was a decision she describes as confronting, but necessary.
“I shared most of my uncomfortable truths,” she says. “It was terrifying. But the response made it worthwhile.”
What followed were conversations with peers who admitted they had struggled in similar ways, but had never felt able to say so.
“They told me they never would have guessed,” she says. “I was always the high-energy person in the room. But that’s exactly the point. You don’t know what someone is carrying unless you create space for honesty.”
She is careful to point out that vulnerability does not mean oversharing or abandoning boundaries. Instead, it’s about being real enough to build trust.
“If I make a mistake and I own it, people forgive that,” she says.
“If I pretend I’m perfect, they don’t trust me.”
Psychological safety drives performance
In a sales-driven industry, conversations around wellbeing are sometimes dismissed as secondary to results. Kiarni argues the opposite.
“If people feel psychologically safe, they perform better,” she says. “When they don’t feel safe, they shut down, disengage or leave.”
That safety, she believes, starts with leaders modelling the behaviour they want to see.
“I’m not a robot, so I can’t expect my team to be,” she says. “If I expect honesty, accountability and effort, I have to show those things myself.”
For agents and principals, the lesson is this: systems and technology can increase capacity, but they cannot replace trust, understanding or human judgement.
“You can automate tasks,” Kiarni says. “You can’t automate care.”
