Here is a simple test for your mindset today: Do your circumstances dictate your mood? Or do you choose your mindset, and treat the situation as simply something to respond to? One sign of mental toughness is being larger than the situation. The less your mood depends on your circumstances, the more mentally tough you […]
Author: Mark D. Johnson
Mark D. Johnson, MBA, is Managing Partner of Recruiting Insight and the former CEO of the nation's 35th largest brokerage firm, which he grew roughly fivefold to $8 billion in annual sales. A real estate broker since 2000 and a California licensed broker, he is adjunct faculty at Chapman University and South Orange County Community College District, and author or co-author of six California real estate textbooks and the book Up In Your Business. He coaches broker-owners, managers and recruiters on recruiting, retention and leadership.
Stack Your Way to a Stronger Real Estate Brokerage
Habit Stacking for Talent Attraction and Retention I’ve worked with leaders at 500 of the nation’s largest real estate firms, and I’ve found one universal truth: every broker-owner and their staff knows what they should be doing. Call five agents a day. Check in with top producers. Follow up with the recruit who said “maybe next […]
Configure the AI Before You Configure the Deal
Inspired by a recent Mark Cuban post on X. Mark Cuban posted a concept recently that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. He noted that if he were a doctor with a private practice, he wouldn’t just hand a patient a referral and send them home. Instead, he would sit down with them […]
The Shiny Penny vs. The Consistent Producer: A Lesson from Pope Leo
I was listening to Pope Leo’s homily recently, and my mind eventually went to how I could apply this to you, to recruiting, and to retention. Say what? Stick with me for a second. Reflecting on beauty, Pope Leo pointed out something we all quietly know but rarely act on: we equate value with a […]
Busy Is Not the Same as Productive
Inspired by Jessi Hempel’s piece “The Case for Doing Fewer Things at Once” and her Hello Monday conversation with Cal Newport. Jessi Hempel wrote something recently that I have not been able to shake. She first put out a series on time in August 2024 because she was tired of getting to the end of […]
The Moonwalk Problem: Why Your Best Agent Crashes After Their Best Year
Inspired by a recent Scott D. Clary Success Story podcast conversation with Bear Grylls. On July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon. He came home to ticker tape parades, heads of state, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. A few years later he was selling cars at a Cadillac dealership, drinking heavily, and […]
Consistency Is Not a Personality Trait. It Is a Memory.
Consider this: Consistency may not be something you were born with or born without. It might be a memory your brain builds every time you complete what you started. I hear the other version constantly from broker owners, recruiters, loan officers, and top producers. “I’m just not a consistent person.” “My top agent has that […]
What Would You Try If You Didn’t Know It Was Hard?
If you are a real estate broker, lead a region or office, manage a mortgage team, or operate as a top producing agent or affiliate partner you are well aware that new agents sometimes earn a big win. You often ask yourself how they did that. The answer is simple. They did not know it […]
Radical Efficiency and Deep Roots: Thriving in Brutal Conditions
As some of you know, I live in Southern California, driving distance from both Death Valley and Mount Whitney. I’m currently training for a half marathon, with the possibility of progressing to a full marathon. My commitment deadline is early September. To give my joints a break, I dedicate my off days to rowing or […]
Turning Disappointment into Your Next Big Win
If you’re a real estate broker, lead a region or office, lead a mortgage team, or operate as a top-producing agent, you’re well aware that disappointment is an inherent part of the job. At our core, we are in the business of building genuine relationships. But let’s be honest: people are busy, overwhelmed, and constantly […]