Market shifts introduce persistent pressure on brokerage leaders who must manage decreasing margins, rising service expectations, and complex team dynamics. In such environments, maintaining productivity is less about working harder and more about leading smarter.

Chris Pollinger, Founder and Managing Partner of RE Luxe Leaders™, shared these principles in Inman News. The key for seasoned leaders is to pivot strategically, anchoring decisions in operational clarity to navigate uncertainty while unlocking greater organizational potential.

Adjust Your Expectations

The current real estate market is undergoing a fundamental transformation — a rebirth that widens the gap between casual agents and true professionals. Service expectations are rising, which means your existing value proposition must evolve accordingly.

This evolution impacts workforce productivity metrics. To sustain volume, teams must grow while embracing these “growth pains.” Leadership demands recalibrating goals and targets to reflect these realities rather than clinging to outdated benchmarks. Adjusting expectations is not about lowering standards but about finding smarter, more relevant objectives.

Re-evaluate Your Structure

Profitability hinges on purposeful team structure. Each team member should serve a clear role and niche within the operation, fostering focus and specialization. When designed effectively, teams enjoy retention rates surpassing 90% annually, a hallmark of operational maturity.

One critical warning sign: If the lead agent’s earnings from team production do not exceed their individual sales income, the structure likely requires revision to improve leverage and profitability.

Seeking tailored restructuring insights? Reach out to RE Luxe Leaders™ for a confidential conversation on aligning your structure with market realities.

Evaluate Each Person’s Potential

Uniform standards across a heterogeneous team can hinder performance. Each individual arrives with unique ambitions, skill sets, and motivators. Effective leadership recognizes this diversity and adapts management approaches accordingly.

Unlocking potential means identifying the untapped productivity within every team member and cultivating it. Empower your people to achieve their own defined excellence — a process that, in turn, elevates collective outcomes and fortifies organizational resilience.

Re-evaluate Your Team Compensation Programs

Market shifts present ideal moments to scrutinize compensation structures. Are individual pay levels aligned with true job value? Does each payroll line deliver adequate return on investment?

For administrative staff, maintain competitive W-2 salaries that avoid complex commission schemes or transactional incentives. This stability fosters loyalty and consistent performance.

For sales associates, adopt straightforward, “pay to play” commission models. Highly productive agents should earn $100K–$250K annually, reflected fairly in split arrangements. Simplicity in comp programs prevents misalignment and underscores transparency in expectations.

Market shifts are not obstacles but crucibles for leadership. How you adjust strategy, structure, and compensation during these periods will define sustained productivity and long-term growth. The path forward requires pragmatic adaptation—grounded in experience and disciplined execution.

For further strategic insight on scaling, succession, and brokerage transformation, refer to resources such as the National Association of Realtors Research and specialized advisory services like RE Luxe Leaders™.