I spend a lot of time with broker-owners talking about growth, whether that’s recruiting, expansion or performance. When I ask what’s getting in the way, the answer comes back quickly and consistently.
Time.
Not enough time to recruit, plan or focus on growth.
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After years of hearing this, I’ve learned something important. Most leaders do not have a time problem. They have a focus problem. They make time for exactly what they believe matters most.
That distinction is where most leaders get stuck.
Scheduling growth work
Working across hundreds of brokerages, the pattern is clear. Many leaders don’t schedule growth work at all. And when they do, most treat that time as optional. Recruiting blocks get pushed when deals blows up. Planning disappears when an operational issue feels urgent. Over time, fire drills become the strategy.
The leaders who grow consistently are rigid about protecting growth time, even when it’s uncomfortable. They understand that most operational issues feel urgent, but very few are more important than building what comes next.
2026 is shaping up to be a year of relative stability. Transaction volume is not expected to surge, which means that growth won’t come from market conditions alone. That makes focus even more important.
Recruiting and expansion require protected time. They can’t be managed between operational fires or relegated to occasional planning. If growth is important to you, it needs a permanent place on your calendar.
The first 2 hours of your day
One of the clearest indicators of focus is how leaders spend the first two hours of their day. That window reveals what actually gets prioritized. When growth keeps getting pushed out, it’s not a priority.
Many leaders confuse activity with progress. Recruiting is where this shows up most clearly. When results slow, leaders often spend more time planning to recruit than actually recruiting. They refine their pitch, rethink their value proposition and wait for the right moment to start. This work may feel productive, but it delays the work that drives results.
Effective recruiting isn’t complicated. It requires knowing who you’re trying to recruit, consistent outreach and follow‑through. What gets in the way is a lack of protected time to have real conversations, week after week. When recruiting isn’t consistent, the pipeline never has a chance to build.
Growth also requires a clear separation between operations and leadership. Operations keep the business running, while leadership builds what’s next. When leaders spend their entire week resolving issues and exceptions, there is no time left for strategy.
That means giving up work that feels important but isn’t driving growth. Delegating sooner than feels comfortable, declining meetings that don’t move the business forward and stepping back as the default problem solver so the business can scale beyond you. Time is limited, and where you spend it signals what you value.
Performance improves when leaders get disciplined about what they measure and reinforce. If everything is a priority, nothing is. Offices that grow consistently align around a small number of performance indicators and revisit them often.
Focus on growth has to survive your toughest weeks, not just your calmest ones. Without calendar protection, growth consistently gives way to the day‑to‑day.
Ginger Wilcox is the President of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate.
