Here’s the truth I’ve learned since opening my brokerage: Yes, transactions, marketing and compliance are important—but they’re not the job. Because the real job of a brokerage leader isn’t to manage deals; it’s to develop talent.
Think of it this way: The best brokers are more like Hollywood talent agents than office managers. A talent agent spots potential, helps shape a career, opens doors the performer can’t open alone and casts a vision bigger than what the actor sees for themselves. Strip away the red carpets (OK, at RedKey we do sometimes have red carpets) and award shows, and the work we do in real estate is surprisingly similar.
And the brokerages that adopt this mindset? They’re the ones winning, no matter how chaotic the industry gets. Below are the six ways brokerages can act like talent agents for unparalleled—and market-proof—success.
1. Curate Your Talent. Don’t Collect Licenses
Michael Ovitz, co-founder of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and one of the most iconic talent managers in Hollywood, didn’t sign everyone. He built a roster intentionally—people he believed in, people who fit the culture, people whose success he was willing to invest in. Brokerage leadership works the same way.
Being selective isn’t elitist—it’s necessary. When you build a team of agents who are ambitious, collaborative, humble and aligned with your values, everything gets easier. Momentum builds naturally. The right people attract more right people.
A healthy brokerage isn’t formed by numbers of agents; it’s formed by choosing, nurturing and elevating the right ones.
2. Help Agents See the Bigger Story of Who They Can Become
Every great talent agent sees the movie before it exists. They see the storyline, the potential, the transformation. As brokers, that’s our job, too.
Some of the most powerful conversations I have with agents aren’t about scripts or lead generation. They’re about identity and vision:
- “What kind of business are you trying to build?”
- “What about this work lights you up?”
- “Where do you want to be in three years?”
- “Who are you becoming in this process?”
Agents don’t just need accountability. They need a broker who believes in them. They also need someone who can reflect their potential back to them with clarity, especially on the tough days when their own confidence wobbles. When we help agents tell a bigger story about who they are, they rise to meet that narrative.
3. Open the Doors They Can’t Open Alone
A great talent agent does more than cheer. They connect. They plug their clients into the right rooms, the right opportunities, the right relationships. Brokers do this every day, whether we realize it or not.
Brokers connect agents to:
- marketing strategy and coaching
- national referral partners
- community leaders and influencers
- speaking and leadership opportunities
- new niches, new markets, new possibilities
Our network becomes their network; our relationships expand their leverage, and our connections accelerate their careers. We build the ecosystem around the agent, which becomes the runway for their growth. When a broker is well connected, their agents benefit.
4. Balance High Support With High Accountability
The best talent managers know when to encourage and when to challenge. They know when to push, when to protect, and when a tough conversation is the thing that unlocks the next level. Real estate is no different.
Agents need support through the messy parts—the slow seasons, the tough clients, the burnout, the doubt. But they also need structure: systems, skill-building, tracking, clarity and consistency.
Great brokers hold both spaces. They nurture the art and the craft. They create an environment that is both high achievement and high support, and that balance is where agents thrive.
5. Protect Your Culture Like Your Business Depends on It–Because It Does
In Hollywood, agencies like CAA became powerhouses because of one thing: culture. Shared standards. Shared ambition. Shared values. The same principle drives great brokerages.
Culture isn’t a poster or a slogan. It’s how your people treat each other when no one is watching. It’s what you tolerate, what you reward and what you protect.
At RedKey, we hire, fire and promote based on culture. It’s our North Star. Because if you let toxicity slip in or mediocrity linger, if you lower the bar even a little, your best people will feel it first. And they won’t stay.
A strong culture is a talent magnet, and a weak one is a talent repellent.
6. Grow the Agent, Grow the Brokerage
Ovitz built an empire by building stars, because when the talent grows, the whole studio rises. It’s like that in a brokerage, too.
Every hour spent mentoring, strategizing and developing your agents is an investment in the brokerage’s long-term value. When your agents level up in skills, business acumen, confidence, systems, income and leadership, your whole company rises with them. Agent growth is brokerage growth.
Brokers Must Develop People, Not Just Provide Tools
There’s no shortage of brokerages offering tech, CRMs, virtual training and lead programs. But there is a shortage of brokerages offering real development.
And that’s why agents leave. It’s not because of splits, but because no one is actively shaping their growth. When you operate like a true talent agent, your value becomes impossible to replicate.
And when you do that well? Your brokerage becomes unstoppable, even in chaos. Lead boldly, develop deeply and watch your people, and your business, soar.
