Leadership in Real Estate: A People-First Approach to Brokerage Recruitment, Retention, and Team-Building

Leadership in Real Estate: A People-First Approach to Brokerage Recruitment, Retention, and Team-Building offers a relationship-focused approach to brokerage leadership, grounded in behavioral insights, practical tools, and real-world experience. Recruitment and retention are more than just business strategies. They’re about building relationships, creating trust, and creating an environment where agents feel they belong.

Designed to support brokers across all models―from boutique independents to large franchises―the book focuses on the soft skills, leadership strategies, and cultural foundations that keep agents engaged for the long term. This comprehensive guide reveals the psychological profile of successful real estate agents while providing relationship-centered strategies to build loyalty and encourage professional growth through daily interactions. Readers will discover how to apply behavioral insights like Love Languages and Levers of Influence to strengthen trust and communication, alongside practical approaches for positioning their brokerage's unique value proposition to attract ideal candidates. The author seamlessly blends research-backed principles with real-world case studies, offering flexible, implementable strategies for creating a collaborative culture that inspires commitment, reduces turnover, and works across various brokerage models.

Whether launching a new brokerage, stepping into a leadership role, or simply reimagining what’s possible, this book is ideal reading for managing brokers, team leaders, and other real estate professionals.

Liz Penner is an instructor, industry contributor, and former top-producing real estate agent with a deep, practical understanding of agent recruitment and retention. With two decades of experience in real estate sales, her work focuses on the factors that influence why agents choose to stay with―or leave―a brokerage. Currently writing classes and instructing for the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, BC Real Estate Association and the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Liz delivers courses in business development, customer service, and legal issues.