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When clients ask me what separates the people who advance from the ones who plateau, I often answer with one word: perspective. The professionals who rise tend to look beyond their immediate responsibilities and start thinking in terms of the whole business. They ask different questions. They measure different outcomes. And they position their work in alignment with broader strategic goals—even if no one explicitly asked them to.

Thinking like an executive isn’t about playing office politics or chasing promotions. It’s about developing a new way of seeing: across silos, through systems, and into the future. That kind of thinking doesn’t require a specific role or title. It requires intentionality, curiosity, and a shift in mental altitude.

Start With Curiosity, Not Control

Executives don’t always know more—they just ask better questions. If you’re serious about building strategic thinking, begin with curiosity. Ask why your department does things the way it does. Ask how your work affects other teams, customers, or costs. Ask what would happen if a process were removed or redesigned. Executives constantly scan for friction, inefficiency, and opportunity. You can, too.

I once coached a mid-level manager who transformed her standing in the company simply by becoming more curious about the business model. She started attending investor calls. She read quarterly reports. She began connecting the dots between decisions and outcomes, and people noticed. More importantly, her insights got sharper with time and practice.

Read More: https://eatyourcareer.com/2025/09/how-to-think-like-an-executive-even-if-youre-not-one/

In commercial real estate (CRE), technical knowledge is the foundation. You can’t succeed without understanding underwriting, market analysis, or deal structures. But ask any seasoned professional what separates the good from the great, and they’ll point to something else entirely: soft skills.

Unlike cap rates or pro formas, soft skills aren’t taught in school or necessarily learned on the job. They’re developed through experience, reflection, and often trial and error. And in an industry that revolves around people as much as properties, these skills can determine the trajectory of your career.

Here are the essential soft skills every CRE professional should master — the ones your job won’t necessarily teach you.

1. Communication That Builds Trust

Technical expertise opens doors, but communication keeps them open. Whether you’re presenting an investment memo, leading a team, or negotiating with a tenant, your ability to convey complex ideas simply and clearly matters.

Strong communicators in CRE don’t just talk — they listen. Active listening builds trust with clients, colleagues, and investors. It shows you understand their priorities, not just your own. If you can take complicated financial analysis and translate it into straightforward insights, you’ll quickly stand out as someone others rely on.

2. Negotiation Beyond the Numbers

Negotiation is at the heart of commercial real estate. From acquisitions to leasing to financing, your ability to align interests and find solutions is critical. But successful negotiation isn’t just about winning — it’s about creating value for all parties.

The best negotiators balance firmness with flexibility. They understand when to hold ground and when to compromise. They anticipate what the other side values most and use that knowledge to craft agreements where everyone walks away satisfied. That approach not only closes deals but also lays the groundwork for future relationships.

3. Leadership That Inspires Confidence

Leadership in CRE doesn’t always mean managing a team. It can also mean leading a deal, guiding a client, or being the calm voice in a turbulent market. True leaders inspire confidence in those around them by demonstrating integrity, accountability, and resilience.

The industry is fast-paced and often unpredictable. When interest rates shift, projects stall, or markets soften, professionals who can steady the ship — motivating others and keeping focus on solutions — are invaluable. Cultivating leadership skills will ensure you’re not just following the market, but helping to shape it.

4. Adaptability in a Changing Market

Economic cycles, regulatory changes, and technological innovations are constants in CRE. Professionals who cling only to what they know risk falling behind. The most successful players stay adaptable.

Adaptability isn’t just about reacting to change — it’s about anticipating it. It’s the ability to approach challenges with an open mind, pivot when necessary, and embrace new tools and perspectives. As artificial intelligence and proptech reshape the industry, adaptability will increasingly be a competitive advantage.

5. Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

While IQ and technical acumen get you in the door, EQ determines how far you’ll go. Emotional intelligence — the ability to recognize, manage, and influence emotions in yourself and others — plays a central role in relationship-driven industries like CRE.

High-EQ professionals excel at reading the room, navigating conflicts, and building rapport. They’re empathetic without being passive, assertive without being overbearing. In an environment where trust and relationships are everything, EQ is the differentiator.

Why These Skills Matter More Than Ever

In today’s CRE environment, transactions are increasingly complex and teams more collaborative. A great underwriter or analyst can run the numbers — but the professionals who rise are those who can bring people together, explain the “why” behind the numbers, and lead through uncertainty.

The truth is, technical skills can be learned. But soft skills must be cultivated. They come with self-awareness, mentorship, and practice. And they’ll determine not just whether you succeed in a role, but how far you advance in your career.

Conclusion: Building the Full Toolkit

Your job may teach you how to model cash flows or structure deals, but it won’t necessarily teach you how to negotiate a win-win agreement, rally a team under pressure, or build trust with a skeptical investor. Those skills are yours to develop — and they’re what will separate you from the competition.

If you want to future-proof your CRE career, start by mastering the fundamentals that don’t appear on your resume. In an industry built on relationships and resilience, your soft skills will be your strongest asset.

We spend a lot of time in meetings. I don’t know the exact number of hours. I’ve seen statistics ranging from 3 hours a week all the way up to 23 hours a week. Regardless, it’s a lot. 

Of course, it feels even longer when the meeting could have just been an email. Or when the person leading the meeting is doing a poor job of it. Organizations should put an emphasis on providing training to people who will be asked to lead a meeting. One of the nicest compliments you can get is “That was an excellent meeting!”.

But I don’t want to talk about leading meetings today. Except from the standpoint that when someone leads a meeting well, it helps with participation. Which is the whole purpose of a meeting. Otherwise, you’re just talking at people. 

Participants have a role in the meeting. It could be beneficial to think about how to be a good meeting participant. 

Do your prework. Participants should review the meeting agenda and think about those topics that they want to discuss. This isn’t about adding new items to the agenda. (Side note: If you do want to add something, the time to do that is before the meeting starts.) But if there’s something on the agenda that you need to think about or some information you want to gather prior to the meeting … this is the time to do it. Come to the meeting prepared.

Read More: https://www.hrbartender.com/2025/leadership-and-management/be-good-meeting-participant/

Do you know how to answer the “What motivates you?” interview question in a truly compelling way?

When a recruiter or hiring manager asks the common “What motivates you?” interview question, it may seem like one of those simple questions that should be easy to answer. However, if you’re not prepared or have never taken the time to consider your own motivations, you may find yourself struggling to come up with a compelling response. Unfortunately, your inability to quickly respond to this simple question could leave the interviewer with doubts about your candidacy.

In this article, we’ll explain why interviewers ask the “What motivates you?” interview question and provide some tips to help you prepare your response. We’ll also include some great example answers that you can customize to ensure that you’re always ready to respond to questions about your motivation.

Read More: https://topresume.com/career-advice/how-to-answer-what-motivates-you-with-examples

What books do the most successful people read?

Not to be rude, but I am not reading a biography about Elon Musk. When I set out to research the books most loved by successful people, I found a lot of lists written by successful white men in business.

As I pored through the lists—some would feature nine books, and some would list over 30—I kept seeing the same books by the same white men. Beyond that, there were so many books about war, power, and the pursuit of massive amounts of money. It all felt so…masculine. 

I’m sure Walter Isaacson’s book about Steve Jobs is incredible, but I’m tired of reading the same story. There’s also a lot of weight regarding the word “successful.” I know that success goes hand in hand with money, power, and more money.

However, I am also disinterested in Jeff Bezos’ favorite books because nothing is relatable about a billionaire’s perception of success. How could I compile a list of books that were inspirational, aspirational, and also relatable? 

Read More: https://www.careercontessa.com/advice/books-successful-people-read/

We all know what it feels like to experience a broken heart, but what does it mean to be heartbroken over your career?

Career heartbreak is more than disappointment with your current job. Satisfaction in a career is deeply rooted in the sense of self and how you identify with your role or with your industry. When people become disillusioned with the careers they have chosen and developed, they may feel that their career heart is broken.

While it might sound like an exaggerated term, this disillusionment is a visceral experience, something you feel in a physically or somatically. Emotions play a big role in this connection of body and mind, and they are entangled throughout the lifespan of our careers.

The Four Stages Of Emotional Career Development

A 2023 study out of the Copenhagen Business School uncovered four distinct emotional stages in the career lifecycle of lawyers on the partner track.

The first stage is one of anticipation and excitement, where early career lawyers have optimism, positive emotions, and high aspirations as they embark on their careers.

Next comes fear and anxiety as they are being considered for promotion to partnership, accompanied by uncertainty and anticipation of potential failure.

Read More: https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissawheeler/2025/06/26/how-to-protect-your-career-heart-from-being-broken/

It’s increasingly common for employers to ask for your salary expectations early in the hiring process, with some hiring managers even asking you to include a salary range in your cover letter or online application form. While there is plenty of advice out there telling you not to give a number until you are further along in the application process, the truth is you might not be able to move forward at all if you don’t. With this in mind, how should you determine what number to give?

On US News and World Report – Careers, career expert Alison Green tackles this issue by highlighting a few tips to keep in mind when an employer asks for your salary expectations at the beginning of the hiring process. Here are three tips that stood out to us:

#1: Do your research

Too many nonprofit professionals think about the salary they need to pay the bills as opposed to a fair market value for the specific role, their experience, and their skillset. While it’s thoughtful to consider an organization’s budget during your job search, it’s also important that you don’t sell yourself short.

Tools like Idealist’s Nonprofit Salary Explorer allow social-impact professionals to explore what real people are earning across the sector. If you want to see what fellow nonprofit staff members in your role are earning at organizations of a different size or located in a different city, simply input your title and years of experience.

Read More: https://www.idealist.org/en/careers/what-are-your-salary-expectations-job-interview

Someone posted on LinkedIn recently that hiring for values contributes to ageism. Since then, I’ve been thinking about this comment and what it means.

First, I’m not naïve. I understand ageism exists. Ageism refers to how we think, feel, and act towards others based on their age. We might be tempted to think of ageism only in terms of older people, but ageism happens to younger people too. An example might be saying “young people don’t want to work”. Honestly, it’s one of the reasons that I try not to get involved in the “generational” conversations. I think conversation like Millennials think this … and Boomers think that … contribute to the age discussion and not in a positive way. 

But back to the original comment about hiring for values contributing to ageism. The word values means “something considered to be important or beneficial”. We know that organizations have values. So do individuals. 

When it comes to organizational values, I found an article on the MIT Sloan Management Review that said they researched almost 700 large U.S. based companies and the top three values listed on their websites were 1) integrity, 2) respect, and 3) innovation. If this information is true, then the LinkedIn comment doesn’t necessarily align. Because that would mean that hiring for integrity, respect, and innovation contributes to ageism. And I’m not sure that integrity, respect, and innovation are exclusive to a particular age group. 

Read More: https://www.hrbartender.com/2025/leadership-and-management/organizational-individual-values-alignment/

The way we work has changed—and with it, the way we think about work-life balance. With more people working from home, AI transforming workflows, and job security top of mind, the line between work and life has never felt more blurred. 

For many people, these shifts have brought more freedom. But they’ve also made it harder to fully unplug. According to the American Psychological Association’s 2024 Work in America survey, one in three workers say they don’t have enough flexibility to maintain balance. Research conducted by The Harris Poll also found that 60% of Americans struggle to disconnect from work during their time off. 

Yet, the Work in America study confirms that job satisfaction remains high. This is proof that with the right support and strategies, it’s possible to achieve a healthy work-life balance, whether you commute to the office, work from home, or find yourself somewhere in between. 

What is work-life balance?

Having a healthy work-life balance means maintaining a harmonious relationship between your work and personal life. It involves consciously managing your time and energy to meet both professional and personal commitments while prioritizing self-care and well-being. 

In an ideal world, this line of thinking goes: after work, we’re able to spend time on things that nourish us as people. This could involve spending time with friends and family or engaging in a hobby.

Continue Reading: https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-have-good-work-life-balance

Summertime often brings a sense of excitement and joy for children, filled with long days, outdoor activities, and the freedom from school routines. However, for parents juggling work and family responsibilities, this season can also pose unique challenges. Finding the right balance between professional duties and quality family time is crucial for the well-being of both parents and children. Here are some tips to help you navigate this balancing act effectively and why it’s important to prioritize it.

Why Balancing Work and Family Time Matters

1. Strengthening Family Bonds:

Spending quality time together helps build strong family relationships. Engaging in summer activities and sharing experiences creates lasting memories and fosters a sense of unity and support within the family.

2. Reducing Stress:

Balancing work and family responsibilities can significantly reduce stress for both parents and children. It allows parents to be fully present in their children’s lives, which can alleviate feelings of guilt and anxiety often associated with work-life imbalance.

3. Enhancing Children’s Development:

Children thrive when they receive attention and engagement from their parents. Spending time together supports their emotional, social, and cognitive development, providing a foundation for their future well-being.

Continue Reading: https://brightpathkids.com/family-blog/summer-work-life-balance#:~:text=Create%20a%20Schedule%3A,what%20to%20anticipate%20each%20day