The first step of any endeavor is often the hardest one to take.
The first “real” mountain that I ever attempted to climb was Mt Adams in the Cascades of Washington. In 2015, I set out with a guide company from Seattle to attempt to summit the mountain. Up until that point in my life I was an avid hiker, and I thought I was in the physical condition needed to climb a 12,000+ foot mountain. I wasn’t. Not even close. Half the team summited the next morning and the other half, me included, was turned back about 1,000 vertical feet from the summit since we had been moving too slow.
The “failure” I experienced on that trip ignited a passion for mountaineering that has allowed me to grow both personally and professionally. The lessons I’ve learned over my years of climbing have parallels to many areas of life, but find special resonance when applied to the world of commercial real estate brokerage. The first lesson: take that initial step.
TEAMWORK
Most guided climbing trips will begin with a team meeting and gear check. It is an essential step to building trust, as these are often strangers who could potentially be responsible for saving your life if things go badly. Climbing while on a rope team adds an extra layer of difficulty, because your actions and mistakes can directly impact the others on your team. However, when you’ve fallen, it’s those same teammates who will catch you when you fall. On a recent climb in Alaska, one of my climbing partners on a different rope team fell 20’ into a crevasse. Watching our guides expertly set up the anchor system to haul him out while giving directions to the rest of our team was an incredible experience—but stresses the importance of having a dependable team. Without that support, my climbing partner might still be in that crevasse.
It’s essential to our business success to build a team around us that we can trust and fully rely upon when needed. Whether it’s the junior broker on a sales team or legal counsel or lender, your CRE team should be there in the same way my climbing rope team is there for me.
DO NOT NEGLECT THE BASICS
A substantial portion of any climb is simply walking. I used to get very anxious prior to climbing, or the hours before the summit push when you’re lying in your sleeping bag trying to sleep for just a few hours. The fear of the unknown, or in some cases knowing the complexity of the challenge ahead, would make sleep elusive. I came to the realization eventually that all I must do is walk. Sometimes the walk requires tools and the risk of falling 1,000’ off a cliff, but it’s still ultimately walking very carefully. It’s a basic life skill we learn as young children.
Almost all brokers are guilty of getting too busy to return phone calls and emails promptly, run a consistent prospecting campaign, thoroughly read documents, and other tasks that our clients expect us to be able to do in our sleep; unfortunately, we can be tripped up by CRE basics. Remember: it’s just walking. It’s just a phone call. Take that first step and focus on the basics.
These basic skillsets are fundamental to a successful career, but do not let your education and professional growth end there. The specialty education that I have received through the CCIM Institute and most recently SIOR, has been a game changer for my career. If you want to take your career to the next level, I strongly recommend you invest in yourself to earn these designations.
EMBRACE THE SUCK
Just in case you’ve never tried, climbing a mountain can be really, really challenging. During numerous prior climbs, I’ve had moments where I wonder why I willingly put myself into these situations, when I could have been relaxing by the pool, playing golf, or anything else that wasn’t so grueling and potentially fatal. It’s not just the climb, but the months leading up to it during the training and preparation phase—hours-long hikes with a heavy backpack in the humid North Carolina summer, repetitious stairwell climbing in a parking deck in downtown Fayetteville, or ten-mile trail runs with gnats, snakes, and other critters. One could very easily have the attitude that this entire process is not worth the “reward” of submitting a mountain peak.
Climbing a mountain starts well before you have ever stepped foot onto the mountain. The physical training and logistical planning take months of preparation time and can be just as challenging as the climb itself. It can be a process that truly sucks sometimes, creating doubts as to whether you’ll be able to accomplish your goals. In the same way, the CRE deal cycle can be a long, arduous process of planning and preparation before you get into the deal (climbing that mountain). By being able to “embrace the suck” of every moment of the process no matter the difficulty, your attitude will change from the commission check being the only fulfilling moment of your work, to being able to appreciate and even enjoy all those cold calls and listing appointments and failed transactions.
REVEL IN SUCCESS, BUT DON'T DWELL THERE
At around 7:40 pm on June 3, 2023, I was just reaching the summit of Mount Sanford at 16,237’ in eastern Alaska. At that time of year, there were still many hours of daylight left and we had the good fortune of a nice weather window, although the temperature was still below 0. As with every successful summit attempt I’ve been on, we took some photos, a quick snack break, and began the descent after only a short amount of time spent on the actual summit. After all of that time preparing for the moment we reached that summit, it was over in a flash, and we moved on to the next objective of getting back down safely.
Celebrate both your own and your colleagues’ successes. Whether it’s a new listing or closing a difficult transaction, revel in the accomplishment and allow that to motivate you or your coworker to the next deal. But move on and move forward. Dwelling on your past accomplishments will not advance your career or win you new business, so know when it’s time to get back into the grind after that success.
Climbing a mountain starts well before you have ever stepped foot onto the mountain. The physical training and logistical planning take months of preparation time and can be just as challenging as the climb itself. It can be a process that truly sucks sometimes, creating doubts as to whether you’ll be able to accomplish your goals. In the same way, the CRE deal cycle can be a long, arduous process of planning and preparation before you get into the deal (climbing that mountain). By being able to “embrace the suck” of every moment of the process no matter the difficulty, your attitude will change from the commission check being the only fulfilling moment of your work, to being able to appreciate and even enjoy all those cold calls and listing appointments and failed transactions.
CONSISTENCY AND DEDICATION
Have you ever investigated the training programs of professional athletes? We see the results of the dedicated training processes, but rarely do we see how much time and effort they spend to get there. When I am training for a climb, I use a twenty-four-week training program that was designed specifically for mountaineering. My coworkers at my office likely see me every day leaving time and again to go to the gym or go running (Or not eating the donuts that a vendor brought into the office).
The occasional missed workout, or not meeting your prospect calling numbers for the day, isn’t going to blow your entire year or your climb. But consistently not meeting these goals certainly will. If you want to achieve success doing remarkable things, it will take consistent, dedicated hard work that others may not be willing to do. Some days you must work extra hours, miss the golf outing, or get to the office before the lights are turned on.
ACCEPT FAILURE
After returning from a climb, the two most frequently asked questions are 1) “Did you get to the top?” and 2) “Are you going to climb Mount Everest one day?”
Reaching the summit of a mountain is an obvious indicator of a successful expedition, so anything short of that may seem like a failure. Having to descend while the top of the mountain is just within sight certainly feels like failure, but multiple attempts to climb Mount Rainier changed my perspective on what it means to have a successful climb.
I have had a love-hate relationship with Mount Rainier for many years. It began in 2015 while driving to Mount Adams from Seattle and seeing this colossal stratovolcano filling the sky. I returned in March of 2016 for my first attempt and was woefully unprepared. But it continued to haunt my thoughts. I returned year after year and met with various obstacles to prevent my successful summit bids. Finally, in July of 2022, the weather gods smiled upon the upper mountain and my team made it to the summit of Rainier. The first couple of missed attempts were gut punches for sure, but each climb helped to hone my climbing abilities and meet some amazing guides and friends along the way.
After nearly 18 years as a commercial real estate broker, I have had my share of deals fall through, and I have watched how my firm’s brokers deal with the disappointment and frustration of having worked on a project for months just for that commission check that they already planned on spending simply evaporate.
The key to longevity in this industry is to have the ability to learn from your failures and not let it take the wind out of your sales (pun intended). Keep climbing and never quit.
