How to Start 2026 With Momentum

CRE Success Principle: Many commercial real estate agents are hard workers who take plenty of action, but without clear goals they simply stay busy rather than move forward. Activity without direction creates movement, but not necessarily progress.

When action and intention come together, that’s when real progress happens.

I’m someone who likes to move fast, but I also believe in taking a moment to plan the destination.

In commercial real estate, I’ve met plenty of agents who hustle hard without stopping to ask where they’re going.

That’s risky.

Without goals, your energy gets scattered. But when you combine action with clarity, that’s when things really take off.

If you’re not a natural goal-setter, there’s still a way forward: Attach yourself to a bigger vision.

Whether it’s your agency’s growth plan or your leader’s ambitious goals, tapping into that direction can give your effort real power.

And if you’re leading a team? Then having a vision and setting goals isn’t optional: it’s essential.

You’re not just guiding yourself; you’re creating a path for others. Even those who don’t set their own goals can thrive under your leadership if you give them purpose.

This episode is for every commercial real estate professional who wants more from 2026.

Listen to episode 252 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership now to build momentum for 2026.

Episode transcript:

Today I want to have a quick discussion with you about taking action and setting goals.

Now, if you set goals, but you don't take any actions, nothing will happen.

But if you take action without having set goals, something will happen. But perhaps not necessarily the things that you want to happen because you haven't taken the time to set those goals.

But if you're an action taker, who also takes the time to set goals, that's where the magic happens.

And if you're a leader, and you want to be able to corral the actions of people in your team, even people who don't set goals, then if you have some big goals, a big vision for your business, then you can really start to create some momentum by getting a lot of people moving forward with you.

This is episode 252 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership. My name's Darren Krakowiak. I'm your host, wishing you a happy new year. Hope 2026 is off to a good start for you.

We are here to help you lead better, grow faster, and stress less. And we are going to be doing that by presenting a series of special themed episodes.

We've got four episodes to start 2026, which are all on the topic of momentum and mindset.

And we are going to go deep into the vault of the past 251 episodes of the show to find the absolute best content that's going to help you execute on these particular themes.

I thought that the first episode that I've got for you today is a really appropriate one because it's all about the power of setting goals and taking action.

Now, if you haven't set any goals yet for 2026, I want you to know that there is no rule that says that all of your goals for this year need to be set on or before the 1st of January.

In this episode, you are going to hear why high performers in commercial real estate combine clarity with execution. You'll also hear about what you can do if you are not really a goal setter, and how leaders who set ambitious goals attract people who will help them to achieve them.

So, if you haven't set any goals yet for the year, and if you're the type of person who doesn't usually set goals, this is a great episode for you.

And if you are somebody who sets goals and you want to have a bit more of a connection between the goals that you've set and the actions that you'll take, then this first episode in our special series of episodes is going to be a great one for you.

Enjoy.

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Alright, so today's episode is about taking action and also about setting goals.

And I'm a person who is action oriented. I like taking action. And it's probably a bit of an attribute, which is also something that's related to hustling, right? 

But I'm also a goal setter. And I think what that means is it helps me work smart and also work with intention, because I'm willing to take the action, but I also have got some idea about why it is that I am taking those actions.

And I don't think that it makes me special or anything. But I do think there are some people who are action oriented, that don't set goals.

Because I talk to a lot of people in this industry, and a lot of them when I ask them questions like, "What is it that you want to achieve this year with your personal production?"

They will say, "Oh, I don't know. I haven't really thought about it."

And sometimes they ask, "Well, what is it that you did last year or the year before in terms of your personal production, in terms of your income, in terms of your results?"

"Oh, I haven't really looked at it."

And it's very difficult to improve something that you haven't taken the time to take stock of and measure.

So, if this is you, and you consider yourself to be a person of action, someone who is motivated, who is ambitious, who's not reluctant to sort of grab life by the horns, but you're not actually taking a moment to get an understanding of where you've been, where you are and where you want to go, then I really recommend that you do that.

Because if you take the time to set those goals to understand where you are and where it is that you want to get to, that's going to really help you channel that energy that you have in a certain direction.

And when you channel that energy in a certain direction, and you are a motivated person who's willing to take action, watch out because it can be like a freight train coming towards you when people are like that.

Now, that is the ideal, I think but the reality is that most people don't set goals.

I strongly recommend that you do. But as much as I recommend it, most people still won't set goals.

And that's possibly why the people who do set goals are also more likely to be successful.

And I've talked to you before on previous episodes about the power of writing down goals that you can succeed without setting goals, but I think you're more likely to get to where you want to go if you set bigger because you've taken the time to have that intention.

Now, I've done a few episodes about the importance of goal setting. And I want to just remind you of those. 

One is episode 99, another one is episode 120, where we did the annual goal setting exercise. So, encourage you to take a look at those if this is something that you want to explore further. 

But if you've decided in this episode, I guess is for you, "No, I am not going to set goals", then I want to give you a decent fallback position, which can make sure that you still get the benefit of goal setting and also all of that energy, and I guess, orientation towards actions still gets you the best possible results.

And my suggestion to you is to either work with people who do set goals, or work with a leader who has a clear vision.

Because if you can kind of attach yourself to their goals or to that bigger vision, then they'll be able to corral your energies towards somewhere even bigger than perhaps you were going to do if you didn't have access to their goals or their vision.

And that leads me to the other purpose of today's episode. It's not only for people who don't set goals, but it's also for leaders, and the importance for leaders of setting goals.

I'm going to say it's, well, look, I think it's something that you should do. But I wouldn't say it's mandatory for every single person who works in commercial real estate.

But if you are a commercial real estate leader, and you've got big ambitions for where your business should be going, and you want to be a leader of people who are also ambitious and want to achieve big things, then you really do need to have a vision and you need to set goals. It is mandatory for you if you are a leader. 

So, I think if you are a commercial real estate leader, this is an opportunity for you. 

You can set those goals, you can harness the natural enthusiasm of your people, and you can get them moving in a certain direction that is consistent with your vision.

Including people who don't set goals. People who don't set goals, we know, like I've just explained, they are still motivated to achieve results, they are still willing to take action, a lot of them are certainly hustlers, who are willing to do all the work, but they just don't have a set idea about where they're wanting to go.

But I think if you provide that for them, then they will happily, if you like get on that bus with you, and move with you towards that journey.

So, when you have the goals, not only can you help, I think provide some direction and focus for people who don't have goals. But you also naturally attract people who are aligned with your goals.

And at the same time, people who aren't aligned with those goals will be kind of repelled from getting on that bus with you.

And that's okay, because you don't want them with you anyway, if they're not going to help you achieve your vision and move towards your goals.

So, the message for today is if you're a commercial real estate leader, you can create focus, you can provide direction for capable people who need it, but also have their efforts focused in the direction that is consistent with your goals.

And if you're an individual who doesn't set goals, then I believe your best chances of succeeding and achieving more than you currently are, or would otherwise is to set goals, or to be in a business or to work with people who do have a clearer sense of where it is that they're going. 

That's our episode for today. Thank you so much for listening. I will speak to you soon.