According to HousingWire, CEO and founder Michelle Berman-Mikel recently shared a perspective on leadership during demanding seasons. She reflects on how becoming a new mother for the second time has forced her to reconsider her approach to achieving goals. What struck her most was the necessity of patience, something she admits she didn't naturally possess but has had to develop as a discipline rather than a personality trait.
Berman-Mikel describes the tension between wanting to train for a faster half marathon time while exclusively breastfeeding her infant son. When she noticed that longer workout sessions were affecting her milk production, she had to adjust her expectations. Instead of the two-hour training runs she preferred, she now works with hour-to-hour-and-ten-minute blocks and has learned to value smaller efforts like taking the stairs instead of elevators.
The piece draws a parallel between personal fitness training and business leadership. She observes that many leaders wait for ideal conditions to accomplish their goals, whether that's a clear calendar, favorable market conditions, or a full day to dedicate to a project. Meanwhile, they overlook the smaller opportunities that are actually available to them right now.
According to the article, Berman-Mikel argues that these small, consistent actions are what she calls "deposits" that compound over time. In a business context, these might be a brief check-in call with a team member who's been quiet, reconnecting with a client you haven't spoken to in months, or dedicating twenty minutes to a task you keep postponing. These efforts don't generate attention or recognition, but they build momentum underneath the surface.
What I am seeing locally in the Bay Area and East Bay is that many of my colleagues in the industry wrestle with this exact tension. We're managing tight markets and slim margins while trying to build the relationships and systems that matter. Berman-Mikel's perspective reminds us that the seasons of constraint don't excuse us from developing ourselves and our businesses; they just require us to be creative about how we show up. The small conversations, the consistent follow-ups, the incremental progress, those are what separate agents and teams who thrive from those who simply survive.
