Bartos Group BLOG

A long, intentional break can be one of the best investments a leader makes in their business. This blog with Mary Bartos with the Bartos Group of Premiere Plus Realty and Doug Edrington with The Edrington Team offers practical real estate insight on how stepping away for three months does more than recharge you — it forces structures, develops leadership, and tests whether the business can grow without you.

Why a Long Pause is a Strategic Move

Too many leaders confuse busyness with progress. Real estate insight here reveals that absence reveals systems. When an owner steps away for an extended period, weak processes show up fast and strong, and leaders either step into responsibility or step aside. That clarity is invaluable.

A multi-month break creates breathing room to evaluate direction. It allows the owner to think about long-term strategy instead of daily triage. The benefit is twofold: personal recharge and organizational discovery. Both are essential to sustained growth.

Start with Honest Expectations

Before leaving, set one clear question as the north star: can the operation continue to grow in your absence? This reframes the objective from simple continuity to expansion. Real estate insight shows that growth requires more than survival systems; it needs empowered people who can scale activity and decision making.

“It’s not about can your team run without you, it’s can your team grow without you?”

Build Leadership by Asking People to Lead

The fastest way to create leaders is to invite them to lead under structure. Launch a focused leadership program and be explicit about the rules: commitment, punctuality, and accountability. Ask for volunteers and put real stakes on participation.

Real estate insight suggests that many teams already have potential leaders who simply need permission and a framework. A cohort-style leadership course with clear expectations filters interested people from the rest, gives practical coaching experience, and surfaces who is ready to manage others.

What to teach in a short leadership course

• Presentation and meeting leadership — how to run efficient sales meetings and train agents.
• Accountability systems — metrics, follow-up, and enforcement techniques.
• Coaching skills — discovery coaching versus directive coaching.
• Recruiting and onboarding — how to attract and certify new talent.

Even if the course produces a single new leader, everyone who participates becomes more effective. That ripple is a core piece of real estate insight: building capacity strengthens the entire organization.

Operational Hires that Matter

Backfill tactical roles before you leave. Consider two distinct operational hires: a director-level operator to run office systems and an operations manager to own technology, AI, and daily workflows. Together they bridge strategy and execution.

Real estate insight highlights the value of a dedicated recruiter and a director of business development. These roles keep recruiting, training, and new-agent certification moving while leadership focuses on growth strategy.

Design an Absence Checklist

Leave with a practical checklist so nothing critical stalls. A concise list might include:

1. Announce the plan early — tell the team a year out to prepare mentally and logistically.
2. Hire key operators — ensure someone owns daily ops and someone owns tech and AI.
3. Launch leadership training — recruit internally and set non-negotiable rules.
4. Assign meeting ownership — who runs weekly sales and training meetings?
5. Set escalation paths — define when to contact the owner and when to resolve locally.
6. Lock down long-term projects — provide clear owners for initiatives you want continued.

Real estate insight here is practical: the more you define, the less you micromanage. Ownership creates momentum.

What to Do While You’re Gone

Use the time to think long term rather than short term. Work on strategic projects, read books that shift mindset, and test whether new structures hold up. A leader who still checks in periodically can support without rescuing.

Bring intention to personal routines too. Reading and reflection fuels calmer decision making. That calmness alone often improves relationships and clarity in leadership back at the office.

Common Surprises and How to Handle Them

Expect ego shocks. Many leaders discover they are less central than they assumed. That is a healthy shock. When systems work without you, you gain the freedom to ask bigger questions about scale and future direction.

You may also find that new leaders make decisions differently. That diversity can improve the business if you resist reasserting control the moment you return.

Books and Mindset Tools that Help

Stretching perspective matters. A recommended resource for leaders looking to improve communication and boundaries is a book that explores how to stop enabling and start empowering. Reading during the break accelerates growth, and the change in demeanor often becomes visible to the team.

Real estate insight: invest in personal growth the same way you invest in hiring. One shifts the leader’s behavior, the other shifts the organization’s behavior.

Returning with Purpose

When the break ends, return with findings, not just anecdotes. Share what worked, what failed, and what processes you want to keep. Use data from the absence to decide where to double down and where to improve.

Real estate insight indicates that a successful return focuses on scaling the gains: promote the leaders who proved themselves, keep the operational hires who kept momentum, and reallocate time to strategic initiatives instead of daily firefighting.

Final Takeaways

• Long breaks reveal true capacity — you will learn what systems and people can actually do.
• Structured leadership development works — invite people to step up with clear rules and coaching.
• Hire for operations early — tech and workflow ownership are nonnegotiable.
• Return with evidence — use the absence to make informed strategic decisions.

These pieces of real estate insight transform a vacation into a leadership lab. The result is often a happier leader, a healthier team, and a business that has room to grow without daily dependency on any single person.

FAQ

How long should a strategic break be to learn meaningful lessons?

Breaks of several weeks can be restorative, but a three-month break exposes systemic issues and forces the organization to adapt. That duration gives leaders time to reflect while giving the team time to settle into new rhythms.

Can a team really grow without the owner present?

Yes. Growth without the owner depends on leadership depth, clear processes, and operational hires. Intentional training and ownership assignment are the levers that enable growth in absence.

What if no one on my team wants to lead?

Start smaller: offer short-term leadership opportunities with explicit expectations. Often people are willing if the commitment is clear and they see real support and consequences for attendance and participation.

What are the top operational roles to hire before leaving?

Prioritize a director-level operations leader and an operations manager who owns technology and daily workflows. Add a recruiter or director of business development to maintain hiring and training pipelines.

How should I handle communication during the break?

Limit check-ins to escalation-only matters. Empower the team to make routine decisions and report summary outcomes rather than seeking approval for every move. This builds confidence and reduces dependency.