Note that I said 'typically.' Some very good brokers simply don't put professional financial rewards very high on their goals list. There are some amazingly talented brokers who have other priorities – and their incomes reflect that. Don't get me wrong; I strongly advocate for our team members to “enjoy the journey” (after all, it's one of our core values). And having other priorities is certainly respectable. But typically, these brokers also don't invest the time in constant, fresh, evolutionary thinking either. They're very good, but will not likely be anyone's number one draft pick.

Think back to your high school and college classes. If you worked hard, went to class and did your assignments, most students received grades of “B”s – which translated to above average. But to get all “A”s all of the time, it took a whole different level of commitment. Valedictorians are uncommon, as most people simply don't want to go to that level.

In the brokerage world, the longer brokers work in the business, the more of an entitlement mentality they typically have. It's as if they believe the world owes them for their time invested – that they should be receiving “A”s even when they're skipping class and failing to turn in their assignments. They think the new grading policy should account for “but I'm a senior…I shouldn't have to work as hard.” I'm not sure if it's laziness or burnout that takes over, but there are a startling number of senior brokers who think that their tenure translates to industry superiority. I'd put one of our 20-something brokers up against guys in their 50's and 60's, and our broker would often run circles around the “experienced” professional in almost every metric.

There is a tipping point in our industry where brokers over 45 years old better be prepared to work harder and smarter—and to adopt and devour technology and other innovative tools—or risk being put out to pasture. It's been said that brokerage is a young person's game—as the competitiveness and energy needed is incredibly high. But top talent in any industry is worth its weight in gold. LeBron James plays the same sport as all the other NBA pros. Yet there is a reason why he'll earn 15x more than the others.

Meanwhile, I've witnessed time and time again senior brokers trying to keep a lid on younger top talent for their own benefit. Rather than empowering the next generation of professionals, senior brokers try to convince younger brokers via verbal and political tactics that the younger brokers simply don't know what they don't know, when, in reality, it's all part of the self-preservation entitlement/oppression strategy used by those who are afraid of being passed on the professional running track of this business. To those younger, highly talented brokers I say: Don't let the seniors hold you down! If your current company doesn't embrace your enthusiasm and energy to reap large financial rewards, penalize them by going somewhere else.

Certainly, having a strong corporate culture, a commitment to mentorship, a talented operations team, and a healthy budget for value-add client services are all part of the arsenal required to help exceptionally talented players reach uncommon levels of success. But it's a very self-motivated results business. Just having a huge bag of quivers doesn't guarantee success – if you're not a talented archer, most arrows will miss their target.

So a word to the senior brokers out there (including myself!): There is no free lunch in this business, regardless of how long you've “paid your dues.” Top earnings go to the top talent with the best work ethic—and in our industry, the top talent is embracing innovation and evolution. To forget that will likely be fatal.

Jason Hughes is President & CEO of Hughes Marino, a Southern California commercial real estate company specializing in tenant representation for lease and building purchases. Jason can be reached at [email protected].