"But we're not going to try to be all things to all people," Mosler cautions. "We manage 250 million sf for institutional clients, many of them large retail holdings. We can better serve them by having a retail division. We're not going to be out there doing small retail deals at grocery store-anchored strip centers."

He says another strategic move is not by industry, but by geography. "We're making a very significant move to strengthen our foothold in California," he says.

Cushman & Wakefield recently purchased a firm with 26 brokers "that will form our core in our South Bay office." Other buys include a Los Angeles firm and more deals are pending. He says a recent San Francisco hire brings two million sf to the play. "I see this as my West Coast initiative. I want Cushman & Wakefield to be seen as the premier player out there," emphasizes Mosler.

But not everything he plans involves growth. Some brokers, he says, will go if they don't "fit into our business program. After a career spent in production, I know that those who do not produce become a drain on your resources. The job of the managers will be to cull those who aren't producing."

How many will be cut? Mosler estimates 10% across the board, but the bottom line numbers aren't expected to change. "If we have 900 brokers today, I would say that we might have the same number a year from now, but they won't be all the same people," he tells GlobeSt.com. "We'll have cut the people who aren't cutting it and we'll be making additions. We'll be buying companies and growing our company that way when the opportunities arrive. But my plan is to grow Cushman & Wakefield one broker at a time. And we'll be raising the bar for everyone.