From Rugby Pitch to Real Estate Tech: Leadership Lessons That Drive Results.

High-Performance Mindset Meets Property Technology

The transition from professional rugby to real estate technology might seem unlikely, but for Todd Gleave, Head of UK Sales at fu3e, the parallels are striking. Both environments demand split-second decisions under intense pressure, seamless team coordination and the ability to execute strategy flawlessly when stakes are highest.

The Time Crisis in Real Estate

Today's property professionals face an unprecedented challenge: delivering more with existing resources while margins tighten. Research from Autodesk reveals that construction professionals spend approximately 14 hours weekly on administrative tasks - time that could otherwise generate billable hours and drive project success.

"Teams aren't lacking talent," Gleave explains. "What people lack is time. We're trying to give them back their time and eliminate manual processes that typically burden real estate projects."

The Time Crisis in Real Estate

Modern real estate projects involve multiple parties - developers, funders, consultancies - each with distinct priorities and expectations. The challenge lies in creating genuine alignment rather than just coordination.

The solution centres on unified data access and real-time project visibility. When all stakeholders operate from the same information foundation, decision-making accelerates and project outcomes improve dramatically.

Strategy Without Execution Is Just PowerPoint

Drawing from elite sports experience, Gleave emphasises a critical business truth:

"Strategy is great if it stays in the boardroom, but if it doesn't land with people on-site and the reporting doesn't filter back up, it just becomes another slide deck."

This disconnect between boardroom vision and ground-level execution remains a primary obstacle for real estate businesses. Success requires:

• Clear communication channels from leadership to operational teams

• Feedback loops that inform strategic adjustments

• Consistent messaging across all project levels

Protecting Margins Through Operational Excellence

In consulting-heavy industries, margin protection directly correlates with operational efficiency. Small time savings compound significantly across teams:

• Individual consultants: Reduced administrative burden increases billable hour capacity

• Small teams: Recovered time enables project expansion or improved service quality

• Large organisations: Marginal improvements scale to substantial competitive advantages

  
  

The Technology Enabler

PropTech solutions succeed when they address genuine operational pain points rather than creating additional complexity. The most effective platforms:

1. Streamline existing workflows instead of replacing them entirely

2. Provide immediate value through reduced manual processes

3. Scale efficiently across different team sizes and project types
   

Leadership in Volatile Markets

Current market volatility demands adaptive leadership that can maintain team performance while navigating uncertainty. The principles that drive success in high-pressure sports environments - clarity, resilience and rapid adaptation - prove equally valuable in today's real estate landscape.

Key Takeaways:

• Real estate professionals lose 14 hours weekly to administrative tasks

• Stakeholder alignment requires unified data access, not just communication

• Strategy execution gaps remain a primary obstacle to project success

• Operational efficiency directly impacts margin protection in consulting businesses

• High-performance principles from elite sport apply directly to business leadership

Want to dive deeper into these insights? Listen to the complete conversation on PropTech Talks, recorded for the London PropTech Show.

Full Podcast Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FYIs39usMs&t=4s