By Mac Morse, Partner, Citadel Partners
It’s those moments when you think you have your whole life planned out that you often take the biggest hit. I didn’t know it at the time, but it would prepare me for my career more than any textbook ever could.
Going into my senior year of high school, I had a scholarship offer to play football at the University of North Texas. Back then, signing your letter of intent in the first week of February was a significant moment for an 18-year-old athlete. I was going to test my skill, my strategy and myself on the field as a D-1 quarterback.
Then, the rug was pulled out from under me, and my dream of playing for the Mean Green was gone just a few weeks before signing day. The head coach called to tell me the staff had been fired, and he couldn’t guarantee my scholarship.
That’s when some of life’s biggest lessons as an athlete started preparing me to be the man I am, while simultaneously training me for a career in the unpredictable commercial real estate industry.
Career (or Simply Life) Lesson No. 1: Resiliency
Not content to sit and lick my wounds, I picked up the phone and called the coaching staff at Texas State, which was also heavily recruiting me. At that point in the year, most rosters were pretty much set in stone, so I knew it was a long shot. As fate would have it, their coaching staff had also been let go.
But luck—or maybe grace—was on my side. A few of the trainers and assistant coaches who remained vouched for me. They didn’t have a scholarship to offer, but they gave me a shot as a preferred walk-on.
Career Lesson No. 2: Determination (i.e. Grit)
If you’re familiar with what a walk-on is, you know there’s nothing glamorous about it. It’s not a Rudy moment where the music swells and the underdog wins. It’s more like being a tackling dummy with a dream. You get the same early mornings, the same two-a-days in the blazing Texas heat, the same pressure—but none of the security.
You’re last in line for equipment, your name is penciled in on a piece of tape rather than a nice plaque with your name, jersey number and hometown. You’re constantly fighting for respect, for playing time and for a reason to even be there.
I didn’t realize it then, but those years taught me something I carry with me every day: grit. The kind of grit that is developed through tough moments. I wasn’t content with just being on the team. I was determined to work hard and make a name for myself.
That same tenacity and fortitude have served me well in a volatile economy and subsequently in a career in commercial real estate. But nowhere did I feel it more than when my first child was born, and he spent over a month in the NICU. That perseverance came back to help carry me through the most challenging moments.
Career Lesson No. 3: Leaving it all on the Field
Recently, a client returned from a trip to Las Vegas, and I asked him how it went. He chuckled and said, “You should know better than anyone in your profession! Being a commercial real estate broker is just like living in Vegas and putting it all on the line.’
He’s not wrong.
This business can seem like a game of chance in the purest sense. You can work for months—sometimes years—on a deal that falls apart right before it’s supposed to close for reasons completely out of your control. Or you can hit the jackpot on something you almost gave up on. The highs can be euphoric, and the lows can make you feel lower than a worm.
To have some sort of staying power, you’re going to need a stomach for uncertainty and a mental edge to keep you ahead of your competitors.
Career Lesson No. 4: Having a Great Coach (and Team)
Mentorship is another critical key to being successful in CRE. This industry is not one where you figure it out on your own. I’ve been lucky to have mentors who showed me the ropes, taught me when to push and when to pause. Without them, there is no doubt I would have made a lot more mistakes and missed many more opportunities.
A great partner makes a huge difference, as well. My wife is the heart of our family/team. Without her support, life would be like trying to climb a greasy rope, grasping and going nowhere. She’s the one believing in me and being okay with the late-night calls, early morning tours and last-minute fires to put out. Without a supportive partner believing in what you’re doing, it can be a long road ahead.
Career Lesson No. 5: A Never-Say-Die Attitude
You have to be your own ride-or-die. In other words, you might have a screw loose to choose this career. CRE requires a certain kind of craziness that makes you chase deals no one else sees. The kind of stubbornness that won’t let you quit even when the odds are stacked against you.
My Christian faith has been paramount throughout my life. In the moments when things have felt uncertain, painful or completely out of my control, it’s been my anchor. In many ways, faith mirrors the commercial real estate industry—you prepare, you pray and you do your best, but at the end of the day, so much of the outcome is out of your hands.
If you’re doing the right thing, trusting the process and putting others before yourself, I believe the right things will happen in time. I’m the first to admit I don’t always like the outcome, but I’ve learned real growth comes from seeking the lesson in every experience. That’s where wisdom and deeper understanding are built.
From football to fatherhood to real estate, the lesson is always very similar: one day at a time and maintain that composure. You can’t let the lows get you down, and you have to recognize that the highs can be fleeting.
