Meet Darren Fleming

Darren has been an industry leader in the commercial real estate sector for over 20 years providing expertise in the areas of workplace strategy and commercial real estate brokerage.

Darren has worked with some of Ottawa’s most active commercial design builders and major commercial real estate brokerages. With exceptional consulting and business strategy skills, he is an experienced leader and provides C-Suite level advice to his clients.

Q&A With Darren Fleming

What has been your biggest career win? What did you learn from it?

Building a team of bright young people who care most about serving people first, not just focusing on doing a great transaction. From realizing that approaching our work any other way creates no lasting value to the client.

What was a pivotal moment in your career? Why was it important for you?

When I realized that as a realtor we could impact our client’s strategies and culture. Up until that point I wasn’t really making a positive impact on the what matters to most business leaders, their people.

How has the industry changed since you started?

Successful CRE professionals are now more like management consultants and the big firms have realized they bleed clients if they don’t focus on strategy.

Is there anything you know now that you wish you knew when you started?

That almost all the “truths” shared to me by older brokers turned out not to be true. That I could create a practice that was fun, collaborative, and based on mutual respect and trust.

Are there any tough technological challenges in the industry you are seeing? If so, what are they?

There are no real standard forms used across CRE. It makes all our transactions seem very slow. Very little if any collaboration occurs within a firm let alone across companies. CRE are tech laggards.

What are some tactics you’ve used to establish yourself as a trusted CRE professional?

Take the view that people matter. Don’t be afraid to lead the client. They crave it. Build and leverage teams. Dare to be better, always. Never stop learning. Share your knowledge widely.

What’s your favourite book (leisure or business)?

The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek for business and The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon for pleasure.

What’s your super power?

Taking complicated ideas and making them understandable

What words of wisdom do you live by?

“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them-a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” -Muhammad Ali

What’s something you wish you had done years earlier?

Get in shape

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