Real estate doesn’t always enjoy the best reputation. Yet inside that world are leaders quietly building cultures of trust, care and integrity that rarely make the headlines.
One of those leaders is Matt LaHood – founder and real estate CEO of The Agency, a national business now home to more than a thousand people.
Matt doesn’t see himself as a traditional leader. In his words, he “never wanted to manage people” – he just wanted to sell real estate. But over 35 years, he’s built two major businesses, helped grow some of Australia’s best-known brands, and created an environment where people stay, grow and thrive.
This is the story of how in the next riveting episode of The Courage to Lead Interview Series.
Loaves, Fishes and Thongs: Leadership Starts at Home with Matt Lahood
Matt Lahood’s leadership foundation was laid long before real estate.
His father was the largest footwear importer in Australia – the man credited with bringing thongs to Australia after spotting them in Japan. Matt spent school holidays in his dad’s warehouses, watching him speak to rooms of 50 staff, dealing with people face to face and always looking after his team.
His mother led her own family – backing her siblings, caring for ageing parents and quietly making big decisions under pressure.
Two small stories say everything about the leadership Matt absorbed:
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When he was anxious about buying his first property at 20, his mum simply said:
“What’s the worst that can happen? You can’t pay it, you sell it.” -
When one of his dad’s staff lost a parent, his father told them:
“Take a week off. Come back when you feel good. We don’t want you to work like this.”
Those moments shaped how Matt Lahood now leads: care first, control second.
The First Torch: A 19-Year-Old Leader
Matt Lahood’s first real taste of leadership came unexpectedly at 19.
His boss told the office, “I’m away this weekend — if anything happens, Matt’s in charge.”
Everyone else in the office was older than him, and he could hear the scoffs. Years later, he asked his boss why he’d done it.
The answer was simple:
“You’ve had your feet on the ground since you’ve been with me. If something went wrong, I knew you’d have my back.”
That moment — the first torch passed to him — lit a path he didn’t even know he was on. People started asking for his help. Leadership, for Matt Lahood, began as trust others placed in him, not a title he chased.
Learning from Giants: John McGrath and John Symond
Matt’s leadership lens was sharpened working alongside two big names:
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John McGrath – from whom he learned that when your name is on the door, ethics and client experience must be six-star. Any tarnish, any complaint, was dealt with immediately.
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John Symond (Aussie Home Loans) – who taught him big-picture thinking, timing and belief. Matt watched him “bash the banks for 30 years, then sell his business to one of them” – a masterclass in persistence and positioning.
From his father he learned to care for people.
From his mother, courage under pressure.
From McGrath, ethics and brand.
From Symond, scale and vision.
Matt Lahood’s leadership today is the thread that ties all of that together.
“You Don’t Work for Us – We Work for You”
When Matt Lahood and four partners bought into McGrath years ago, they put their personal money on the line. Mortgages, young families, plenty of risk.
When someone had to lead the sales team, they all pointed to Matt Lahood. He didn’t want the job — he just wanted to sell — but he did it for a year.
Within that first year, 30 new people had joined. Not because he was recruiting hard, but because word spread:
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The culture was different.
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The leadership was human.
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People were growing.
Matt Lahood flipped the traditional real estate mindset on its head:
“Nobody works for us — we work for them.”
Where others mandated: “You must be in the office from 8 to 5,” Matt said:
“You’re an adult. You’ve got kids. You’ve got a life. Just tell us you’re alive — and look after your clients.”
He built what he calls an “attraction business” – like a nightclub with a rope across the door. Competitors were begging for agents, while people were lining up to join his team… and often being told, “Sorry, we’re full in that area.”
Nice on the Way In — Nicer on the Way Out
One of the most telling parts of Matt Lahood’s philosophy is how he treats people when they leave.
Where many leaders feel betrayed, threatened or vindictive, Matt has a simple rule:
“Nice on the way in, nicer on the way out.”
If someone wants to start their own business or join a competitor, he asks: “How can I help?”
He proudly tells the story of a former colleague, now leading a competing business, who named Matt Lahood as the single person who’d made the biggest difference in his life.
They still have dinner together. On the field they compete — but off it, they care about each other.
It’s not weakness. It’s confidence.
Spotting the Black Clouds
Matt Lahood sees his real job as watching over his people.
When he walks through the Surry Hills office of The Agency — a buzzing hub of micro-businesses, property managers and sales teams — he’s not counting deals.
He’s scanning for “black clouds” over people’s heads.
His first question at someone’s desk is almost always:
“How’s life?”
Not “How are your numbers?”
He knows that if life outside work is off, performance inside work won’t be right either. Over the years he’s learned that most struggles cluster into a few areas:
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Financial stress
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Physical health issues
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Mental health or burnout
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Family and relationship strain
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Destructive habits
He doesn’t shy away from tough questions. He’ll shout a coffee, sit down, and push past the polite “Yeah, I’m fine” to what’s really going on.
From there, Matt Lahood acts:
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Paying temporary cash-flow to help someone caught short
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Connecting them with counselling services his business funds
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Bringing in HR, legal or external support when needed
He’s seen lives turned around with small, timely interventions – even “five grand at the right moment.”
You Can’t Coach Care
Matt Lahood is blunt on this point:
“You can’t coach care factor.”
You can model it.
You can live it.
You can build systems and support around it.
But if you don’t actually care about people, they’ll know.
That’s why his retention is so strong. Many of his original colleagues are still with him 20–25 years later. Those who drift away often drift back, saying they “missed the connection.”
Walking the Talk: Video and Audio
Matt Lahood holds himself to a simple standard:
“What you practise in private will be revealed in public.”
He wants his video to match his audio.
He’s been married for 30 years, doesn’t drink, doesn’t party, and wants anyone who’s worked with him to be able to hear him speak publicly and say, “Yep, that’s him. That’s how he really is.”
In an industry where smoke and mirrors are common, this consistency stands out.
Alignment: Values You Can Actually Recite
Ask Matt Lahood’s leaders what they stand for and they won’t need to look it up. Their core values are simple and lived:
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Do the right thing every time.
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Bring the energy.
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Have a clear purpose.
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Engage with the community.
They sell and lease people’s biggest assets. They deal with grief, hope, stress, dreams and security every day. Emotional intelligence isn’t optional — it’s central.
When a leader in his business doesn’t live those values, they don’t last. Either the team calls it out, or, as Matt Lahood puts it, “they sack themselves.”
Passionate leaders, on the other hand, “skip to work because they want to make a difference.”
Communication at Home, Courage at Work
None of this happens in a vacuum.
Before he built The Agency, Matt Lahood sat down with his wife, Connie, and had a very honest conversation:
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Real estate would be six or seven days a week.
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There would be missed Saturdays, auctions, calls at all hours.
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They could both work, or she could focus on raising their children while he built the business.
They chose together.
For 30 years they’ve had “ultra-high communication” – weekly Sunday check-ins on who needs what, where he’ll be, and where he must show up.
He sees lack of communication at home as one of the biggest unseen reasons people crash at work.
Three Things Every Leader Needs
When I asked Matt Lahood, “If someone wanted to live your life as a leader, what three things should they focus on?” he didn’t hesitate.
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Be very good at having difficult conversations.
Most people avoid them. Great leaders lean in early and say what needs to be said. -
Become an expert at handling rejection.
Matt has had far more “no’s” than “yeses” in his growth journey. He doesn’t take it personally — it’s part of the game. -
Do the right thing every time, whether you feel like it or not.
Shortcuts might pay in the moment, but they cost you your people and your reputation in the long run.
The Courage to Lead in Real Estate — and Beyond
Matt LaHood didn’t set out to be a leader.
He just kept doing what his family taught him:
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Care for people.
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Tell the truth, even when it’s hard.
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Keep your word.
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Do the right thing, every time.
In an industry often criticised from the outside, he’s built something very different on the inside: a place where people line up to join, stay for decades, and feel seen as humans first and agents second.
That’s the courage to lead — in real estate, and anywhere people are watching to see if our video really matches our audio.