People want to know, what’s the plan for 2023?  

Good question. The answer is it’s going to be a different type of year with its fair share of challenges.  In commercial real estate there will be a glut of office space, financing challenges, plus a steep uphill battle with construction timing and pricing. Sounds fun, right? To succeed we need to be versatile, led by principles and vision. And with an uncertain landscape ahead, we need to stay grounded and true to what we believe. 

Fortunately, we’re prepared.

Every week during the year, we at GK have a weekly “Big Picture Meeting,” during which we step back from the daily to-dos to thoughtfully (and creatively) consider the Zeitgeist – “the spirit of the times.” During these discussions, we uncover some forward-thinking ideas about what’s going on out there, culturally speaking. It keeps us “in tune” with the rest of the world (and my colleagues also keep me abreast of the latest sensations in pop music, for which I’m thankful).

Then, at the end of each year, we have a company off-site called Alternate Universe (we held our latest one at Common House; highly recommend!) During that two-day outing, we talked about capturing upside, mitigating downside, plus the struggles and victories of the past year, and we planned for the year ahead. Of utmost importance, we discussed the Zeitgeist, how it can inform our future, and how we might contribute to it in 2023. 

The result: We selected what we call our Navigating Stars, the lights that will guide us in the year ahead.

For 2023, our Navigating Stars: 

Awareness

Pay attention to people, to your surroundings, and to the Zeitgeist.

Courtesy 

Treat yourself, others, and your community with politeness, respect, and civility. 

Action 

Get going, work with a process, be responsive, make it happen.  

Joy

Find what makes you happy and brings you joy. Live your joy and do your best to deliver joy to others. Don’t take things too seriously – fun brings balance. 

Focus 

Have complete clarity with your goals, objectives, and actions. Finish what you start, and don’t be distracted from the primary goal.

•••

How did you prepare for this year? We’d love to hear about your process! And we hope by sharing our Navigating Stars, you have greater insight into how we work. If the stars align, we’d love to help you in 2023.

Onward & Upward,

Gene Kansas