By Kurt Meister | SVP, Distribution Partnerships (Eastern Region) | Sertis
When you’ve spent years coaching youth sports, and even more years leading sales teams, you start to notice the parallels. The structure might change, but the dynamics are the same: it’s about building skills, building confidence, and helping people perform at their best.
That’s why I believe great leaders don’t just manage, they coach.
Understanding the difference between managing and coaching has shaped the way I lead at Sertis, and the way I support the brokers we work with.
Coaching Builds Futures, Managing Wins Games
Managing is focused on the now. It’s about direction, performance, and getting the job done today. Managing can help you win the deal in front of you, and there’s real value in that.
But coaching? Coaching is about tomorrow.
Coaching means helping someone master their fundamentals, grow their confidence, and elevate their ability to execute when the moment matters. It’s not about winning this week’s game, it’s about building a team that’s playing in the championship three months from now.
When I work with our brokers, I’m not just looking at the current deal. I look at how they approach the multifamily space and how they bring value to clients, and then I focus on how Sertis can support that strategy over time.
That’s how we build something bigger than a win today. We build momentum.
The Best Coaches Build Confidence Through Preparation
In youth baseball, I spent hours running drills. Hitting mechanics, situational plays, mental focus. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was essential. You can’t expect performance on game day if you haven’t prepared the right way.
Sales is the same.
You don’t develop a high-performing broker relationship by waiting for the right submission to show up. You do it by preparing together, understanding appetite, anticipating objections, and showing up with a plan. At Sertis, we make ourselves available to join prospect calls when it makes sense, but more importantly, we focus on being a trusted, consistent partner who can help navigate the strategy behind the deal so we can win together.
That confidence — that sense of “we’re in this together” — is the difference between chasing business and building it.
Coaching Adapts to the Individual
Every athlete is different. Some kids need motivation. Others need technique. Some need you to challenge them. Others need encouragement.
That lesson stuck with me.
Today, when I work with brokers, I pay close attention to how they operate — their strategy, the maturity of their multifamily book, how they work with clients, and how they go to market. Understanding those differences is what allows me and Sertis to show up in ways that help accelerate their success.
That might mean shaping our engagement, refining how we align on deals, or identifying how we can plug into their sales process in a way that drives results.
Final Word: Anyone Can Manage. The Best Leaders Coach.
There’s a time and place for managing. But if you want long-term growth, in sports or in sales, you’ve got to coach. You’ve got to build real alignment, real partnership, and a shared vision for what success looks like.
That’s how you develop high-performing teams. That’s how you build relationships that keep winning.
If you’re looking to grow in the multifamily space with a true partner in your corner, let’s talk.
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About the Author
Kurt Meister is a distribution leader at Sertis, where he works directly with brokers to build high-impact, long-term partnerships across the multifamily insurance space. With 35+ years of experience in building broker relationships and sales teams, Kurt is passionate about helping others grow personally, professionally and in their business.
