Refocusing your life does not necessarily mean changing course. Sometimes it just means checking to make sure you are still on course, and making subtle adjustments to keep your target in sight.

This is what Paul Grover does. Now nearing age 50, Paul has been a real estate broker since he graduated from college.

Paul and his partner Bob Kinlin are the most successful brokers on Massachusetts's Cape Cod, a beautiful peninsula that curves into the Atlantic Ocean just south of Boston. Any one who has visited the Cape in the past decade knows that Kinlin Grover Real Estate signs are everywhere.

I've known Paul for over a decade, and he is so understated about his own success you might think he is barely scraping along. But in addition to building a successful company - and then selling it to GMAC - Paul and Bob also personally focus on selling the highest end waterfront properties on the Cape. Their client list is filled with America's most successful executives and entrepreneurs.

Here's how Paul approaches his career. First, he craves client contact. He'd much rather be with a client than be in his office or manage other people.

Second, Paul genuinely loves real estate. "I was lucky to find this industry early in my career," he says. "I just like it." An enthusiastic skier, Paul admits, "I've never skied a run without thinking about one house or another in my head."

Finally, Paul is always mulling over one small adjustment or another. He takes a good amount of time to make a decision, and carefully considers many options before acting. In 1992 Bob Kinlin started his own business and invited Paul to join him. Although a more experienced broker, Paul hesitated until he was completely comfortable with the move. Finally, in 1994 Paul quit his job and the new firm became Kinlin Grover.

In 1999, the pair spotted an opportunity to sell their firm to GMAC Real Estate, which they eventually did after a great deal of thought and analysis. In doing so, Paul and Bob carefully crafted a deal that allowed them to work within GMAC while remaining focused on their high-end waterfront clientele.

Virtually every time I see Paul, he is thinking about making subtle adjustments. He considers whether he and Bob should renegotiate their contracts. He mulls over hiring more assistants and/or more brokers. He thinks about ways to get media attention while protecting the privacy and interests of his clients.

"When it's not fun," says Paul, "I'm not happy. And what Bob and I have traditionally done at these points is to figure out what's taking the fun out of our business and change it. For example, early on it was not fun for me to sit in meetings listening to our brokers debate one thing or another. That's when we brought in an extremely talented woman to manage the business, which freed us up to focus on clients.

"An unintended consequence of this, but a good one, is that eliminating annoyances has actually improved our business. We end up with more clients, and we are able to give them better service."

In my eyes, Paul sometimes acts like a guy who is not certain he can afford to take a vacation. He does not take his success - or his clients - for granted, and this is what motivates him to continually refocus his efforts on the goals that matter most to him.

"I want to be the best broker in my area, and to be the best choice for my clients. But more to the point, they are remarkably talented individuals and I want to be as successful in my career as they are in theirs."

Even as we spoke for this book, Paul was in the midst of readjusting. "Even though this year is going to be our best year ever," he confided, "I have a feeling we are leaving a ton of money on the table."

That's one reason why he just recruited back the talented woman who had been managing Kinlin Grover, but who left not long after the firm was sold to GMAC. It's time to refocus, again.

Learn more at Kinlin Grover.