It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are bad people but every property management professional has come home professing; “My bosss is killling me!” We have all been on the downside of that kind of environment/culture. And, there is more truth in that statment than you might realize. Their is a literal mountain of research on the subject of negativity and it’s effect on workplace productivity. Chief reasons being: ill health, lack of moral, tardiness/absenteeism, motivation, wherewithal or outright spite. It’s just a fact; working for a bad leader [Read: Bully]  just sucks. Pardon the slang.

There is Hope Out There

I recall many an instance in my journey through the leadership ranks where I preceived my supervisor/boss [I really have a distaste for both of those words as I see leadership/work as a collaborative concept not an up down or up down concept] to be an absolute debbie downer. And, under alternative circumstances I might have caved to the pressure and walked or worse yet undermined his authority in a spiteful way.

Tom Peters Rocks The Apartment World

Enter Tom Peters – I am a raging fan of TP and all of his exclamation point advice. Chief among it the advice that lead this post. Twelve years ago I vowed never to lead people the way I was being lead at that time in my career. That is not to suggest that I have not taken my lumps over the years but rather to say that it has worked in large part.  The premise being creating a postive work environment that people cherish and rave about. Knowing that people want to be a part of something bigger than self and working to align that with their personal motives. Understanding that the chief reason for the existence of business organizations is to support the poeple that support it.

Interrupting our Regularly Scheduled Program

I’ve been through a tough season as of late; just crushed by the weight of budget season, one of our RM’s leaving, the search for a replacement  and trying to run a business. I am coming out of it now brusied, scathed and inspired. Inspired by a greeat boss/supervisor  - [Read: one who gets it].

As such I am reaching back to the roots of my inspirations – books, speeches, inspiring videos, letters, cards and gifts from those who have moved me and those I have moved. And, I am pumped.

All that to say that I am going to do my best to create a Monday Morning Minute that rocks your socks. Or, more realistically put, something that gives you pause for thought and inspiration to give some feedback in the comment seciton below.

Let’s smash 2012 and create some stuff that puts a dent in the multifamily universe.

Thanks for reading and have a compelling week! [That exclamation point is my paying hommage to TP].

Your getting back to inspiring multifamily maniac,

M

But, how do you get employees to act like owners?

As it relates to the statement; I have two questions I like to ask people.

First one relates to leadership and specifically employee issues;

If you owned this apartment management company; would this person be working for you?

The second pertains to more general items that comes up on a daily basis.

If the sign out in front of this apartment community read [your name] apartments; what would you do?

Nine point nine times out of ten the answer comes – tip of tongue.

What do you do to create an ownership mentality?

Ignition

As the #trust30 challenge winds down; we are gearing the next series of compelling content. The series will be dubbed 101 days of apartment marketing and will start July 3 when we wrap up #trust30. We were so inspired by the absolute discipline of the last series that we thought; why not try and continue the daily routine of writing.

#trust30′s concept of penning daily prompts lead us to search for something that would provide the same sort of direction. We looked at several lists and settled on @hubspot ‘s 101 Awesome Marketing Quotes .

Keeping in mind that multifamily professionals are busy; we intend to keep or offerings short in nature, hopefully 200 words or less. And, quick and to the point. Some will be conceptual while others will be real life examples from our journeys at Mills Properties [the sentiments aimed at those out there that believe content not backed by practical application or identifiable results is waste - we agree to disagree].

Nevertheless; we hope to make it fun. We hope to learn some things about ourselves and the community we have managed to attract over the years. And, we hope to conjure up some cool multifamily conversation.

Please feel free to comment where you see fit – good, bad or ugly. It all matters to us.

M

I do not wish to expiate, but to live. My life is for itself and not for a spectacle. I much prefer that it should be of a lower strain, so it be genuine and equal, than that it should be glittering and unsteady. I wish it to be sound and sweet, and not to need diet and bleeding. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Think about the type of person you’d NEVER want to be 5 years from now. Write out your own personal recipe to prevent this from happening and commit to following it. “Thought is the seed of action.”

(Author: Harley Schreiber)

Short and to the Point

I have a four word answer for this charge: Work on Character – Always!

Your WOCA contributor,

M

Pic tip to West End Elementary

We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.

1. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.
2. Write the story that has to be written.

(Author: Gwen Bell)

Let it be The End

Let it be know first and foremost to my children; play nice, say please and thank you. Laugh out loud – often. Cry when you need to, it’s okay to do so. When you need to yell – go outside and face the wind. Yell loud, curse and let nothing be left inside. Handle the forward with staid character and with simple words. Be kind to animals. Take care of each other and never let hugs and kisses escape – they matter much. Work hard, work smart but above all be true to your word; it’s the one thing that matters most. Share. And, give of your time not expecting in return.

To that one which I loved the most – you are my best friend. You are tough where and when I need it. And, you are tender when I need it. You endure much and love nonetheless. Might life lend more time and have it been more gracious; I would echo the same sentiments to you. Dream always and be sure to act. Keep love in your heart and keep your soul free.

To my family and friends – live out out! Change the world in the way that you would have it. Have good relations. Face the wind and run head on for all that you will become. Remember it’s the journey, not the destination, that sharpens the wit and matures the soul.

Whoa – that :15 went by fast…

Your now thinking deeply contributor,

M

Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my constitution, the only wrong what is against it. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

…What are your false comparisons? What are your false expectations? What are your false investments in a story? List them. Each keep you from that internal knowing about which Emerson writes. Each keeps you from making your strong offer to the world. Put down your clever, and pick up your ordinary.

(Author: Patti Digh)

Multifamily Right and Wrong

There was a time not so long ago that I go so wrapped up in social media and the highs it gave me that I lost track of being ordinary. Be it comments on my blog posts or twitter conversations with people on the local or national scene in the property management business or the occasional back and forth with a best selling author, it was all very addicting. Addicting to the ego and contradicting to the ordinary.

It cost me in a big way personally about five years ago. I got so caught up in that I ignored the most important people in my life. Not so good. I read a book back then titled: The Heart of Man by Eric Fromm. In it, he described the ego in the way of every man being a wolf. Innate in all of us is this wonderful gift termed free will. It’s right on when handled right and likewise when handled wrong. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the ecstasies of work, life or otherwise because the wolf is always at play. He’s looking for the moment to strike at the true heart. The wolf loves clever and every other wild endeavor. He abhors ordinary.

My prompt – stay true to who you are. And, by all means necessary [put down the phone, the email, the text, the facebook, the twitter, the iPad] to ensure you are true to the ones you love and the ones that love you. Ordinary is extraordinary when you think about it. Try it on for size sometime.

Pretty good prompt for a Friday -

Your see you down the stretch contributor,

M

When I hear the word coach I am instantly taken back to the years I ran up and down the court playing basketball. I was blessed enough to have some amazing mentors an coaches in my life. And, through their teaching, training, prodding, gentle and sometimes harsh discipline; I was afforded a full ride Division I scholarship to play basketball at Texas Tech University. They gave of their time, their effort and their knowledge of the game in order to expand my capabilities. They served compellingly.

Multifamily Coach

My punch line today: Be a Coach

1. Be selective about who you give of your time and effort. I once was told that I was not the savior of all humanity. Apparently at the time; I thought I was. That aside, it made a ton of sense to me. Not everyone is there to learn and grow. Some are just there to give you 100% from 8 to 5. Other’s much less than that. Point: choose wisely.

2. Use moments of truth as your catalyst for discussion. Just last week I was involved in a formal coaching session with two employees. A supervisor was delivering a written message to a co-worker and the proverbial ‘but’ sandwich came out. You did this ‘but’ you also did that. I took the time to suggest that the words ‘and in the same respect’ were used in lieu of ‘but’. In my head, it allows for the power of the lead statement to endure in ones mind whereas a ‘but’ crushes the lead statement.

3. Become a master questioner. Be incisive. One of the best questioners I have come across in some time is Mr. Mike Whaling of 30lines. It’s an art and if you ever have the chance to talk to Mike, be prepared to have your logic and wherewithal challenged with thoughtful questions.

4. Use the classroom to arm people with tools and strategies. Use the real world as the place to apply, learn and thrive on the application of those tools.

Share your thoughts with me; What would you add or take away from the list above?

Your always looking to be a coach contributor,

M

For today, trying asking yourself often, especially before you make a choice, “What do I know about this?”

(Author: Jen Louden)

It’s an attention economy and there are a plethora of messages competing for your interest every second of the day. Not only that marketers are getting more creative and more clever as it relates to sucking you in. Marry in some ADD or ADHD and you have the ingredients for never having to think for yourself again.

Multifamily Think

Anyone who has worked for or with me in the multifamily space knows that I expect you to think for yourself when it comes to running your business. Early in my career someone said, “I am handing you keys to a multi-million dollar business, I expect that you know how to tie your shoes.” Made a ton of sense to me then and it still does to this day.

Anymore whether it be a hiring agent or me personally, you better believe the homework will been done. That is to suggest the background has been explored, the questions have been asked and the references have been checked. And, while I don’t use FB or LinkedIn as a part of the hiring process, I do look you up.

The over-riding point here is that I expect to think for myself and I expect those that come to work for me to think for themselves. And, asking yourself what you know is just half the battle. The even more important part is believing the answer. Even on the tough stuff. I expect to fail fast. I expect people to fail fast. I expect to learn fast. And, I expect people to learn fast. 

What I don’t expect is to light fires – if I have to do that then it’s time to move on.

Your always looking to catch a tiger by the tail contributor,

M

Abide in the simple and noble regions of thy life, obey thy heart. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Write down your top three dreams. Now write down what’s holding you back from them.

(Author: Michael Rad)

Dreams

Dream Big

Top three dreams

1. See my three children prosper in health, family and their definition of a meaningful contribution to society

2. Reconcile relationships that I have marred along the way

3. Buy a home in a foreign country – in prep for retirement with my soul mate

What’s holding me back?

I feel blessed to report – not a thing…we are progressing well and taking actions to give ourselves the best shot!

On an aside, I want to give a quick thanks to those that have given me some kind words along the way in the #trust30 challenge. And, for those of you that have endured when the topic gets off the multifamily path, thank you as well.

Your continuing to love the #trust30 challenge contributor,

M

Multifamily Doers

What is a doer? I heard a saying one time that went something like this; I would rather catch a tiger by the tail than have to light a fire under an elephant’s ass. It speaks loudly in the way of defining a doer. Doer’s get things done. They move mountains. They find ways that others never even dream about much less think about. They never let a day go by without making meaningful progress toward their goals and aspirations. And, doers get rewarded.

Three Suggestions

1. Measure what you expect and reward what you measure

2. Reward the doers far in excess of the status quo – exaggerated and excessively reward the doers

3. Promote those that get things done – quickly