Property Manager? Assistant Property Manager? Leasing Agent? Maintenance? VP of Operations?
There are several more I could list but I’m getting to a point without naming every role possible in the realm of property management. You answered a question in regards to what role you serve in the industry.
Think about the word “serve” and what goes into it. Are you truly serving the role much like you would serve your customer?
We serve our customers by providing customer service, being consistent, being available, being gracious and kind, among many other ways we “serve” them. So I ask you, how are you serving your role? Are you even serving your role at all?
It’s not just a matter of being the property manager. That’s a title. There’s much more that goes into it. Serving your role as property manager includes being a leader, being a team player, being knowledgeable, among many other things.
Serving your role properly has a domino effect…..and as much as we really truly don’t wear titles in our industry because we’re “all hands on deck” most of the time, we do have a role in each of our titles. Our job is to serve that role to the best of our abilities and to serve it well just as we would serve our customer well.
As a leader (and we can ALL be leaders, regardless of our title) our servitude comes in the way of empowering our team. There have been several recent developments in the way of articles and conferences about empowering your team and the importance of the same. Let’s start with the basics. What does the word empower mean? It means “to make more confident or assertive: to give somebody a greater sense of confidence or self-esteem.”
Why would you not want to empower your team? To allow them the ability to be more confident in serving our customers and our residents. Empowering them includes training them correctly and providing them the ability to serve our customers and our residents well. Don’t just provide them the empowerment to do so, provide them with the knowledge to do so! Confidence can only go so far if they are doing it correctly.
Which in turn opens the door for me to discuss the knowledge you give your team. Make sure that you’re giving them the opportunity to learn. Even by example. As a leader, you should be the best example of what you want your team to be. There is absolutely no room for “Do as I say, not as I do.” None, never, ever, live by that motto. If you want your team to be the best, you have to be the best. And don’t be stingy with knowledge. Knowledge is power. You should WANT to share that power with your team. Be humble enough to know that those you are leading can go on to do bigger and better things, with your name on their lips. The power of being a great leaders is being a great role model for what we do.
I would tell you to close your eyes for what I’m about to describe, however, that would be silly considering you’re reading my blog right now. Instead imagine in your mind’s eye, everyone in your company lined up just like this in this order (the hierarchy in your company may be different but go with it):
President
Director of Property Management
Regional Vice President
Area Manager
Property Manager
Maintenance Supervisor
Assistant Manager
Maintenance Technician
Leasing Manager
Leasing Agent
Imagine if each of these individuals listed above in their “role” SERVED their role in order to empower the person below them. That’s a great amount of influence when you think of the President of your company empowering his direct subordinates to do a job, and to do it well. We each have that power of influence in our “role”….. it’s a matter of what you do with that influence.
So I urge you, regardless of what role you serve, serve it well and serve it to the best of your ability. You will be a happier person and you’ll see a difference happen, almost immediately. (Confidence does amazing things, even in the workplace).
pithypropertymanager 