Change

While death and taxes may be the only two Sure Things in life, there is another and most people do not look forward to it, not at all. And that Third Thing is called change. I know everyone says change is scary, and it can be, but it can also be a reason to try something new. Really, I think the reason why it takes people time to embrace change is simply due to fear and the fact that they may not have chosen to change in the first place.

Change is emotional. It stirs up longing. With reflection, it can also stir up courage.

Okay World, hear me roar! (I always did like the Lion in The Wizard of Oz....)

Here's To The Maintenance Techs!

Our Maintenance Tech, who has been in this position since 2005, came into the Office yesterday morning pretty upset. When I asked what had gotten him to riled up, he asked me if I get alerts to one of the apartment ratings sites.

"No, why do you ask?"

"I got on last night! I can't believe what someone wrote on there. I'm gonna write back and tell them what I think of them!"

I looked at him and told him I did read it last night, too (wondering how we were on the same page at the same time!!!) and I wasn't concerned about it. I asked him who he thought it was and then I asked him if we could have handled their issue better. Apparently, this particular person has had a couple of issues with the air conditioner and was not happy about it. They complained that they pay a higher rent and - this is what upset him the most - they wondered how the Maintenance Guy could afford to live here, too. It was a pretty rude kind of observation to make let alone to post it was not very nice, and it apparently hurt his feelings. It actually hurt my feelings, too, because of its condescending tone.

I told my Maintenance Tech that I was planning on writing a reply that morning, which I did. I posted a reply explaining how we handle work orders, etc. and I supplied my email address and telephone number for follow up contact purposes and thanked them for the opportunity to understand their concerns and address them. He read my reply and agreed that it was probably a better public response than what he would have posted. :-) Of course for the next twenty minutes we discussed which Resident we thought had written the original post and could not agree on any one person. And I told him I guess it doesn't matter who wrote it, but it does matter how we respond to all the work order requests. We must be proactive; we must be efficient and prompt. We must continue to provide excellent customer service every day to all our Residents.

So, I was thinking that it is time to TOAST the Maintenance Team here! I think for the entire month of August, I will have a Treat-of-the-Week for them,  some special little surprises sprinkled throughout the month, too, and publicize it to all our community Residents, vendors and the whole city itself. It is time to celebrate our unsung heroes in a big way. They do work hard and they all deserve more appreciation.

Let This Be My Mantra

I feel like a blade of grass. It doesn’t matter if you limit my intake of nutrients, cut me down to the size you want me to be or stomp all over me, I will still grow. I will still find a way to thrive in harsh, challenging conditions. I may have to lie dormant for a while, if I have to, to survive long term. I’m in it for the long haul. So, go ahead, walk all over me; I will eventually rise to meet a new day, bright, glowing, and green!

Let this be my Mantra.

This property management business can be tough. There are rough situations over which we may have no control. There are rude people; there are pleasant people. There are chronic complainers we’ve learned to see the charm in. There are Residents who don’t clean up after their pets, Residents who litter the property with their Taco Bell wrappers, Residents who drive past you and never wave or smile. There are bosses who expect too much and some who never give you the time of day or a moment of their time or a word of encouragement. But I decided long ago to be that blade of grass that chooses to dig deep and plant roots and learn to thrive through harsh conditions and wait for the rain. My day will come.