Page 28
— Property Management Quarterly — April 2016
S
howing respect and
kindness goes a long
way. No one should ever
feel that he matters
little to others.As we are
bombarded daily with negative
messages, political warping,
critical sports analysts, wild
stock market swings, adverse
worldwide events and daily
confrontations, it is easy to
become negative and intoler-
ant.
I was speaking with a col-
league the other day about a
comment his former employer
made to a forklift driver.The
employer looked at the forklift
driver and said, “That’s why I
am an executive, and you’re
still driving a forklift.”
When we consider ourselves
more important than oth-
ers, it is a sign of disrespect.
What’s more, if you treat a
man as how he could be, he
will become
what he
could be,
said Johann
Wolfgang
von Goethe.
In an
atmo-
sphere of
encourage-
ment and
confidence
more can
be accom-
plished
than in an
atmosphere
of criticism.Tragically, there are
many who become much less
than they could be because
they are discouraged andmade
to feel unimportant, unpromis-
ing and unappreciated.
When property manag-
ers deal with confrontation,
they must not choose to be
offensive but rather choose to
be kind.There is no need for
contention.The vocabulary we
use and the tone in which we
present our suggestions and
insights canmake us more
effective.
When I visited a vendor
about its noncompliance with
respect to the rules and pro-
cedures established for the
building, I paused before our
meeting to make sure I was in
the right frame of mind. It is
not an enjoyable task to advise
another that he is noncompli-
ant. Responses can run the
spectrum from good to bad,
based on howwe engage and
present the issue.
I find that when reproof is
given, it is always better to
extend with kindness and
respect.When presented the
right way, each side has the
opportunity to listen and
understand one another, share
opinions and reach a clear
resolution as well as identify
steps to take to rectify the non-
compliance.The relationship
became stronger, instead of
weaker or damaged.
If our behavior for handling
confrontation is patterned after
our current presidential politi-
cal debates, it is time to change
the channel!What a terrible
way to conduct business. If
your mindset is to extort,
intimidate, threaten, squelch
and win at any cost, it is time
to get out of property man-
agement. Instead, your mind-
set must be to treat people
positively and give them con-
fidence and encouragement.
It really is that important and
that simple.
There is a direct correlation
with a property manager’s suc-
cess and how she treats her
teammates, tenants, contrac-
tors and owners. “The deepest
hunger in human beings is the
desire to be appreciated,” said
authorWilliam James.
Great property managers
understand this key principle
and apply it in their daily inter-
actions.They are patient, car-
ing, encouraging and extend
heart-felt appreciation for all
that others do.
There are negative influences
around us that we must resist. I
notice a real lack of tolerance in
construction jobs. Construction
represents a change. In order to
construct something new, inev-
itably there will be noise, inter-
ruption, delays and changes
to your normal routine.A little
patience, understanding and
respect will serve us all well
during these improvements.
As we live by trial and error
and there is no perfection in
any of us, we get to practice on
each other. Much of our time
is spent at work; therefore,
we have a lot of interactions
that could cause hard feel-
ings and resentment.We talk
of world peace, but often we
don’t know how to get along
with our colleagues. However,
there are countless learning
opportunities to show patience,
kindness, forbearance, love,
forgiveness andmy favorite –
humor. Choose not to go down
the lower road of accusations,
judgments and annoyance.
Changing the inner energy is
essential. It is our choice.
s
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Steve Trythall,
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Senior vice
president, Sessions
Group LLC, Denver
SM
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