CREJ - Property Management Quarterly - November 2015
As we wind down the inaugural year of Property Management Quarterly, I am reminded of how much I’ve learned. Before I took this position, I had no idea what a property manager did, let alone how much energy and effort it takes to keep the buildings that we live, work, shop and visit operating properly. One of my favorite things about this industry is how appreciative and kind managers are to one another. In spite of the competitiveness of rival firms, there is a mutual respect and friendliness that is shared with one another. Part of this may be because the business is fairly fluid, but the other part seems more intrinsic to the individuals who go into management – they genuinely care about others; how else can you devote so much of your time to serving others? Shadowing managers gives me the opportunity to see how collaborative management teams are as well. No one claims to have the success they’ve attained without first, and fairly insistently, praising their teams. There’s also much love for mentors and trainees. I want to thank the managers who spent time with me this past year. Each gave me insight into the world of management I would not have received from sitting at my desk. To really understand management, it’s so valuable to watch interactions, sit in on meeting, visit different sites, and see negotiation and partnership in action. From each individual I also gleaned insight into the personality traits that would make them successful in any profession – multitasking, striving always to improve one’s performance, strong attention to details and putting other people’s needs ahead of their own. These traits are just as important to the building’s operations as they are to the management of relationships. I welcome suggestions for future property managers to shadow. I’d like to continue this process in 2016. Please email or give me a call if you have a manager in mind. Hopefully as you flip through this issue you’ll find useful information. I found the article on Page 4 about the laws regarding service and support animals to be interesting. And as we head into the wet winter season, maintenance advice for garages, landscapes and preventing water damage can be found beginning on Page 18. Thanks for reading.