CREJ - Property Management Quarterly - April 2017
Can a positive attitude really make you a better property manager? To answer that, let us ask the opposite: Do you know a property manager with a bad attitude? Yes. Do you like working with that person? No! If that person had a positive attitude, could you, potentially, like working with him? Probably. In answering the negative, we have proven that, in fact, a positive attitude can make you a better property manager. The people I encounter with a pessimistic attitude often want to change but need guidance and real world examples in order to affect an authentic shift in their mindset, which is what I hope to share. First, a brief background on me. People who know me now, or whom I have met in the last few years, have told me that I am one of the happiest people they’ve ever met. While I am genuinely happy now, I haven’t always been. I grew up in an emotionally abusive home and, as such, may have had a smile on my face but, on the inside, I was a disaster. In my thirties, I read an article that helped me realize I lived with a “victim mindset.” My response to things going wrong was to question why it was happening to me and wondering why I deserved it. Once I realized I was living this way, I had to choose to change my mindset to that of a “victor.” Doing so meant developing responses like – “OK, that’s life,” “lesson learned” and “moving on.” In this line of work, a positive mindset can drastically impact how we respond and relate to tenants, vendors, clients and co-workers. Following are the seven steps that helped me make the switch from victim to victor. • Change the people in your life. Quit hanging around people who are consistently negative and are content with the bare minimum. Surround yourself with other achievers who are working to be the best version of themselves. Invite a mentor or trusted friend to call you out when you need it, so that you can continue to grow and improve. To do this, set boundaries. If you work with a “negative Nancy,” have some canned responses ready. For example, when something negative is said, suddenly remember that you have to get an email out, make a phone call or run an errand. Better yet, when this person complains, ask her how she plans to fix it. Shift her thoughts from complaining to problem solving. • Educate yourself about the power of positive thinking. I highly recommend reading The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. Learning about change and improvement keeps you in a positive mindset when challenges arise – and, as we all know, they will arise. There are many paths for this education, such as attending leadership conferences, asking someone you admire to mentor you, or placing affirming quotes around your office environment in addition to exploring books, music, movies, articles and documentaries on the topic. • Change the way you “do” social media. Make your feed your happy place. Unfollow or unfriend negative people, even family members; they do not make you better. Follow people who are striving toward positivity. Stop complaining on Facebook. Share positive stories you see on other feeds and spread joy. Use Facebook as your own personal marketing tool. Remember, you are the CEO of “You Inc.” Think of your social media accounts as the marketing director for your life. Would you hire someone to publicize the negative things about you? No! So, don’t. • The news. Quit watching it. A few years ago, my sister’s job took her to Baghdad for a year. It was calm when she first arrived, but about six months in, ISIS became a household name, and I couldn’t stop watching the news. I was working from home and the news was on in the background all day long. It changed me. I was fearful, anxiety ridden, depressed and lethargic. Once she was safely home that August, I turned the news off and, immediately, noticed an improvement in my attitude. • Choose your reaction to different people and situations. This is extremely difficult in our industry because we have zero control over our days and it requires a vigilance of self-awareness. You have to be constantly mindful of what sets you off and you have to not let it get to you. Of course, this is much easier said than done. In this industry, we all have that “special” client, tenant, boss, vendor or co-worker who seems to love to bully by throwing us under the bus, spreading lies or accusing us of not doing something that we know we did. With these people, we have to choose our responses consciously and mindfully. I always respond in email so there is documentation. Choosing my words means I maintain control of the situation, which helps me be the person I want to be and, by doing that, my positive thinking changes to positive behavior. • Change your surroundings. Part of changing your attitude may mean changing your surroundings. That might mean moving to be closer to friends and family (or further away from them if they are toxic). For others, changing your surroundings may be simple, something like a clean house, hiking on the weekends or taking a different route to work that takes you past your favorite coffee shop. Whatever it is, if it positively impacts your attitude, do it! You can change your Outlook settings so it opens to your calendar instead of to an overwhelming email inbox, organize your desk, use a conference room for a difficult client/ tenant call instead of sitting at your desk, or put positive quotes on sticky notes and place them around your desk as reminders to keep your chin up. • Change the vocabulary of your heart, mind and mouth. Exchange vernacular like: problems, I can’t, I wish, one of these days, I’m broke; with words like: I will, I am, I can, temporary setback, an opportunity for improvement and an opportunity to build a trustful relationship. Most, if not all, of us have had tenants who are upset with the common area maintenance increases each year and accuse us of “raising the CAMs to line our pocket.” When this happens, don’t focus on the insult; instead, see this as an opportunity to build a long-lasting, trusting relationship with the tenant. By changing the way we think about a meeting, we can change the outcome of the meeting. In my experience, accusations like this come from not having all the information. Once the blanks are filled in, people tend to act differently. They still may not like the answer, but at least they understand. Now, let’s get real for a minute. Every once in a while, my former “victim mentality” rears its ugly head. Last summer, I broke my left foot and the injury nearly emotionally destroyed me for about four weeks. Then I had a conversation with myself and literally said, “Suck it up, buttercup! You are going to have to push through this and figure out ways to get things done while following the doctor’s orders to stay off your foot.” It was not easy, but I did it. There still will be setbacks; however, with some self-awareness and great people around you, those setbacks will be temporary. Frank Outlaw once said, “Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” I think there should be one more line that says, “Watch your destiny; for it becomes your legacy.” Your legacy starts with your thoughts – in other words, your attitude. As a property manager who interacts and impacts dozens of lives on a daily basis, what do you want your legacy to be? I ask you again – Can an attitude shift make you a better property manager? The answer is yes.