fter my first golf outing, I understood why people enjoy playing the game. It is great exercise, it is relaxing, and it builds character. As property managers, we can envision our buildings as the challenging golf course while associating the water features and sand traps with board members and residents. If we are unable to play smart and bring our A game to our building every morning, then we may feel beat up and worn out at the end of the workday. The key is to play the golf course, not let the course play you.
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Our responsibility is to manage the association, supervise and maintain staff, handle contractors, navigate resident conflicts and provide damage control resulting from things like building wide water leaks. That is the easy part of our job. The challenges arise when the boards and residents expect us to take on additional roles and tasks that are outside the boundaries of the management contract; to handle things off the playing course. As a result, these additional responsibilities coupled with our normal workload may lead to resentment and manager burnout. With the additional tasks, the course becomes much more difficult to navigate and we may lose control.
Early in my property management career, there were properties I worked at that held unrealistic expectations of what a manager’s role was. It was as if I were playing multiple rounds of golf at each hole, while chasing each ball. I was scrambling and running around attempting to land each shot. I did everything imaginable to please the residents and board members, but they still required more of me. Ultimately, it wasn’t the job that impeded my ability to be successful, it was my failure to communicate my expectations and boundaries to the Association.
Following are four steps property managers can take to communicate roles and supplementary efforts to the board, so all may better understand expectations and results:
BE FLEXIBLE
There are a lot of twists and turns on our course and, inevitably, things will go wrong. Whether there is a plumbing or façade issue, or the HVAC system is not properly working, maintaining your composure and flexibility during challenging times is essential to managing through the problem.
By Tom Gillespie CMCA, AMS, PCAM
There are times when an employee is sick and you are unable to get a temporary
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