Rebuilding Relationships Through Trust, Respect, and Time Well Spent.
By Tricia Conway, Vice President, The Habitat Company
Spring signals a return to life. After the long Chicago winter, communities emerge from hibernation, windows open, people linger in lobbies again, and energy hums through hallways. It’s a natural time to clean, reset, and reconnect. For community associations, this season is more than a maintenance cycle; it’s an opportunity to renew relationships that form the heart of a thriving community association.
Condominium communities are complex ecosystems of personalities, priorities, and shared investments. Managers balance financial, operational, and interpersonal responsibilities every day. Yet the strongest, most stable associations don’t succeed on budgets and bylaws alone. They succeed because of trust and respect, two elements that grow not from authority, but from attention and empathy.
The Power of Time and Presence No task builds trust faster than giving time. Presence communicates that people matter more than transactions. Residents notice when a manager slows down to listen, asks questions that invite conversation, or remembers small details about their lives. It’s how mutual respect takes root and how conflicts are often prevented before they ever start.
During my years managing onsite high-rise condominiums in Chicago, I learned that every open door to the management office was a doorway to connection. Residents didn’t always come with questions about assessments or parking. Often, they simply wanted to be seen, heard, and known.
VERA’S STORY:
The Music of Connection Vera was one of those residents. She was a senior, originally from Russia, with English as her second language. Her daughter and son-in-law owned the unit she lived in, but they traveled often, leaving Vera alone for long stretches. She was inquisitive, intelligent, and deeply kind, a musician and composer who found rhythm in conversation.
Vera visited the management office regularly. Sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for half an hour. She might stop by to tell me about her morning or to ask about my weekend. She once told me she looked forward to my email notices because they helped her learn new English words. That comment, simple as it was, reminded me how communication reaches beyond information and becomes education, companionship, and care.
She would occasionally bring me small trinkets from her native country and explain their meaning. Once, she asked for help navigating a healthcare provider’s automated phone system to schedule an appointment. On another day, she wanted to learn how to write a check for her utility payment. Her requests weren’t burdens, they were bridges. Each interaction deepened her trust that the management office was a safe, human place in an otherwise structured environment.
Her visits taught me an invaluable lesson: Management is as much about human presence as it is about property oversight. In those moments, Vera wasn’t a unit number or account; she was part of a living community that valued connection.
ISABELLA’S STORY:
The Moment That Matters Then there was Isabella. She was a long-time unit owner, friendly, warm, and consistently kind in our daily interactions. One afternoon she walked into the office in an abrupt, distracted state so unlike her usual demeanor. She said she had forgotten her keys and needed access to her unit. The request itself was routine, but something in her tone was off.
When I asked if she was all right, her eyes filled with tears. Instinctively, I asked if I could give her a hug. She nodded, and in that brief moment, she let down a wall of composure that so many residents maintain. She explained that there had been a devastating earthquake in Italy the town where her grandmother lived and she couldn’t reach her. She was terrified and desperate for news.
That day, the “manager” hat came off. I wasn’t solving a maintenance issue or reviewing invoices. I was a fellow human being offering comfort to someone in pain. The next day she emailed to tell me she was flying to Italy to be with her family. About a month later, she returned to the building carrying a vase of flowers. She smiled, handed them to me, and said, “Thank you for being you.”
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