Category Archives: Management

change management, community associations, condo associations, Cooperatives, Emotional Intelligence, HOAs, leadership, Management

Let the Data Drive the Discussion

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Change is hard.  New is hard.  Fear makes bad news hard to take.  Is it any wonder that from time to time community association managers, advisors and volunteer leaders find themselves at odds with community members or each other?  Sooner or later, they all will find themselves duty bound to share a message someone won’t want to hear.

Money Hurts

This happens a lot when money is involved.  People hate to spend money especially when they cannot see the value of the expense.  Here’s where community associations remind members of the government, either consciously or subconsciously.  I recall hearing a quote from the Wall Street Journal along the lines of, “People have the same warm emotional connection to their homeowners association as they do the Internal Revenue Service.”  Ouch!

Drill down a little and it makes sense.  Citizens expect infrastructure and services, but they may chafe at paying the taxes that make them possible.  Why?  In a word, trust.  Governments, with their inevitable bureaucracies, have complicated, enormous budgets that the average citizen cannot comprehend.  This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to tell how well utilized those taxes are.  The end result?  Distrust and an assumption of waste…or worse.  Association Fees are a community association’s tax.  If members are not clear that their money is being spent wisely, it’s tough to take.  Members may well default to their assumptions of waste…or worse.

See The Enemy

If you are going to ask for higher fees, spend a wad of cash, or change anything people are familiar with, you need to be ready to explain why.  You may need to combat distrust.  Fortunately, this is much easier to accomplish on the micro level of a community association than is it for the Federal Government!  The information might be somewhat complicated, but it can be available and explainable.

If the direction is sound, it’s based on sound data.  But members may not be aware of the data they need to trust the messenger.  And until the messenger is trusted, the message is lost.

There are two insidious enemies that can erode the trust of your members:

  1. The Law of Omitted Data: The concept is that if a person has some knowledge about a subject but does not have all the facts, it is likely that person’s degree of misunderstanding will grow exponentially over time.  The impact of the law can be devastating in the group dynamic, especially when the Telephone Game factor gets added to the mix.  I’ve seen this blow communities apart.
  1. Theoryworld: The absence of experience or real life information doesn’t stop people from trying to be experts. We imagine scenarios and responses and all kinds of possible permutations and combinations of things that might happen.  Discussion and arguments in Theoryworld last for-EV-er!  They have an annoying tendency to bear little resemblance to reality and waste valuable time and energy.  Theoryworld is exhausting and leads to regrettable decisions.

When data is bad or missing, misinformed opinions and fear can set in and emotions can run high.  It gets personal.  People mistakenly see each other as the enemy.  The real enemies, the Law of Omitted Data and Theoryworld, are hiding just under the surface.

How can you vanquish these enemies?  How can you fill in the blanks and bridge the gap between theory and reality?  How can your group make good decisions and actually get things done?

Fight the Real Enemies

Your first reaction to manifestations of the Law of Omitted Data or Theoryworld may be to correct or defend.  Don’t.  That adds fuel to the ego-driven fire, even if you are 100% right.  Rather than counteracting bad data, seek to fill in the gaps of understanding with good data.  Your goal isn’t to win an argument.  Ego is a major part of the problem.  Elevate the dialogue from ego-based to principle-based– from emotional opinion-based to fact-based.  In so doing, you create a space in which the data can drive the discussion.

The presentation of the data requires more than logic.  It means acknowledging ego and emotion, both yours and others’.  This is another real life scenario where gobs of emotional intelligence will make a massive difference.   Here are a few strategies to get there:

  • Find trustable outside experts. A message from a disinterested third-party can have an impact.  Share their information or let them do the talking.
  • Show and tell. A picture really does paint a thousand words.  And seeing it up close and personal makes things real.  Cruddy pipes, scary boiler rooms, a mudslide behind the pool.  You don’t have to sell it.  Just allow people to see reality.
  • Show your work like doing arithmetic in the third grade. Even if the level of detail seems excessive, the fact that the research was done and you are willing to show your process can build bridges and confidence.
  • Conversely, make it clear the presentation of detailed data isn’t a snow job. Bullet point summaries, charts and graphs– anything that aids visualization is good.  The supporting materials can be in the back.
  • Accept all options and ideas at first, even if every bone in your body tells you they never work. Instead of saying “no” up front, let the group decision making process say “no.”
  • Try to use more questions than declarative statements

Hail Victory!

Don’t worry about making a case.  Create a space where the case makes itself.  Trust the process.  Be patient – time will tell the truth.  Let the data drive the discussion.

What strategies have you used to defeat the Law of Omitted Data and Theoryworld?

community associations, condo associations, Cooperatives, Governance, HOAs, leadership, Management, Strategic Planning

O Say Can You See?

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“Tom, aren’t there any good management companies out there?”

That was the question posed to me by a condominium association board member circa 1988. I was in my formative years in the management business. That client knew me in my first incarnation of self-employment. I had completed a very successful plastering and painting project. I had only begun to venture into part-time, on-site management services the year before. That one question helped me to crystallize an Aha! Concept. Let me explain.

The Devil’s In The Details

I really enjoyed working with this group, even though they were rather “high maintenance.” They were enthusiastic, dedicated, and genuinely nice folks. They had an older building, the logistics of which amplified the inequity of scale faced by most small associations. They had a central HVAC plant to serve less than 30 units. The units were large and spread through only four stories, so even the cost per unit for roof maintenance and eventual replacement was much higher than most buildings.

There were other factors that added to this condominium’s challenges. Most units were owner-occupied. There was a seven person board, and there were several active committees. In a way, this was the perfect condominium – it seemed like every unit owner was involved! But this led to an unintentional consequence. At only 20+ units, they didn’t seem to justify much of an on-site maintenance or management presence. All that active participation meant that volunteers were in the details of every facet of the operation, which led to innumerable questions and a desire for fast and detailed response. Off-site “cost-effective” management and engineering services were always going to be reactive. This group was never going to be satisfied with the status quo. I knew a little about the history of that condominium, and knew they had already fired most of the companies I would have recommended at the time.

The Aha! Concept – System or Performance?

I’ll always remember this client because it helped me to formulate a frame of reference that became a core issue for much of my consulting work ever since. I noticed that most boards defaulted to a common position when something was wrong. They tended to conclude that they were getting lousy results because somebody wasn’t doing their job. This was one of the first clients to help me realize that you have to figure out if you’ve got a system problem, a performance problem, or a combination of the two. Until you figure that out, you are always answering the wrong question. It is unlikely you will get the results you seek. My 1988 client needed to find a way to get more proactive attention (and pay more), or lower their expectations. Status quo approaches were never going to give them what they wanted.

It’s Not Easy

It can be tough for volunteers serving on a board to see things clearly to determine the root of their dissatisfaction. There are a myriad of potential reasons why.

  • It’s not their full-time job. They may lack the time or expertise needed to accurately diagnose the situation.
  • They may be too close to the situation to see it clearly.
  • They may have been fortunate to have had an excellent manager or other service providers who regularly exceeded the specifications of their agreements. Great performance can mask a deficient system. God help the next good, but not great, manager…
  • They may be resistant to the idea that it might cost a little more to get what they need, exacerbated by a market flooded by management companies inclined to over promise and roll the dice.
  • They may not recognize that all associations have life cycles. The systems that met yesterday’s expectations may not be able to handle today’s realities, much less tomorrow’s. Of if only I had a dime for every time I heard “Well we’ve done just fine with x for the last ten years, we shouldn’t need it now.”
  • There may not be many free thinkers out there prepared to offer creative solutions, or companies geared up to offer those customized services, especially to a smaller association.

Fresh Eyeballs

It may be time to take a fresh look. Seek out and listen to innovative ideas. Take advantage of opportunities to network with other volunteer leaders. See if your city, county or state facilitates programs for board members. The Community Associations Institute is an excellent resource for any community association. CAI Press includes a hugely diverse library of material. Professionals in the field and volunteers contribute articles and educational seminars through CAI National and local chapters. An underutilized feature of CAI membership for volunteers is the networking aspect that is available through participation in local and national programs

If nothing seems to be working, don’t give up or settle. Maybe most importantly…don’t assume. Dig a little deeper. Look a little harder. You might just find what you really need.

Attitude, business life, Emotional Intelligence, Management

The Party’s Over- Now What? Maintaining Perspective & Balance in the Wake of a Terminated Business Relationship

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Whether you are an employee of a management company, an onsite manager of a community association, or a professional service provider, odds are at some time in your career you will be involved in a business relationship that for one reason or another reaches the end of its useful life. You shake hands, wish each other well, and move on. But in reality, doing business is a human endeavor and damage can be done if you don’t recognize and address the mental and emotional toll that can sometimes linger from a business “break-up.” You can be technically proficient in handling transitions without always giving full consideration of the human factors that might be involved.

Over the years it has pained me to watch managers, in particular, come away scarred from difficult client or employment relationships. Those who throw themselves into their work are hit hardest. Despite what they may view as Herculean efforts in less-than-favorable circumstances, they come away feeling unappreciated and often abused. Professional detachment to the point of uncaring, over-defensiveness, diminished standards of performance or conduct, and profound cynicism are only a few of the telltale signs of unhealthy scarring.

I’ve been so fortunate to have had the opportunity to reflect on these things with people of uncommon wisdom. They have shared with me pearls that have proven valuable in professional and personal life. I care about all you dedicated professionals working in the community association field. I want you to be healthy and happy. So then, since sharing is caring…

Lesson #1: Learn

“When the Devil says fire is hot, he knows what he is talking about.” Credit for this one goes to my primary professional mentor, Arthur Dubin. He shared this with me some years ago while we were working with a particularly unreasonable board president. Though I have to state for the record that the statement assumes certain theological concepts that I personally believe to be rather spurious, the words create a picture that makes an important point: While being deluged by unfair and possibly irrational attacks, it is very easy to miss a salient and accurate critique. You may feel compelled to defend yourself as if you were perfect or minimize shortcomings in the face of intense scrutiny. It might seem like your client or employer expected you to be perfect. Well, you weren’t. And that’s OK, but even minor issues, if not identified and corrected quickly, can become major issues. As painful as it might be to admit mistakes, it’s way more painful to repeat them. If a criticism is true, it is true regardless of the identifying source. The challenge is hearing it. So, be brutally honest…could you have done anything better?

Lesson #2: Eyes Forward

It turns out being a lousy driver was one of the best things that ever happened to me…. “Glance in rear-view mirror anytime you apply the brakes.” I got that one in a driver improvement class many moons ago. The lesson literally saved the instructor’s life one day on the beltway. He glanced in the mirror as traffic slowed and noticed that the truck driver behind him wasn’t paying attention. He took corrective action, changed lanes, and avoided the deadly rear end collision that befell the driver that had just moments before been in front of him. When things stop in front of you, like the end of a business relationship, it pays to look behind just long enough to learn the lessons necessary to avoid getting rear ended (Lesson #1)— and then it‘s got to be eyes forward. You are smarter now. Focus on what’s in front of you. Take action to get where you need to go. It doesn’t pay to beat yourself up over the past. If you keep staring into the rear view mirror, you’ll wreck. Once Lesson #1 is done, move on.

Lesson #3: It’s Your House

This one is courtesy of the late “Uncle Mike” Gilmore. He had a well-earned reputation as one who had seen it all in this business. He was a great sounding board. One afternoon he let me whine on for several minutes about a situation. And then…

“Tommy, what’s the most valuable real estate you own?”

“I guess it’s my house.”

“Wrong. It’s here (points to his head). Let’s say you owned a house and decided to rent it out. Would you let just anybody move in?”

“Of course not. I’d qualify them to make sure they’d pay the rent and wouldn’t trash the place.”

“Right. So if you’d go through all that for a house, why would you do the same with the most valuable real estate you own? Never let negative people rent space in your mind.”

Whoa. Of course he was right. Even if you successfully apply lessons one and two and have done everything you should do, sometimes those negative comments might play back in your memory. A new comment might trigger an old memory. There is no benefit to dwelling on them. You can’t control others, you can only control yourself. Why give up any of that control by allowing others’ negativity to reside in your head? Lock the door.

“Never let negative people rent space in your mind” – Mike Gilmore

It’s not easy to maintain a dedication to excellence in a balanced, healthy way. But you have to. It is the best way to be good to our clients and good to ourselves at the same time. Imagine that—a win-win.

If things don’t work out sometimes, it’s OK to hurt. Just not too long. It sounds trite, but it’s true – every experience can make you better and stronger. Please don’t burn out. And please don’t sell out. We need you.

Attitude, business life, community associations, Management

3 Kinds of Jobs

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In my late teens I had a ridiculously intelligent friend. Dave was an engineering student at the University of Maryland. I remember him lamenting how he missed a perfect score on the verbal part of the SAT by 40 points. Of course he aced the math part of the test. Dave’s book smarts were most impressive. But what I appreciated more was his analytical approach to life in general.

Hassle

Dave worked a part-time job assembling printed circuit boards. He fussed about his boss, he fussed about the job, and he fussed about the foibles and folly of business in general. Finally, he came to an epiphany. With impish grin and eyebrows raised, he proclaimed. “I now understand business. The company and the job titles are irrelevant. There are actually only three jobs in business; Hassle Creators, Hassle Transferers, and Hassle Receivers. If you are a Hassle Receiver, do anything you can do to get promoted to Hassle Transferer or quit. Of course, the best job is Hassle Creator, but that’s usually the owner.”

Dave’s Three Job Theorem still crosses my mind every so often. It still makes me laugh. In a narrow, simplistic sort of way, it’s true. It’s also a bit naïve. Owners deal with plenty of hassle. There are no pure Hassle Creators.

Job/Career/Calling

Years later I found an even more studious approach to the workplace. Kouzes and Posner’s The Leadership Challenge  recognizes that people tend to see what they do for a living in three different ways; as a job, as a career, and as calling. Not nearly as funny as Dave’s Three Job Theorem, but a tad more refined. And while Dave’s categories were hierarchical, Kouzes & Posner’s are applicable to any position. It’s an attitude.

The three approaches speak to a level of commitment and personal satisfaction. A job? 9-5. Punch the clock A means to an end. A career? You do it because you have a plan. A calling? That one always repelled me a little before studying Kouzes & Posner. To me, “calling” used to imply some sort of divine will, and that seemed a bit over the top. After I stumbled upon community association management (like so many of us did), I realized that I felt drawn to the work. But I still didn’t buy in to any kind of personal manifest destiny. The clouds didn’t part, there was no voice from heaven. I just enjoyed the bigger picture of what I did. There were parts of the job I was not thrilled with. Yet, there were elements of the work I enjoyed very much. Taking care of people, fixing things, helping people enjoy where they lived, making a difference in the lives of others, and helping leaders find fulfillment in their service all drew…or called…me.

I also found myself repelled by the idea that everyone should find some mystical perfect situation. Sure, seemed to find their “calling’ early in life. But it seemed to me that many more found it later after developing their skills and interests over time. There was work involved, and it was rarely perfect. The gold was in the process to get there.

A Choice – Work

Kouzes & Posner helped me to realize that while a calling could theoretically be divine in nature, it is primarily finding things to do that were in harmony with your personal values and goals. That is what draws, or “calls” you. I remember the beauty of one of the examples cited in the The Leadership Challenge. A hospital janitor, a position my friend would certainly rate as a Hassle Receiver, viewed has job as a calling. Why? He explained, “I help people get better.” Not only did he recognize that the quality of his work made the environment healthier, but was called by the ability to make a bigger impact. He found that the way he did the work – the way he interacted with patients and their family and visitors, with a smile, a kind word, a simple kindness – made all the difference. I seriously doubt the gentleman grew up thinking this was his dream job. But his life experience and attitude put him in a position to see what he did for a living as a calling.

Grit by Angela Duckworth and Known by Mark Schaeffer do a great job debunking the cosmic calling concept. There’s no reason to feel pressured if you can’t magically find your calling. Try stuff. Learn stuff. Notice when you are at your best and figure out why it worked. And you calling doesn’t have to have anything to do with earning money. If a job allows you to pursue a calling, it’s worth it.

Great/Neutral/Bad

Which leads me to one of my old definitions of the 3 types of jobs. I used to say a great job helps you to be the person you want to be. It energizes you, inspires you, and fortifies you. A neutral job doesn’t necessarily help you to be the person you want to be, but it doesn’t make it too hard, either. You have space to grow and at least some opportunities to live your values through your work. I defined a bad job as one that makes it very hard for you to live by your values. This kind of job sucks the life out of you, leaves you exhausted and requires a herculean effort just to show up every day.

It’s Up To You

No matter how you analyze your work, what you do with it is a choice. One person’s horrible job is a dream job for someone else. Knowing yourself, what motivates you, and the values and goals you choose are at the beginning of navigating your path.

I’ve never been a fan of the term “work-life balance” because it gives work equal value to life. That’s nuts. Work is a part of life. The key is the extent to which your work is in harmony with your purpose. And it does not matter how. I know people who hold seemingly mundane part-time jobs who are happy as clams. Why? Because that job allows them to do the volunteer work they love. And this allows them to find joy when working a job others might find meaningless

Getting this right usually takes time. Recognize that not only what you do but how you do it can make a big difference in enjoying what you do. Things change and you’ll grow. Who knows, a neutral job might become a good one, even a great one. I will always treasure an email I received from a manager who invited me to attend her PCAM induction ceremony.  She wrote, “The first time you interviewed me, you asked if community association management was a job, a career or a calling for me. At that point, I answered that it was a career, but now I can truly say it is a calling.”

As the late, great Jim Rohn said, “Accept all experience. See what it can teach you.” Whatever role work has in your life, you will probably have to spend a good chunk of your life doing it. You might as well find a way to enjoy it!

Attitude, business life, Human Resources, Management

Get Stuff Done and Have Some Fun – A 20 Question Checkup From the Neck Up

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It’s Labor Day here in the U.S. We celebrate it by taking a day off. Something about that always made me laugh a little. The truth is, “celebration” and “labor” are rarely found in the same sentence. Apparently, somewhere between 70% and 90%  of employees do not feel engaged in their work. My experience working closely with community association professionals leaves me unsurprised (and saddened) by those statistics.

I got some interesting comments about an online job bank announcement I posted a few years ago for a client. I must have been a little frustrated when I wrote something along the lines of “butt covering, blame shifting, can’t do managers need not apply.” I may have used the term “retread…” I was serious. A burned out, disengaged manager just wouldn’t cut it. The client had a keen BS-o-Meter and needed somebody who would walk the walk.

It occurs to me I’ve developed a list of contrasts in my head – behaviors, character traits, and perspectives that seem to reveal the difference between managers who excel and enjoy what they do, and those who seem mired in mediocrity and misery. I use these to evaluate manager candidates. I also use them as a self-test to see if I am falling into non-productive habits. Here goes…

  1. Am I more bored or more curious?
  2. Am I intellectually lazy or looking to learn?
  3. Am I prepared or am I winging it?
  4. Am I focused on personal credit or team success?
  5. Am I covering by butt or am I taking ownership?
  6. Am I setting a positive tone and creating a space for others to mirror me, or am I mirroring others and leaving mood up to chance?
  7. Am I looking for ways to make a difference (no matter how small) or am I doing just enough to get by?
  8. Am I frowning more or smiling more?
  9. Am I stuck in the weeds or am I seeing the bigger picture?
  10. Has my thinking become task-based (my job is done when I check the box), or results-based (my job is done when the goal is met)?
  11. Am I spending more time explaining procedures or the principles behind the procedures?
  12. Am I spending more time explaining why things can’t be done or getting things done?
  13. Do I have a bias for action or stasis?
  14. Am I holding myself accountable or making excuses?
  15. Am I complaining about unfairness (that which I cannot control) or am I being my best self (that which I can control)?
  16. Am I focusing on the disappointments of the day or what I can learn from them?
  17. What words am I using more often – us and we, or I and me?
  18. Is it getting to be a J-O-B or is it a career (or better yet, a calling)?
  19. Am I thinking or just doing?
  20. I am blindly following my client’s instructions, or am I helping them make educated decisions?

The old adage is correct – you reap what you sow. When you focus on doing better and being better, you are far more likely to feel better and get more out of every experience. It’s so tempting to take the easy path, to be negative, and to blame others. I guarantee you see people around you who do that every day of their unhappy lives. That stuff rubs off. That’s why I like to do a checkup from the neck up from time to time. And if you pass the test and your situation is still crummy, perhaps it’s time to apply #13 and find a new situation.

Do you have a contrasting question to add to the list? Please share!

change management, Communications, condo associations, Cooperatives, HOAs, leadership, Management

We Are All Geniuses…or Insane. Your Call!

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I’ve heard this quote, widely attributed to Albert Einstein, for a long time. As it turns out, he may or may not have ever said it. Thing is, it resonates so well that it’s easy to attach genius to the observation. So why not Einstein?

We silly humans tend to choose familiarity over change, even if it makes us miserable. I’ve noticed it in my world of community association boards and managers. Instead of taking an honest look at our results and trying to figure out how we got there, we’ll practice what Canadian brand transformation specialist Alan Quarry calls “glue diligence.” We do it because we’ve always done it that way, and dang it, we’ll never change!

…And then we blame everybody and everything else for our frustrations and failures…

One of the most important changes we can make is to see ourselves differently. For the longest time, the thought of being a salesperson made me cringe, just a little bit. But a few years ago, I realized sales and marketing were weak areas in my business skillset. It was time to hit the books. Funny thing is, a few of the writers I learned from in my study of leadership through the years started off as sales guys.

THE ART OF LEADERSHIP AND SALES

I didn’t fully connect the dots until I read Daniel Pink’s brilliant book To Sell is Human. It finally hit me. I gave myself permission to see myself and my role a little differently. The art of leadership is the process of helping people move from one place to another. Outstanding leaders share a vision so compellingly, people buy in because they see the benefit. Yes…BUY IN. Therefore, leaders sell and it’s a good thing.

Sales done right has never been ugly. Great salespeople believe they have something of value to sell, provide service and value first, and create a space where people can see themselves taking advantage of the value proposition. They are not selfishly manipulative. They are connecting dots. In essence, they don’t sell anything but an idea, creating a space for others to buy. They understand the wisdom of Jeffery Gitomer’s words, “Nobody likes to be sold, but everybody likes to buy.”

THE SUPERPOWER

The process of sales is the process of leadership. If we are to lead, we must sell. And to be truly effective, we need the superpower all great leaders and salespeople have – the ability to be an agent of change. This is leadership at its highest level – the ability to lead change, sensing when and how to initiate, support or facilitate it so that the stakeholders in an organization make it their own.

And yet, how many board members and community managers see themselves as leaders, salespeople and change agents?

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS….A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE

So many times it comes down to communications skills. We all have a tendency to communicate from our standpoint. Managers are trained to be technically proficient. Board members may be trained in governance. Unfortunately, as a result both are frequently ineffective. They are “doing their jobs” while missing the point. It has led to community association members disconnecting from their communities. Quoting from memory a comment from the Wall Street Journal, “People tend to have the same emotional connection to their HOAs as they do the Internal Revenue Service.” Ouch. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Think about how the message is received and you might realize you are coming off like Moses descending the mountain with stone tablets from God. Our message may be important, but it’s not THAT important. Worse, we may be accidently sending the message that people exist for the governing documents, when the truth is that those documents exist for the people. Or you may be coming off like a mean nun with a ruler, ready to whack all those disobedient children.

It doesn’t matter what you say. It only matters what is heard. And while you can never control what’s heard, you really need to think about the message and work your brains out to communicate from the receiver’s perspective, not your own. That’s what great leaders, salespeople, and change agents do. Make it real. Show the value. Explain the Why. And be patient. Because until you do these things, you’re just part of the increasing noise in your members’ lives.

INSANITY OR GENIUS?

If you are not connecting with your community or your client, if you are frustrated, it may be time to stop the insanity. Make a change. Start with how you see your role. Be leaders. Be sales people. Be change agents. Communicate like the best leaders and salespeople with the change agent superpowers.

Change the message and the delivery so it actually reaches your audience. It’s about them, not you. Make it real. Show value. Be a genius!

Thanks to Ed Loonam, PCAM, of Property Management Associates in Virginia Beach, Virginia, who gave me the inspiration to turn my SEVA-CAI CA Day sparks talk into a blog post!

business life, Communications, Magic Beans, Management

Magic Beans #3 – Right Question, Right Time

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This installment of the Magic Beans comes right from the front lines.

Last week, an on-site manager emailed a message with the subject line “Escrow Question:”

“I received a call today from a mortgage company trying to close a loan for next week and the budget sent them was years old. Can we discuss making sure those documents issued through HomeWise are current?”

Three emails later, the person responsible for coordinating documents with HomeWise (the third party provider of resale disclosures and lender questionnaires) made a very smart statement:

“I would like to know the confirmation number for the order. The budget that is attached is what was uploaded to HomeWise…and has been included with 2018 resale packages.”

She was pretty well freaked out, concerned how an old budget could have been provided to a lender.

Two or three emails later, everything became clear. In the course of obtaining the order number, the lender took another look at the documents.  He realized he misunderstood what he was reviewing. He confirmed all was well, and apologized for the confusion.  The on-site manager in turn, apologized to the two people involved on the management company’s end. He said he erred by “trusting that the mortgage lender knew what he was talking about.”  Everything got done and the loan will close.  But it took several emails and an hour or so of combined work time from all the persons who became involved.

Breaking it Down

  • For whatever reason (perhaps moving too quickly, having a bad day, inexperience…it could have been any number of reasons) the lender misinterpreted the documentation and reported an inaccurate condition.
  • The on-site manager assumed that the documents were incorrect . He punted to other parties without fully investigating what was actually going on.
  • It took a couple of emails to clarify what was actually going on. The email subject line muddied the waters (it wasn’t really an “escrow” question).

Lessons Learned

  • Things happen. People get confused.
  • Making assumptions compounds error.
  • Delegating or directing action before determining the actual problem wastes time.
  • Precise and accurate communication saves time.
  • The quicker someone takes full ownership of a problem and thinks it through, the quicker that problem gets solved.

The Magic Beans

This situation illustrates a very common occurrence. Most of us are moving very fast these days.   Sometimes we make assumptions, react without thinking a process all the way through. We kick the can to someone else, thinking we’ve taken the appropriate action. Unfortunately, this can trigger a burst of wasted time and effort.

What would have happened had the on site manager sought to identify the actual issue? What if he would have asked the lender a question using these Magic Beans?:

“Could you please do me a favor and send over what you are looking at so I can see what you are seeing?”

A review of the document would have revealed the solution in a couple of minutes. 2 people would have solved the problem. No one would have gotten anxious about a problem that didn’t even exist. Even if it turned out there was an error with the documents, everyone would have been in a better position to get to the solution more quickly.

Why do these Magic Beans work? Because, like all the Beans, the words tap into deeper issues:

  • It is a data-based inquiry. There is no ego, no accusation of error, no blame casting or blame shifting.
  • It is a solution-based inquiry. It creates a partnership focused on getting something done.
  • It creates a space to get at the nut of the issue – fast.

Think back about similar situations you may have been involved in. Could asking this question up front have saved you and your team time and energy?

In the heat of battle it is very easy to miss opportunities for efficient solutions.  Sometimes the right question at the right time can save time and effort. Making sure everyone is clear and on the same page is always a time investment.

business life, Customer Service, Management, Time Management

Slow Down to Speed Up

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Maverick’s testosterone-drenched line to his partner Goose in the 1986 film Top Gun became iconic…fast. Since then, the thirst for speed in business and life has become unquenchable. (Interestingly, the thirst for coffee has also increased exponentially. Number of Starbucks locations in 1986 – 6. In 2018 – over 28,000. Coincidence? I think not…). We are trained to think fast. We are pressed to act fast. Speed is everything. And it seems to me that the unintended consequence of thinking and acting so fast has been a lack of thoughtfulness. I think it’s killing us, but we are moving too rapidly to see it.

“If you don’t have time to do a thing right, when will you have time to do it over?“ – Coach John Wooden

I see people working hard, but way too often things don’t get done efficiently or well. Despite all the tech tools to make us “better,” more mistakes are made. Frequently, errors are compounded as the can gets kicked to the next person in the office or email chain. Missed details. Rampant obliviousness to nuance. Poorly executed communication. Morale and customer service suffer. Listening skills…who’s got time to listen?

Speed Has Its Place

Don’t get me wrong, speed is essential in business. This is especially true when it comes to innovation (being at the “edge of the envelope” in Top Gun parlance). Tom Peters preaches this relentlessly and I think he’s right. One of his presentation slides remains a favorite – “Fail. Forward. Fast.” Mr. Peters is also correct when he says success requires a bias for action.  But when it comes to day to day administration and especially customer service, balance is needed.  Even in our immediate gratification world, a fast but lousy solution won’t cut it.

Preparation and Position

“Be quick but don’t hurry.” -Coach John Wooden

This is one of my all-time favorite Coach Wooden quotes. He emphasized the importance of being in the right place at the right time. That means preparing mentally, thinking strategically, and executing the plan. Failure to think ahead leads to players rushing into a play out of position and out of control. Whether it’s basketball or customer service, fast but not smart is usually ineffective.

I used to use a quote attributed to Lincoln to illustrate the value of preparation, but apparently it’s apocryphal. In doing the research, I found this gem and like it better:

A woodsman was once asked, “What would you do if you had just five minutes to chop down a tree?” He answered, “I would spend the first two and a half minutes sharpening my axe.” Let us take a few minutes to sharpen our perspective.

A failure to plan may lead to last minute heroics that might look good in the moment, but it’s a poor strategy in the long run. As Seth Godin tells it, cold yeast is the key to baking good bread.

It can feel like you don’t have time to think and plan. That’s stress playing its cruel trick on your brain. A sharp perspective leads to directed, thoughtful, and efficient action. Focused energy creates quickness. In the end, planning is a time investment, not an expense.

Stop, Drop & Roll

No matter how well you plan, the business day is on fire. We can jet from one thing to another and not realize we are wasting our time and energy. Just like they taught us as kids, if you catch on fire don’t keep running. Stop and put the fire out.

Plan to make yourself stop. Disconnect, recharge, analyze and adjust the plan as needed. It may seem counter-intuitive to slow your roll. But you will put yourself in position to get more done in less time overall. More quickness, less hurrying.

Coach of champions and 90 Second Rule creator Jim Fannin suggests thinking about your day like a football game. Why do teams take breaks at the quarters and the half? There are lessons there. Now expand the concept of regular breaks and regrouping to your weeks, months, quarters and years. It can make a huge difference for individuals, and organizations. But remember, time and events will fly by. If you don’t plan the breaks, they won’t happen.

Stop. Think. Act. Rinse. Repeat.

Get Off The Hamster Wheel

© Sam Saccone 2008

If you feel like this little guy, there’s your sign. The pace of progress and life will continue to increase. It always impacts you, but it doesn’t have to control you. You can still be fast, just be smart about it. Slow down a little.

Attitude, business life, community associations, Management

No D For Managers

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They say defense wins championships. As much as I enjoy employing sports analogies as a teaching tool, this is one I cannot use. Because when it comes to customer service, offense comes first. A defensive mindset is limiting and ultimately self-defeating.

Generally unhappy people are everywhere, so the odds that some of them live in a community you serve are pretty good. Whether or not their beef is legitimate, or whether or not it has anything to do with you personally, it may well feel personal. And some particularly miserable folks will take great pains to make it so. In these situations, defensiveness feels natural. In very negative environments, it might even feel necessary for self-preservation. It can be a challenge to avoid the trap of defaulting to playing defense in your interactions with owners and residents.

SILLY HUMAN TRICKS

People unconsciously live up or down to expectation. So when you set a defensive tone, people are more likely to be contrary. They also mirror, that is, reflect the emotions and behavior of those with whom they interact. That means (1) as a professional problem solver, people bring you problems. They may not be happy about that problem and their negativity will rub off on you unless you are very careful. And (2) if you are negative, they are more likely to be negative. Think about it… are you are one of those managers who complains regularly about your job? Are you creating a space where negative transactions are likely, maybe even inevitable? Oops.

A word about “CYA” (covering your…butt). Some old school, burned out managers will tell you that CYA is the first rule of management. It might be the first rule of mediocre management, but not good management. CYA is the sure byproduct of doing good business. The follow up email, the contemporaneous business record, the documentation of conditions, inspection reports, thorough board packages – these are all fundamental business practices that protect both you and the association. But when your first goal is CYA, you get selfish. You do things that clearly protect you, but are frequently short sighted and have little to do with addressing the real issues of the day. A mindset of self-protectionism can create a vicious cycle of ineffectiveness that leads to distrust. Constant defense becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“But Tom, we live in a litigious society. And my Board questions every move I make. I have to play defense all the time!”

You are right. But your strategy is flawed.

IN CUSTOMER SERVICE, A GOOD OFFENSE IS THE BEST DEFENSE

Great managers play offense by taking a proactive, positive approach to their work. They don’t wait for problems to come, they look for opportunities to address things before they become problems. When problems do come to them, they see the opportunities hidden within.

When you take the initiative to play offense first, you free your mind to see the possibilities. You recognize the potential for good in people and help them to be their best selves. You build trust. You find you don’t have to play defense so often. Your reputation creates space for good things to happen. And you put yourself in a position to love what you do.

How Great Managers Play Offense

• Think solutions and work towards them, even if you can’t give your client exactly what they want. Or anything approaching what they want for that matter. Be that person who gets things done despite challenges.
• If a statement needs correction, do it in the third sentence, not the first.
• Focus on the principles behind the matter at hand. Teach. Help others to raise their thinking.
• Don’t mirror the negative, problem-based mindset of others. Let them mirror your positive, solutions-based approach.
• Paint a picture of possibility and a bigger perspective.
• And yes, document, document, document. It’s just good business.

Communications, Emotional Intelligence, Magic Beans, Management

Magic Beans #2 – No Buts About It

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This installment of the Magic Beans series focuses on one little word choice in one-on-one communication that can make a big difference.

THINK ABOUT IT

How many times do you use the word “but”? Take a count for a week. You might be surprised.

“But” marks a transition of thought. You might use it when you think something is dreadfully wrong… “But you are missing the point!!” Perhaps more often, you may tend to strategize your way into a “but” to offer an alternative position. You might even start with a palatable point of agreement with all good intentions. You know your counterpart disagrees with your position at the moment. You are trying to find common ground in the hopes they will be able to hear what you plan to say next. Then you transition with something like: “But I think…”, “But what about…”, or the ever so artful “But I wonder if…”

So here’s another exercise for you. For the next week, listen for every time someone else uses the word “but.” Pay attention to your immediate reaction. Unless there is a high level of trust in the relationship and in the moment, you will probably notice some level of negative emotion. This is where word choice counts.

THE GREAT ERASER – DEFLECTOR SHIELDS ON!

The problem with “but” is that it has the power to be the Great Eraser. It can effectively wipe out everything that was stated before it. Think about you how felt when you heard it while in a vulnerable place. Maybe it was during one of those dreadful annual performance reviews (which, by the way, I suggest we abandon). The reviewer just said 3 or 4 nice things about you, dutifully following the “3 Cs of Counselling” (comment – correct – commend). And then….wait for it…. “But there is some room for improvement…” Your defenses go up. You might start to think you just got played. You begin to formulate your counter argument.

The bottom line for any conversation – you might not be able to truly hear anything that’s said after you hear the Great Eraser.

What if you are wrong, or the truth is somewhere in the middle? What if you could have benefitted from the point made?

So what can you do when you are on the other side of things?

CHANGE THE GAME

Last exercise – anytime you feel the urge you use the word “but,” substitute “and”. Perhaps something like:
“…and I also noticed…”
“…and it makes me wonder if…”
“…and as I thought about …”

PLAN B

There are some circumstances where “and” might feel disingenuous or out of place. In those cases, see if you need a transition at all. If that sounds too abrupt, perhaps a softer phrase such as “on the other hand” could be employed. Be aware of your audience and the circumstance, and use your best judgment. Just remember that it doesn’t matter what you say, only what was heard.

WHY?

  • Your listener’s deflector shields might just stay down long enough to hear the message
  • You avoid the (hopefully) unintended message that you devalue the listener or their opinion/position
  • It changes the way you think and communicate, opening up dialogue that might just lead you to adjust your thinking – it could lead to asking more questions that will benefit both parties
  • It helps to avoid a perception of judgment and creates space for collaboration
  • It takes away a fence and builds a bridge

If you are like me, you’ll find the “but” habit hard to break, and easy to slide back into. It will take some self-awareness and thoughtful planning. If you’d prefer to play the ego game and prove yourself right all the time, it’s OK. Go ahead and stick with “but.” If you’d rather get things done and work effectively with others, take the “buts” out of it.*

*See what I did there? Plan B. I suppose I could have started with “On the other hand,…”