Over the past few years, some aspects of customary, socially correct behavior has seemed to regress or at times even disappear. From leaders in the highest offices to our most beloved celebrities, we can read about name-calling, blaming, threats, and even outright violence. Is it really surprising when these behaviors trickle into our communities and work spaces? In order to guide our communities in a more positive direction, it helps to identify uncivil behavior and lead by example. With a lot of deliberate, consistent effort, our positive behavior can become contagious.
We’ve all dealt with the outburst from a client or Unit Owner who doesn’t get their way and writes a dramatic email or says something nasty. It’s easy to dismiss them as unhinged, ignore all their future complaints and get defensive in these unpleasant situations. It’s important to be self-aware of these human tendencies, because it can lead to habits that will not serve you well. If you hide from the tough conversations, you might miss out on the opportunity to connect with others, learn from the interactions and grow. Even though it may trigger tough emotions to deal with the challenging client, confronting them can nip problems in the bud. You may even gain an ally! Start by making a conscious effort to put yourself in the strongest mental state so that you are best-equipped to deal with the inevitable challenges that arise.
Self-Reflection: Be cognizant of how much media you’re taking in every day and the influence it might have on you. The trend of constant media and social network notifications may work well for those who benefit from extra views or clicks, but excessive exposure might have an adverse impact on our thoughts, attention and behavior. Sometimes we expend so much emotional energy reading the news that by the time we arrive at work, we’re depleted. Disconnect from the breaking news long enough to focus on what’s most important, both personally and professionally. How is the information you absorb moving you towards your goals and who you aspire to become?
Empathy: Depersonalize the situation whenever possible. In more cases than not, the client isn’t yelling because of you but because of the situation. Think about what they might be going through in their personal life with the challenges in the world and take a deep breath before responding. You may be the only person who listens to them today. If you can, counter their distress with a calming tone and a thoughtful response. Will your undistracted attention for the next ten minutes save you hours over the next month?
Situational Awareness: Some of us have also noticed situations where someone makes a bold political statement to strangers or in the workplace, under the assumption that everyone agrees. I’ve seen it make others in the room very uncomfortable or outright angry. While it’s tempting to share your opinion about the latest piece of legislation in Congress, don’t forget to take note of your environment, your relationship to the listener and the possible repercussions. For example, if you’re getting interviewed for a job, you may not want to risk blaming a person or administration for the current events of the day. Even if the community is in a location where the demographics seem to point to a particular opinion, you don’t want to put your foot in your mouth later. Once you learn about the political or ideological leanings of a person, just remember to keep it professional at work.
Keeping these habits in mind can help us deflect and appropriately respond to uncivil thoughts and behaviors. Some other challenges that you may run into at work can be ameliorated by practical strategies.
Write it down: Some people’s stress shows up as aggressiveness, while others’ stress manifests as anxiety. Anxiety can cause us to start thinking selfishly or otherwise worry about possibilities that may never happen. When others come to you with concerns or hypothetical situations, fight the inclination to dismiss them as unrealistic. Instead, try brainstorming your concerns (or your residents’ concerns) and plan some possible solutions. The anxiety becomes less of an abstract idea to obsess over and more of a concrete problem you can solve. What are the pros and cons of each option? What is the worst thing that can happen and how can you mitigate it?
Set Expectations: In a world where we can get instant groceries, dates and packages with the click of a button, some people expect the same instant gratification of their community manager. Asking to “speak to the manager” has become an internet joke. For managers, it can often translate to copying the entire Board of Directors to an email. Unfortunately, some creative solutions require time to develop, especially if they are to last. If a problem will take some time to resolve, let the resident know the challenges you are considering. Provide an estimated time for completion or resolution and keep them in the loop of any progress.
Acknowledge opposing views: Things aren’t always black and white in community management. Nor can we predict the future. So it’s important to acknowledge counter-arguments even when they don’t fit the narrative we want to create. If you make a mistake, predict something wrong, or there are possible negative consequences of your recommendation, talk openly about it. How might you pivot your plans moving into the future?
It can be instinctual to tune out anything that requires extra time or energy when it feels like you don’t have any to spare. With everything going on in the world, our emotional state and the example we set may be the least of our worries. However, as a leader of your community, you are in a position to be a calming and positive influence. Small, deliberate interactions can accumulate and create real change. You may find that you not only save time in the long run, but you also get a little peace of mind!
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There are seminal moments in our lives and careers. One of mine was circa 1985. I bumped into a board member of a condominium for whom my maintenance company had completed some projects. The question she asked me that lovely spring day on a bustling city sidewalk 35 years or so ago changed the way I approached business and I am certain it led to both my entry and inevitable exit from the community management business… “Tom, how come we can’t find a good management company? Are there any of them out there?” My mind raced as I thought through the three they had fired, all of whom I thought were among the better companies that I had worked with as a contractor. I gave her a tactful answer, but one she did not expect to hear. More on that in a moment.
As a young entrepreneur, I had begun to immerse myself in the study of leadership. I started working with community associations a couple of years before that fateful exchange. I became fascinated by the dynamics of volunteer boards, their communities, and the managers who served them. A few short years later, in a joint venture with a management company, I entered into a contract to provide part-time, on-site management for a small condominium. Eventually, I left my business and dove into management full time for the next 30 years. I had the privilege of working with some great managers and boards. For much of my career, I was also the company’s designated “Fixer.” If it was messed up, my job was to find a way to make it work. Of course, I was not always successful, but it was the best business education I could have received. Along the way, I saw the great, the good, the bad, and yes, the ugly. Stepping away from the management business and working with clients from the community association field in a different capacity and in different markets has reinforced for me how unique communities can be. At the same time, I see common principles, fundamentals, and practices that produce results. So…here are eight characteristics that exist in the most successful and sustainable board/management company relationships.
1. Shared Expectations
The working relationship between a board and management company can be very dynamic and fluid. Times change, technology changes, society changes, people change, volunteers change, and properties age. These factors all may impact expectations. An agreement for management services provides a basis for expectation and accountability. It also needs enough flexibility to address the variables inherent in the relationship. COVID has been a testament to this. Who could have anticipated the workload and process changes that the pandemic would require? Agreement on contract terms and ensuring that these are in harmony with the board’s goals is crucial to a sustainable and successful relationship, which leads directly to our second characteristic.
2. Communication
In my management days, I would receive the occasional phone call from a board member along the lines of: “Would you be interested in sending us a proposal for management? Our company is horrible.” These days, the question is: “Can you help us find a new management company?” My first answer has remained the same. “Have you spoken to company executives?” Astonishingly, 90% of the time, the answer has been no! Changing management companies is a big deal. It can take far less time and effort to repair a damaged relationship than it would to make a change. Talk about it, set clear and reasonable expectations, see if it can be fixed. If not, then it’s time to move on, but not before.
Management companies can bolster the relationship by maintaining periodic executive-level contact with volunteer leaders, especially when the players change. This may be after annual meetings, changes in board liaisons, and any time there is a manager reassignment. Likewise, new boards are wise to get on the same page with the management team as soon as possible during these transitions. Don’t let the relationship fall off the rails!
At their core, business relationships are human relationships. Just like in our personal lives, we get busy, make assumptions, and don’t always get the message right. Communications suffer and issues fester. The electronic age makes this a bigger challenge. Consumer expectations for immediate gratification (the Amazon effect) have challenged all customer service industries. Businesses can rely so heavily on technology to gain efficiencies that they adopt a transactional mindset without realizing the negative long-term impact on the relationship. Zoom meetings are great for efficiency, but we miss the cues that the full human interaction experience provides. Tech and society will continue to change, but some things remain the same. Community management is a relationship business. Relationships require effective communication. And it needs to go both ways.
3. Mutual Benefit
All sustainable business relationships are mutually beneficial. A zero-sum game benefitting the client will inevitably lead to poor management performance. A company that can’t make a profit will fail. Historically of the real estate management niches (commercial, rental, and community associations), community association management is the least profitable. A review of the history of the industry and market pressures helps one to understand how we got here. The full story would be an article all by itself. The net result is that community association management as a professional field has become increasingly commoditized. Profit margins are always tight.
This can lead to the zero-sum game benefitting the company, which is likewise unsustainable. Unintentional service creep can happen slowly over time with managers and boards losing focus on contract specifications. A manager may lose focus of contract out of sheer work volume and when the board is unaware and seems happy with their performance. Regardless of intent, the reality of this situation is that the relationship is being abused and could end badly.
In the end, the old axiom is true. You get what you pay for. The logical corollary should therefore be that you should pay for what you get. Maintaining awareness of and regularly revisiting contract specifications for any adjustments to meet the needs of the community are the keys to ensuring mutual benefit.
4. Flexibility & Reasonableness
Great service companies will go above and beyond from time to time. Community management is such a dynamic field that a manager will inevitably see the need to do something technically outside of their scope. They want to make their clients happy and just take care of it. But there is a danger of an unintentional death spiral.
I’ve seen this play out many times. Management agreements typically include provisions to charge for work outside the scope of defined routine services. Many managers fear a negative reaction from clients and shrink back from noting that a requested service is a billable item. Sometimes, the assignment is completed and that’s that. Everyone is happy. But sometimes, the requests keep coming. The manager becomes overburdened. The task list gets longer and longer. The board grows increasingly dissatisfied, and the manager grows increasingly resentful. All the while, more times than not, the board has no idea that they are making unreasonable requests because the manager never said a thing about the contract terms.
When there is healthy communication about the best way to handle non-routine services, boards can make business decisions to allocate funds that allow the company to bring in the resources necessary to accomplish the task or facilitate service by an outside party. Reasonable boards understand that a set-price contract cannot be a blank check. (See Mutual Benefit and Communication)
5. Get Out of the Box
Fundamentals and time-tested principles apply to every relationship, but every situation is unique. One of the most valuable skills board and management companies can have is the ability to see things as they are and recognize when glue diligence (“that’s the way we’ve always done it!”) needs to be replaced by due diligence, which may involve finding a non-standard solution. This is where my experience noted in the introduction had such a profound impact. The board member who complained about perfectly good management companies didn’t have a performance problem. She had a system problem. She lived in a 27-unit condominium with a seven-person board and half a dozen or so active communities. Most unit owners were retired. I loved that community because it had such a remarkable commitment to volunteerism. If you lived there, you were on the board, a committee, or both. However, the volunteers had no context to see how much management work was being generated by all that activity. They were NEVER going to be satisfied with the level of time and attention a portfolio manager could give them under the terms and price of a standard management agreement. They needed to adjust the system, adjust expectations, or both.
Without analysis, we easily default to assuming that people stink. Just fire them and get somebody new. If you can’t see whether you have a performance problem, a system problem, or some combination thereof (usually the case to some degree), you’ll always be answering the wrong questions. Wise board and management companies invest the time to make the determination and have the creativity and flexibility to change the system if needed.
6. Clarity on Roles
The board’s highest and best role to benefit their communities will always be to lead. It sets the culture, goals, and standards for the community and its management. Everything a professional management company does can be grouped in one of two baskets – supervisory or advisory. Most boards have no problem rightly holding management accountable for the supervisory tasks it performs on behalf of and at the direction of the board. Highly functioning boards allow management to assist and guide as it fulfills its role. This allows the relationship to function at its highest level – as a partnership. This can involve helping volunteer leaders to translate strategies that worked in their professional or personal lives into the context of community associations and the statutory requirements, governing documents, and best industry practices that apply. Both parties may need to check their egos at the door: Board members might have to recognize the realities of an organization slightly outside their area of expertise, while managers who may passionately recommend a particular path have to recognize that the board is the boss and responsible for the decision.
Ideally then, as a leadership body, the board sets the targets (Why, What, and When), taking into consideration feedback and recommendations offered by professional management. Leadership gives management the resources to accomplish the resultant goals and delegates the details (How) to them. In that paradigm, management can focus on getting things done and reporting to the board. The board can focus on gauging results instead of getting bogged down in the process. For the board to stay out of the weeds and maintain a bigger picture focus, management must demonstrate competence and proactivity, and be willing to be accountable.
That said, there may be factors that make a certain level of “co-management” ideal. Communities that are blessed with volunteers who have subject matter expertise and time may allow them to successfully achieve more without having to pay more for management. Also, small associations suffer from the inequity of scale, requiring more time and attention than their management fees can reasonably command and making the co-management model more likely.
7. Get Things Done Without Being Pennywise and Pound Foolish
It is important to remember that a key role of a manager is to facilitate, not necessarily to do. A manager’s area of expertise is the administration of the community, governance, and business aspects of community associations. As such, they may maintain professional designations such as CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®, and LSM®. If they were also credentialed professional engineers, insurance brokers, architects, or licensed lawyers, associations would never be able to afford them. Yet, some boards expect managers to provide opinions and services outside their area of expertise, usually to save money. Wise boards understand that there are times when bringing in specialists is an investment. Wise managers, especially those with high levels of subject matter experience, know how to leverage that knowledge and put their boards in a position to make good business decisions.
Managers may feel pressure to have all the answers and assume they are expected to have all knowledge at the top of their heads. As a wise man once observed, it’s perfectly acceptable to say, “I don’t know,” if it is followed by a comma and not a period. “Can I get back to you on that?” can be the best answer a manager can give at the moment. Wise boards allow space for a manager to provide accurate information. Wise managers don’t wing it. This leads us to the final, and perhaps the most crucial characteristic of great board/management company relationships.
8. Trust & Respect
I was thrilled to get an “Aha” moment when I was introduced to a principle that was so simple, so profound, and so applicable to community associations. The basic premise of Steven M.R. Covey’s The Speed of Trust is this: When trust is present, things happen quickly and cost-effectively. When it is absent, everything takes longer and becomes more expensive in the long run. Trust is everything. It underpins all the other seven characteristics. Boards need to trust that their managers are advocating for them and acting in their best interest. Managers and management companies need to trust that the board is dealing fairly and reasonably with them. Trust begets respect. Both are essential to any highly-functioning relationship.
Let’s Do This!
There is far too much negative media about community associations. Certainly, there are bad players out there, but I am proud to be part of a field where so many dedicated people are working to get it right. Whenever I hear a negative comment about boards, I always take the opportunity to share that my experience has been that the vast majority of volunteers I’ve worked with serve for all the right reasons. That is particularly impressive considering how many goofed-up situations I’ve been asked to jump into. The same goes for managers and management company executives. Those that stick with the industry tend to be incredibly dedicated professionals with a servant’s heart, qualities that are all too rare these days. When community volunteers and the professionals who serve them choose to fulfill their responsibilities in a collaborative way and to an elevated level, it has a positive impact on the quality of life and investment of every community member. And they put themselves in a position, not only to leave a legacy of success, but to enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done. It is always worth the effort.
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I had a conversation once with a young manager. She was learning to navigate the sometimes challenging terrain of management-board relationships. At the time she was working for a management firm that had, in my opinion, lost their way. At one of their company functions, a more experienced manager had shared an anecdote about golfing, drinking, and intense schmoozing with his board president. She concluded, “I guess it’s true – the best strategy for job security is being buddies with the board president.”
NO, NO, NO!
Our young manager had a misguided understanding of what customer service is all about on a deeper level in the specific field of community association management. How can managers and other professionals truly serve their community association clients?
What Are We Really Doing Here?
Miriam-Webster says a contract is “a binding agreement between two or more persons or parties.” I think there is a fundamental element missing from that definition. In order for the performance of a contract to meet the expectation of the parties, the definition should finish with the words, “…that provides mutual benefit to both parties.” A zero-sum gain approach to a contractual relationship is short-sighted. If the party performing the service is forced into a low-price box, or is otherwise constricted in the performance of their duties, the relationship often proves unsatisfactory and tends to be short in duration.
When the agreement is some form of service contract, one of the benefits to the client is they receive services that they do not have time and/or expertise to perform themselves. Digging deeper, that means a client is forming a partnership of sorts with a party who brings value to the table. The more mutual the benefit and the deeper the partnership, the more successful the relationship can prove to be.
Supervisory + Advisory = Partnership
Management contracts and position descriptions describe the work that will be performed on behalf of the client. This is proper and important, because it establishes expectations for service. It is describing supervisory functions. Yet, a contract or position description does not always describe the expertise with which those tasks may be performed. Furthermore, the greatest potential value of the relationship may be largely unstated, except perhaps in the fluffy marketing material provided in a proposal. Excellent management companies and professional managers are able to provide recommendations and guidance that can change the status quo and set the table for progress and improvements in the community. It is these services of an advisory nature that make the relationship most beneficial to the client. Yet, while most boards are happy to take management to task for deficiencies in their supervisory duties (and reasonably so), they may never get to the level of receiving or accepting advisory services. In the end, no one wins.
The Challenge? Fear & Schmooze
Some managers are afraid of getting fired. Some may be inexperienced. Some may lack confidence in their abilities. Boards may micromanage for any number of reasons. An “on-the-cheap” mentality may have led to a vicious cycle of mediocre service. Mediocre service invites micromanagement. A manager who never passes the test of capability in supervisory duties will never earn the trust necessary to be an advisor.
Some management companies are afraid of being fired. They fear telling clients anything that they think will put the contract at risk. This sometimes plays out in a blame game. Companies throw their own managers under the bus to appease an angry client and never deal with core issues. Saving the client by skewering your own people creates a cancerous organizational culture and impedes true partnership. It’s based on personality or politics, not leadership, values and vision.
All of these factors are unhealthy. They easily lead down the slippery slope of schmooze. Trading professionalism and respect for a shallow relationship based on low standards may keep the relationship going for a while. But no one is well-served, especially not the community members. That is why I see this as so insidious. Community Association 101: Board members and the managers who serve them have a duty to care for the best interests of community members as a whole. Anything that works against that violates this fundamental principle of leadership and stewardship.
It’s Not Always Evil
Sometimes people just don’t know. A dedicated volunteer leader may not realize what is available. To illustrate: While performing an operational audit for a client, it became clear to me that volunteers had been performing management duties for a long time because they did not have a clear picture of what a professional could do. During that engagement, there was a need to find an interim on site manager. I was able to connect them with two PCAM-credentialed managers for short periods of time. Both of them blew the board away. A new world opened up to them over the course of a few short weeks.
When the Customer is Right
“The customer is always right.”
– Chicago Retailer Marshall Field, 1905
There are times when our clients are always right. Like when expressing how they feel about something. Or when they communicate an expectation. Whether or not a feeling is justified or an expectation is reasonable is a different matter. In the moment, it’s irrelevant. That IS how they feel, that IS their expectation. We spend too much time judging the feelings and opinions of others. It’s a damaging, waste of time. Just listen. Acknowledge. Identify.
When the Customer is Wrong…or Perhaps Uninformed…
Sometimes a manager’s conundrum raises its ugly head when a client has difficulty accepting reality. There could be different reasons for this. Fear, ego, or simply a lack of understanding can be powerful obstacles. In this critical moment, a manager may feel she has a choice – tell the client the truth, or tell them what they want to hear. The truth is, a professional manager has a duty to provide their best advice, whether it will be accepted or not. The art is in the telling. Managers with high will discern whether their challenge is in the timing of the message, its presentation, or both.
Rolf Crocker, CEO/Principle of OMNI Community Management, LLC, in Fair Oaks, California, is one of my favorite thought leaders in the community association business. He has a unique perspective and a knack for helping others reach clarity. He taught me a rhetorical device to guide clients to what should be an obvious answer. A version he usually uses is as follows:
“This is the point in the conversation where I ask you if you want to hear what you want to hear, or do you want to hear what you need to hear? If it’s what you want to hear, we can talk about the weather, the market or your favorite sports team.”
This approach is genius. He’s making his point while allowing his listener the room to make light of it – for a moment.
Getting to Mutual Benefit
Boards and managers need to be deeply rooted in the fundamentals of business, ethics, and leadership. Management has to suck it up and prove value, sometimes without being paid for it at first. It’s a tough row to hoe, but “trust me and pay me” won’t always work. Once the opportunity for value is proven, boards need to see that value, respect it and pay for it. We must be responsible for ourselves, remember who we serve, and stay true to that, no matter the short term cost. Tell truth to power, tactfully but unfailingly. Forging and maintaining successful partnerships is one of the most fulfilling human experiences we can have. Please don’t blow it by throwing away principles and relying on a relationship based on influence. Those come and go. Partnerships based on respect, trust, and shared values are those that last. Done right, everyone wins.
Is this a pipe dream in the commoditized and occasionally political world of community association management? Nope. I’m proud of the relationships I forged with the communities I served. I am also comfortable with the few relationships ended by one party or the other. Those partnerships were fatally flawed and needed to end. My principles remained intact and there are no regrets. I’m not alone. There are some great managers, companies, and boards out there who get it. They are profitable in every way. Just ask Rolf.
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If you were to read governing documents for community associations written in the days of old (OK…the 70s), you might well get the idea there was a vision that volunteer homeowners would gladly offer themselves up to lead and manage their communities. The assumption seemed to be that communities would be full of willing, qualified and able owners ready to handle all the business of running the not-for-profit organization. Little did anyone envision the legal and technical challenges that would become part of the effort, much less the time that would be required.
Nearly half a century later, reality has set in. Volunteer leaders need professionals to some extent if they are to serve and protect the interests of their members. Regulation, emerging and ever-changing law, technical expertise, and available time are all factors. Yet, it is well known in the business community that serving community associations can be tough. It is a specialty niche, and professionals working in the space understand that. They know that, as compared to working in other forms of real estate such as residential, rental and commercial, it takes more time to get things done, usually at a lower profit margin.
But community members don’t always recognize this. It’s money out of their pockets, so of course, they want to watch their costs. A DIY, price-only, bottom line mentality can significantly influence financial decisions. The true cost isn’t always recognized….until after the lawsuit…or the third time something has to be fixed….or community spirit goes south….or the special assessment hits…Suddenly the cost of quality professional service and advice doesn’t seem so high after all.
It is very easy to chalk this thought pattern up to the prototypical penny-pinching board. But the issue may be deeper. Boards of directors may fail to discern the difference between up-front price and long-term cost, between investment and expense. It may be a lack of vision and the inability to perceive value.
The Issue is TRUST
Typically, there are many missed opportunities to build trust and provide value to association members. Vision, communication, and leadership are the keys to the perception of value. And a key component of recognizing value is trust.
A challenge for professionals serving community associations is your clients might not fully trust you. Consciously or subconsciously, you might be Herb Tarlek to them.
Yes, Herb Tarlek, the occasionally abrasive, egotistical & self-absorbed salesman from the old sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. He isn’t trusted, not only for his godawful sports jackets but because it is crystal clear he’s in it for himself. His approach is selfish and transactional. Sadly, attorneys and consultants are sometimes perceived in a similar way. Some clients feel your primary goal is creating opportunities for billable hours. The research you do in providing opinions can look like billable busywork to them. When management companies highlight the value of their services it might seem like manipulative self-promotion.
Some community association lawyers and management companies have a knack for building trust and proving value. As a consultant, I am viewed similarly, so I’ve been happy to apply the following concepts I’ve learned from these exceptional community association professionals.
Ask More Questions: Lawyers who listen build partnerships. Those who ask questions get buy-in. Socratic training has benefits that transcend depositions and courtrooms.
Simplify the Message: Ego will not permit many clients from admitting they do not understand what their lawyers are communicating. Many lawyers don’t help themselves by communicating strictly from their training and perspective, forgetting that communication is supposed to benefit the client. The old W.C. Fields quote works against you: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with [BS].” The more words you use, the more likely you’ll be perceived as the self-absorbed, egotistical Herb, trying to sell them a justification for the fees you are charging. Using plain English summaries, FAQ format and other tools can help to make the communication palatable and trustworthy.
Use Humor: A little levity at the right time can build rapport and show clients there is a human behind the suit. So long as it’s genuine and you actually HAVE a sense of humor.
Give a Little Away: There is great power in the zero invoice. Choosing a moment where you can give a client a break can make a significant impression. An $800 invoice detailing all the time and activity followed by an $800 courtesy discount shows value. It shows the client it’s not all about fees, and that the relationship is appreciated. I’ve also heard clients recount with appreciation conversations with attorneys noting, “He was nice enough to tell me he was turning the clock off during our conversation.”
Give a Little Away (Part 2): Some law firms and management companies offer board training as part of their agreement. As soon as one is perceived as a consultant providing value, they are less likely to be perceived as a self-promoting salesman.
THE TAKEAWAYS …
Value begets trust, trust creates value.
Think relational, not transactional.
If you focus on billable hours or self-promotion, you may have an average client for a while. If you focus on giving value, you are more likely to have a great client for a long time.
Think and communicate from the client’s perspective. Always.
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When I taught my first M-100 class for the Community Associations Institute, I had a little bio to share with the class. I wanted to let them know where I came from, and that at one point in my career, I was them. In many ways, I still am. I’m still a student too, nervous amongst people I don’t know and worried about saying something stupid in the classroom. And once upon a time, I too was anxious about passing a test so I could get reimbursed for my educational expense. I wanted to let them know I respected them and would do my best to give them the best value I could during our time together. I also wanted them to realize how impactful their jobs were, and how important it was to be a professional.
And then a funny thing happened. I said, “I’m a tie guy.” It just fell out of my mouth.
Respect
Community association management is an interesting field. It is typically less profitable than its older cousins, commercial and “residential” (i.e. apartment) management. This is true for a few reasons, which I will no doubt rant about in a future blog. To do it well requires a skillset and level of emotional intelligence uncommon in the workplace. For these reasons, many commercial and residential managers want nothing to do with community association management.
Community association management has a different paradigm than other real estate management niches – community managers are managing their bosses.
Volunteer leaders are ultimately responsible for the success of their communities. And as successful as they may be, or may have been, in their respective fields of endeavor, only a tiny percentage have ever been in the shoes of their community manager. They frequently do not realize what it takes to be one.
Put it all together and it’s not surprising to find that many community association managers struggle to feel appreciated and respected.
Chickens and Eggs
In all these years of training and mentoring managers, I noticed a pattern. Many managers were missing the boat and accidentally creating self-fulfilling prophecies. They yearned for respect on their terms, but they weren’t always doing the things that would earn respect in their client’s eyes. Feeling underpaid and under-appreciated, they assumed a victim’s mentality. They often say, “I’ll do more when I get paid for it,” which is somewhat akin to staring at a gas stove and saying, “If you give me flame, I’ll give you some fuel.”
On the whole, the profession hasn’t always been synonymous with respect, even within the industry. I gave a presentation at CAI’s Law Conference a couple of years ago. I bumped into one of the lawyers from the Midwest who had been in the audience. He let me know he really enjoyed the presentation, but he was confused that I was from the management side of the business. His exact words? “…But you are articulate.” Ouch. We’ve got work to do.
Professionalism
Several years ago, when my concerns about professionalism in the industry began to rise, I served as Education Council Chair for the Washington Metro Chapter of CAI I was thrilled that Joe Douglass of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston agreed to present on the topic for CAI. During that time, I was working for a management company that had a reputation for being “old school.” Unfortunately I was slammed and could not attend the session. The next day Joe took the time to call me.
“Thanks for calling, Joe. How did the session go?”
“It went really well. But I wanted to reach out to tell you about something I said before you heard it from anyone else.”
“Umm…OK….”
“Well, I got up there and looked around, but I didn’t see you or anybody else from Zalco there…”
“Joe…what did you say??”
“My intro was ‘What does it mean to be a professional? Do you have to wear a suit and tie every day like a Zalco guy?’ The room broke out in laughter. Then I said, ‘No, but it doesn’t hurt!’”
He was worried it would seem like he was making fun, but I loved it. I thought it was great that our reputation was so well established with the local business community. Talk about branding!
So Why the Tie?
Does a tie make me smarter? Nope. Does it make my work better? Not directly. But it sends a message. It reminds me about my mission and it lets the world know I’m serious about it. Don’t get me wrong, I know several professional community association managers who represent themselves, their organizations, and their industry in an exemplary way who rarely if ever, wear ties. Plus, CAMS in Texas and Florida might even faint from heat exhaustion if they had to wear one every day!
Still, here in the Mideast, a tie says something. I want to equip as many managers as possible to be worthy of the respect they seek. I want managers to get paid what they are worth. I want the profession to be respected and appreciated. Like it or not, appearances can either add or detract. A tie dresses up a man physically. It can likewise accentuate his professionalism. If it’s backed up by actions, it says:
I am serious about what I do
I respect you
When I represent you, I want to do so favorably
I respect the value of the work I do for you
I am a professional
Necessary? No. But it doesn’t hurt.
The M-100
So there I was, beginning of the class. I gave my spiel about our profession and the tie, and why I would be wearing one throughout the class. I explained that I am more comfortable wearing ties pretty much every time I do educational presentations out of respect for the participants and their time. Most of the class was dressed in business casual, which was entirely appropriate. I thought nothing further of it.
Then Friday morning, Marvin shows up with a nice red tie. I was so tickled that I couldn’t even give him a hard time about the unbuttoned collar.
Marvin was on the staff of a high rise condominium. He was an excellent student, bright-eyed and clearly serious about his career. I could tell he understood the impact a professional manager could make on a community, and he was into it.
A few months later, I was not at all surprised to learn that Marvin had been hired as the general manager at another condominium association. I am certain he will do well.
Did he need the tie? No. But it didn’t hurt.
Was that an idea worth spreading? Then please do...and thank you!
