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.