Sacred Cows in the Apartment Business

I read a line the other day that I really liked’ “Sacred cows make the best hamburgers.” It got me thinking about stuff and things in the apartment space that just need to go. It’s that whole – “we have always done it that way.” mentality. Here is a good story that illustrates the point as well –

Because we have always done it that way

Sarah was excited about helping her mother prepare Thanksgiving dinner.  She watched as her mother cut both both ends off the ham before putting it in the pan and then into the oven.

“Mom, why did you cut off both ends of the ham?” Sarah asked.

“That’s the way my mother always did it, so that’s how I do it.” said Sarah’s mother.

“But why?”

“I don’t know.  You should ask your grandmother. “

Sarah walked out of the kitchen to find her grandmother.   “Grandma, when you prepared ham for baking, why did you always cut off both ends?”

“That’s what my mother always did it,” said Sarah’s grandmother.

“But why?”

“I don’t know why.  She taught me to cook and I have always done as she did.”

Sarah was even more perplexed by this.  She found her great-grandmother in the living room and asked her.  “Great Grandma, when you prepared ham for baking, you always cut off both ends.  Grandma and Mom do the same thing but couldn’t tell me why.  They said they do as you did.  So I’m wondering, why did you cut the ends off?”

“Well,” Great-grandma said, “when your great grandpa and I were young, we only had one pan and the pan was too small.”

Which sacred cows will you turn in the hamburgers in 2010

You can focus on every area of your business from apartment marketing ideas to the way you log a service request – from curb appeal to preventive maintenance for your fitness center equipment.

Two areas I would like to focus on in 2010 are:

1. Paperless lease transactions that include signature pads much like you would see at any retail location

2. Further automating our AP process –

Sacred cows that will no doubt taste good in the way of freeing up some time to focus on re-imagining our constituents experience.

Which SCs are you prepping to grill in 2010?