Building a great culture is one of the toughest challenges for any multifamily company but also the most important. Restaurateur Danny Meyer’s approach to cultivating a culture of generosity, excellence, and collaboration provides an ideal model that any industry can adopt—including multifamily. As a veteran of the hospitality world, Meyer’s experiences serve as suitable lessons for property management companies, real estate developers, and multifamily investors looking to create a positive and productive environment. His principles are inspirational and actionable, offering a blueprint for success.
1. The Foundation: Treat Your Employees as Your First Priority
Danny Meyer’s philosophy starts with putting employees first. This is the backbone of his “enlightened hospitality” approach. Meyer argues that focusing on your team first creates a virtuous cycle that benefits everyone involved. This is especially true in multifamily, where frontline workers like property managers, leasing agents, and maintenance teams directly impact residents’ experiences.
Instead of emphasizing residents or investors as the primary focus, Meyer’s model suggests an inversion: employees must be your top priority. When employees feel valued, heard, and empowered, they naturally extend that care to residents. Imagine if the multifamily team felt the same hospitality Meyer instills in his restaurant teams. The results would be excellent service, leading to happier residents, stronger lease retention, and more stable properties.
In practice, this can mean offering professional development opportunities, fair pay for performance, recognition programs, and an open door for employee feedback. A sense of belonging is key. Creating an environment where employees feel like stakeholders in a property’s success encourages them to go the extra mile.
2. Create a Culture of “Humble Swagger”
Meyer has described his ideal team members as possessing “humble swagger“—a blend of confidence and humility. This principle is especially important in multifamily settings, where residents interact with onsite teams regularly. Leasing agents and property managers need to be confident in their skills and show genuine humility and empathy toward residents. An arrogant or rushed attitude can quickly lead to resident dissatisfaction, even when the transactional work is done well.
How can you instill humble swagger in your team? It starts by clearly defining your company’s values. Like Meyer, multifamily companies should take the time to articulate the behaviors they expect from employees—rather than just listing vague company values. Using Meyer’s model, you could craft a set of expected behaviors like “prioritize resident relationships,” “problem-solve with empathy,” and “own your responsibilities with pride.” These behaviors should be consistent with those of the C-Suite and the service team.
When employees understand their expected behaviors, they’ll have a stronger sense of purpose. Meyer advises being crystal clear about these expectations from the moment a person is hired. Without such clarity, employees may struggle to balance what leadership desires with the day-to-day pressures of their roles.
3. Transforming Failures Into Growth Opportunities
Meyer’s success in the restaurant industry comes, in part, from his openness about his early failures as a leader. He admits that in the first years of his career, he made mistakes by prioritizing his need to be liked rather than earning the respect of his team. This is an important lesson for multifamily leaders. The drive to be liked by residents or team members can sometimes cloud judgment, resulting in leniency where accountability is needed or in unclear boundaries.
Leadership in multifamily should shift from being reactive to proactive. Rather than addressing problems as they arise, multifamily leaders can establish a forward-thinking culture. For instance, instead of waiting for resident complaints to pile up, why not institute regular surveys by Satisfacts or Kingsley to preemptively gauge resident satisfaction and address issues before they escalate? Just as Meyer learned to use his “words” and give clear direction, multifamily leaders should be vocal and upfront with their team members, encouraging them to adopt a problem-solving mindset.
A key strategy here is creating a space where employees can grow from mistakes. Instead of punishing errors, offer coaching sessions where employees can learn and develop better approaches. This method promotes continuous improvement, essential in an industry as people-centered as multifamily housing.
4. Use Hospitality as a Competitive Advantage
Hospitality is not limited to restaurants. Multifamily communities that embrace the concept of hospitality can differentiate themselves in a crowded market. Just as Meyer emphasizes creating a welcoming atmosphere for his restaurant guests, multifamily properties can create a “home away from home” experience for residents.
Hospitality-driven multifamily companies take extra steps to ensure their residents feel valued. This could mean personal touches like hosting community events, offering resident appreciation programs, or even ensuring that team members know residents’ names. Simple gestures, like a property manager greeting residents personally, can make a world of difference.
It’s also worth noting that property managers, leasing agents, and service technicians have the power to make lasting impressions on potential and current residents. Just as a good meal can leave a lasting memory, a warm and welcoming leasing and service experience can solidify a resident’s decision to sign and renew a lease.
5. Building Community Through Engagement
Meyer stresses the importance of creating community—whether among his team or with the customers they serve. Multifamily housing is uniquely suited to foster this same sense of community. In fact, with residents living in close proximity to each other, a strong culture of engagement can become a powerful selling point.
Consider implementing community-building initiatives that go beyond the typical pool parties or holiday events. Engage residents by creating volunteer opportunities, fitness classes, running, biking or book clubs. Meyer has successfully built communities around his restaurants, and the same approach can enrich a multifamily property from just a place to live into a vibrant, connected community.
Creating a company that values engagement can work for an internal community within the management team is also. A close-knit team that works well together more effectively serves the larger resident population. As Meyer puts it, “Your job is to do so many thoughtful things for each other that by the end of the day, it’s like playing tennis with good friends.”
Conclusion
Danny Meyer’s principles of enlightened hospitality, servant leadership, and clear communication offer a timeless guide for creating a winning culture in the multifamily industry. By putting employees first, nurturing humble swagger, embracing failure, and building a strong sense of community, multifamily leaders can create an environment where employees thrive and residents feel at home.