Mike Brewer

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While social media feeds can sometimes seem to be filled with everything from the laughable to the infuriating, they can also be a feeding ground for creativity. Who hasn’t seen photographs where a vacationer is standing taller than the Eiffel Tower, keeping the Leaning Tower of Pisa from tipping over, or stepping on Stone Henge? These optical illusions are examples of forced perspective photography. Forced perspective in the arts has been around for centuries. Francesco Broromini was a leading figure in the emergency of Baroque architecture in the 17^th century and his spectacular example of forced perspective, a barrel-vaulted colonnade that looks much longer than it is, still stands in the Palazzo Spada in Rome.    

Looking at these interesting images led me to consider how such a take on perspective might be translated in a way that benefits people at work. The adage “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” is a practice in this type of forced perspective – before you can judge someone, you must understand their experiences, challenges, thought processes, etc. The exercise is intended to generate empathy and understanding both of which are far more powerful than judgement.  

If you wish to create a culture of trust in your organization, you must first be able to say, “I see you.” Before you can truly see someone, you have to do the work to get to know and really understand them. 

Walk the mile. And if you still don’t understand someone else’s perspective? I encourage to walk the second. Understanding others does not mean losing yourself but – when approached with an open heart and an open mind – the path forward, paved with newfound mutual respect, is elevated indeed.   

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A cursory google search for quotes about “today” is filled with such optimistic hyperbole that it starts to feel somewhat trite. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” “Make your someday today.” Or the simple “Today is a good day.” Ernest Hemingway is quoted as saying, “Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today.” Fair point, Mr. Hemingway.  

When it comes to attracting and retaining top talent, many companies acknowledge the concept that culture is paramount. The challenge that faces those companies is in being willing to turn the bright spotlight on, stand in front of the mirror and acknowledge The Gap. Not the trendy clothing brand but the actual GAP between who you say you are and who you really are. That gap. The companies that see the gap, hold themselves accountable to closing that gap, and invite others to call them out on it when they fail, have the best opportunity to begin to provide an authentic cultural experience.  

This gap exercise is essential for three reasons: 

Your prior team members know all about that gap and have no reason to protect it. Your current team members also know about the gap and although they may give the ‘right’ answers, they feel the dissonance. Finally, your brand-new team members that you spent countless dollars and hours attracting will know the gap before the first week is over.  

Close the gap. Invite candid feedback. Ask the uncomfortable questions. Listen and learn.  

Today is a good the best day for leaders everywhere to start living up to your company’s values and culture. Goodbye gap. 

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Ah – The Jetsons! “Meet George Jetson, his boy Elroy, daughter Judy, Jane – his wife!” Can you hear the theme song that brought the promise of a space-age tomorrow to Saturday morning televisions across the country? Although the single-season cartoon was originally only aired from September 1962 to March 1963, it lived on in syndication for decades and somehow stayed in the zeitgeist as the gold standard of the future.  

Artificial Intelligence and touch-free engagement were once the stuff of science fiction. Today, it’s ubiquitous across all business sectors and therefore in the daily lives of consumers everywhere. When was the last time you wrote a check? For anything? From online payments to virtual leasing, the daily highly repetitive tasks formerly managed by site teams are rapidly transitioning to automated systems. All transactions are becoming frictionless as we work to eliminate pressure points and bottlenecks.  

Optimizing tech solutions allows operators effortless access to clean data and trends. Of equal importance, they meet the demands of consumers who have completely adapted to seamless, on-demand, and touchless interactions. Everything from groceries to automobiles can be purchased without ever leaving the comfort of your device – wherever that may be.  

COVID-19 taught the world the critical value of low-touch efficiency. Companies that had been on the fence about making the technological shift scrambled to convert work processes and create virtual customer engagement. The pandemic forced the slow-to-adopt multifamily industry to get on board the expanded tech train. Now that the pandemic is beginning to wane, companies are considering the future. While some are eager to get back to business as it was, the companies that embrace the lessons learned in 2020 will likely become even more streamlined and tech focused which will continue to change the way our team members work and the tasks they perform.  

These inevitable changes will reorient our workforce. Property teams will likely become more dedicated to delivering elevated boutique-style customer brand experiences.  As AI expands in the multifamily space, the need for a human-centric approach grows with it. While consumers seem to want less face-to-face time, the expectation is clear – when face-time is required, it must be top notch, deliver on brand promises, and elevate the consumer experience.  

AI is here to stay. So are the humans.  

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TheHamilton Mausoleum is located in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was the resting place of the family of the Dukes of Hamilton. A place of ethereal beauty, its massive dome and high stone once held the record for the longest echo within any man-made structure in the world, taking 15 seconds for the sound of a slammed door to fade. The record was broken in 2014 at the somewhat less notable Inchindown oil storage tanks in the Scottish Highlands when an official fired a pistol blank inside one of the tanks and the sound reverberated for 112 seconds! 

Fascinating! But neither of these historic echo chambers holds a candle to the ones we find ourselves trapped in these days. Contemporarily speaking, an echo chamber is defined as an environment in which a person encounters only beliefs or opinions that coincide with their own so their existing views are reinforced, and alternative ideas are not considered. Google any current hot topic – religion, politics, climate change, or social justice and in the blink of an algorithm you are likely to find yourself in the company of people with like-minded views without any particular effort on your part – thereby reinforcing the rightness of your opinions. 

How does that affect your relationships at work? When you hire, coach, mentor, discipline, and even exit employees? Without serious effort, it is possible, even probable, that you may find yourself more drawn to people who are aligned with your personal worldviews and somewhat distrustful of those who aren’t.   

As businesses work to intentionally attract and retain a more diverse and inclusive workforce, it is essential that we examine the pitfalls inherent in our personal biases.  

Genuine curiosity is key. Encouraging curiosity across the workplace often results in more creativity and better business outcomes. Curiosity is also associated with less defensive reactions to stress. It can encourage people to understand each other’s perspectives and to take an interest in other’s ideas. Try this – when engaging in conversation, don’t come with a list of points you want to make but rather with things you want to learn. 

In such divisive times as these when the work of inclusion is more important than ever, healing begins with empathetic listening. Listening – deeply listening – is a vastly underrated life and leadership skill. Listening is hard work, made harder still in a world where our attention is fractured by constantly competing demands. Like any skill, it can be learned and improved upon with practice.  

I close with something wise that Bryant McGill had to say on both these topics: 

“Curiosity is one of the great secrets of happiness.” and “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” 

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On January 21, 2020, the US announced the first case of coronavirus from an American who had recently traveled to China and so commenced the early indicators of the end of life as we knew it.  

As of this writing, the world has experienced 164 million cases and 3.4 million deaths. In the last year, 34% of small businesses in the US have closed forever. Pre-pandemic, small businesses employed 47% of the nation’s private workforce. 

That is a lot of heavy-hitting experience to take in. Every company that is still in business is busy working on its plans to carry on from here.  

If you’re trying to figure out how to get back to normal, I think you’re missing the mark. Now is not the time to transition BACK. It is the time to evolve FORWARD. 

In the coming days and weeks, those companies that thrive will likely have embraced the challenges faced by their workforce head-on. Employees who remained on the front lines during the pandemic are weary. Those who worked from home? Also weary. During the crisis, people demonstrated their willingness and ability to rise above, carry on, and get the job done at whatever cost. 

Much of that cost was personal. It was emotional. It was psychological. It was draining. People cobbled together some form of getting by that included work, school, and daycare – some did all simultaneously. Fueled by fear and adrenalin, employees managed to learn the fundamentals of new technology while shushing small children and dogs. 

Don’t let the curated video conference background fool you. There is a mental health crisis bubbling under the surface for much of the world’s workforce today. While most people are grateful to still be employed, personal care and mental wellness can’t be put on the back burner forever. In an article written for the New York Times, Adam Grant described the current state of the mental health fog enveloping the country as “languishing” – that sense of stagnation and emptiness, of feeling aimless and joyless. If flourishing is the peak of well-being and depression is the valley, languishing is the middle ground – functional but muddled. Maybe best described by the Simpson’s – “Meh.”  

I think the path forward is paved with hope and candor. Businesses that make intentional space for candid, honest communication and supply real tools in service of the mental health of their employees have the best shot at retaining a workforce that feels heard, safe, and engaged.  

So, slow the roll on trying to get back to anywhere – now is firmly the time to create a pathway to something new.