Apartment Leadership

From the moment expectant parents see the positive pregnancy test, they begin to imagine who their child might be. Fewer times are more fraught with hope and joy mixed with nerves over the many unknowns. When a pregnant woman is referred to Dr. Nicolaides, it is never a good sign, and hope is rapidly replaced with fear. Dr. Kypros Nicolaides is a world-renown pioneer in the field of fetal surgery whose discoveries have revolutionized the field. 

The Netflix docuseries “The Surgeon’s Cut” films several interactions with Dr. Nicolaides as he meets, diagnoses, and performs intrauterine surgeries on the unborn. In one case, the expectant parents listen as the doctor shows them via ultrasound the issues facing their identical twins, neither of which is expected to live more than 1-2 more days due to twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. The only hope is to perform a laser fetal surgery procedure immediately. This will give the bigger twin the best chance, however, the doctor patiently and kindly explains that the smaller twin may still not survive.  

Could there be a more emotionally loaded situation for expectant parents? Hope to fear – back and forth – and absolutely everything is out of their control. I can only imagine the racing thoughts, increased heart rate, tears, and prayers. The situation feels impossible but as is the case with most parents, there is only one choice – do what it takes to give my babies a chance. 

The mother is awake during the procedure. The doctor talks the parents through each step, what to expect, and checks in with them frequently. Do you see? Do you understand? This is what we will do next. This is the tool I am using. After numbing the mother’s abdomen, the doctor does one small thing that changes everything.  

He asks the mother to hold the hand of her partner and to hold the doctor’s arm with her other hand. And at that moment, the mother breathes again. She becomes part of the solution. The doctor gives the mother agency in that small gesture. It is as though she is assisting in performing the procedure to save her babies. The doctor continues to include the parents in every step. They trust him not just because he is smart and world-renown, but because he involves them. He sees them. He acknowledges them. The doctor is honest with them.  

It seems to me that in the multifamily industry we often connect with people who are in heightened emotional distress. That moment presents the opportunity to do the one small thing that changes everything. To see, to hear, and to acknowledge the honest pain/fear/distress in front of us and to meet it with compassion. From residents to team members, I encourage you to lead with the humility to say to yourself, what is the one small thing I can do such that this person feels seen and heard. 

Share your stories with us in the comments below!  

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The world watched in wonder this week as Richard Branson made history in the Virgin Galactic space plane Unity. The hour-long flight took its passengers 53 miles above the earth, provided 4-5 minutes of weightlessness, and even earned astronaut wings for those aboard. Although the price tag (estimated to exceed $250k/person) remains well out of reach for most people, it does pave the way for private space travel in the future.   

Traditional astronauts must complete more than a decade of advanced education and wait even longer for the rarified experience of flying a space mission. There are many dangerous components in a mission. The now retired space shuttle program experienced many successes and recorded some horrendous disasters and loss of life. Two of the biggest risks happen at launch and again at reentry earning the statement that a space shuttle is both a lifeboat and a death trap. Reentry is the final most dangerous hour.  

As the pandemic begins to wane and the options for gathering safely together expand, companies and the individuals who work for them face their form of reentry, and it is trickier than it seems. Sixteen months ago when the coronavirus forced the closure of most offices, companies scrambled to put together business plans that protected customers and team members while keeping the business functional. Everyone was asked to remain flexible, to rise to the occasion, and to make it work. By and large, team members did just that even as their personal lives were also upended. Schools closed, childcare was disrupted, and fear of the unknown was rampant. People adapted to working from home, and we all become a lot more tolerant of the occasional pet or child interruption during one of the endless video conference calls. 

As we approach the time for bringing office capacity up to more traditional levels, there are more considerations than it may seem. From my perspective, I think it’s important to put as much thought into the reentry plan as we did into the work from home model. Flexibility and a lot of critical self-reflection are key to this next chapter. It’s not as simple as picking a date on the calendar and issuing a mandatory back to the office memo. There are many moving parts to the coming transition including major technology components and the physical prep of office spaces to handle significant capacity changes. Those are the easy pieces.  

Reentry is complicated primarily because of its impact on humans. Although it was filled with pros and cons, team members adapted to the WFH cadence that allowed them to work without the time, expense, and stress of a daily commute. Of all the things that people missed about working together, I’d be hard pressed to name a single person who says they really miss sitting in traffic, burning through fuel, and wearing out their vehicle. Working from home gave people the chance to manage their households with small tasks between work or meetings. Toss in a load of laundry, walk the dog, or check over homework all while keeping work on pace gave a little breathing room for people who were juggling a heavy load. It also meant fewer hours spent getting ready, not worrying about forgetting something, and lower dry cleaning bills.  

People are out of practice and need time to acclimate to the process of preparing to leave home for 9-10 hours a day. Working together side by side is bound to feel strange after so much time apart. As leaders, we need to be prepared to give grace during the reentry period. We should to ask good questions, listen carefully, and allow that it will take time to adapt to this new world that looks familiar but doesn’t fit exactly like it used to. Decide how much in-person time is essential to the business. Is it all or nothing? Or is there a hybrid model that is effective and possibly more efficient? 

I don’t suppose that any of us know all the answers yet, but I am confident that the same people who were so flexible and thoughtful when everything changed sixteen months ago will come together and figure it out.