Apartment Leadership
Durable Goods
Lately, I have been thinking about durability – what lasts and what doesn’t and the things we hold onto versus what we should toss.
My wife grew up in a rural area of Wisconsin. She is a big fan of Carhartt and has owned some of their clothing for more than twenty years. I had the opportunity to learn more about their brand while shopping for a gift on my wife’s wish list. Carhartt’s claim of durability is justified – just ask their 1.2 million followers on Instagram.
Not Durable – Failure
In interviews with more than 100 people at the top of their fields, Tim Ferriss found they all shared two habits: 1. They ask ‘absurd’ questions and 2. They deconstruct fear. In the article, Francis Ford Coppola is quoted as saying, “Failure is not necessarily durable. You can go back and look at it and go, ‘Oh, that wasn’t a failure. That was a key moment of my development that I needed to take, and I can trust my instinct.”
If failure is not durable, why do we hold on to it? When engaging in real open-hearted conversation, most people can quickly recall and recount moments of failure – so much so that it feels like failure is cataloged in our brains for easy recollection.
Poor Decisions
Failures related to poor decisions can be quickly rectified in a culture of honesty and safety. Bad choices lead to better ones when shared openly with a team dedicated to group success. The only thing worse than a wrong decision is making NO decision – the GPS can’t let you know that you’re headed in the wrong direction until you start moving.
Character Failures
I find that failures related to character are the hardest to let go of. When I haven’t lived up to my personal values or acted in a way that contradicts them – those failures cut deep. They happen in business and personal relationships. I don’t know about you, but I find that I can readily recall those failures – can actually feel them in my body when I think about them.
But here’s the thing – even those personal character failures are not durable, and there is no value in holding on to them forever. Once you do the work – the personal character work – to reflect, course correct, and make amends for those failures – it is time to release them.
Past vs Future
Carrying around the weight of the past takes up personal bandwidth that is better used to serve your current and future purpose. Acknowledge past failures for the lessons they provided and move on. It’s easier said than done – but it is worth the effort.
What do you consider to be durable – important enough to keep? And what are you holding on to that is past its expiration date?
Let us know what you think.
Thank you for being part of the Multifamily Collective. Learn more by signing up to Catch the Weekly Rundown! It’s free, and we won’t spam your inbox!
Intuitive Leadership
I am not a teacher.
I have great admiration for teachers. They have the ability to take complex concepts and break them down into small components. Using those skills, they bring learners with varying levels of native proficiency to a place of understanding and application.
I have made a valiant effort, studying, preparing, and over-preparing for those times when it fell to me to teach, but it is not my natural skill. And that’s okay. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Some of us are birds and others are fish.
I love the book The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life by Boyd Varty. In it there is a quote by fellow tracker Renias Mhlongo; “I don’t know where I’m going but I know exactly how to get there.” That statement comes much closer to describing my leadership style.
I fall into the category of the intuitive leader in that I may not be able to explain every step along the way but I am confident in how to get there. My belief does not lie in my own personal ability to execute every component of a goal because any business’s success is tied to the work of the many. My trust is in how I understand my personal true north and in the intentional practices and the pole-watchers that I keep in place.
Intuitive leadership starts with personal development. For me, that involves a host of personal practices, morning, and evening routines that center my thoughts, examine my emotions, and set my intentions. My personal faith grounds me. These practices help soften my heart, sharpen my sword and prepare me for the day ahead. The people closest to me hold me accountable.
Intuition without deep personal work can be catastrophic. Without constraints, intuition can easily devolve into ego. It can blur the lines and divert your focus. It is easy to get lost in understanding your authentic values – making money without making a difference, confusing pleasure with joy, and creating goals that aren’t tied to purpose.
Intuitive leadership is most effective when tied with personal values. People trust a leader who leads from the heart and the gut. One without the other misses the mark. Everyone finds their own path to connect their personal values to their leadership style but if you want to lead with intuition, start with deep, committed, personal work.
Advertising & Authenticity
Who are we? What do we believe? What are we going to do about it?
Leo Burnett was an American advertising executive and the founder of Leo Burnett Company, Inc. He was responsible for creating some of advertising’s most well-known characters and campaigns of the 20th century, including Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger, United’s “Fly the Friendly Skies”, and Allstate’s “Good Hands”. In 1999, Burnett was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
I can’t take credit for the three leading questions above. Leo Burnett believed that every company should ask themselves those questions and they still apply today. The answers help businesses distill their understanding of identity, values, and intention – in other words, culture. Leo understood that “the work of [an advertising] agency is warmly and immediately human.” This human-centric statement resonates with me because I believe that there are few industries more engaged in the lifecycle of humanity than those in the multifamily industry.
The Impact of Culture
The Multifamily Collective is filled with content that credits culture as the most significant source of influence. The common language of shared culture is powerful. Entire countries, religions, and generations are grounded in shared beliefs, values, and practices which coalesce to form its culture. In business, a company’s culture is the most important factor in determining its long-term success. An organization that holds itself accountable to behaviors that are in genuine alignment with its published core values earns the trust and loyalty of its workforce.
Authenticity Matters
In all areas of life – personal, social, and professional – people are hungry for authenticity. Culture in word but not in deed is false and quickly fails the authenticity test. Depending on the source, reports show that consumers receive more than 5,000 attempts every day to influence their decisions. Targeted ads on Google, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and even Waze recognize where you are and what your online behavior trends indicate then use that information to make suggestions for you. Paid. Targeted. “Suggestions”.
Influencers are engaged in the business of influencing. In 2020, successful influencers earned somewhere around $1,000 on average per post depending on their statistics – reach, engagement, etc. When a person on social media posts authentic content about their life, passions, creative work, family, travels, etc., followers find it engaging and believable, and they develop a relationship with the person behind the content. When that same person shares an ad as though it were a legitimate lifestyle post, the consumer senses the difference immediately. The change in tone is jarring and the content no longer feels honest. It weakens the relationship.
Differentiation
With all the digital noise and constant demand for attention – how does any company stand out from the clamor and earn the trust of their customers? Consumers are savvier than ever before. They are also more cynical. Trust isn’t given away easily and everything begins to feel like a negotiation. Consumers sense the ‘salesy’ stuff coming from a mile away.
Adam Grant offers a different perspective in this quote, “Negotiation is not a duel to win. It is a puzzle to solve together.” When you approach negotiation with a customer as an opportunity to bring different voices to the table to craft a more optimal solution, the outcomes are better for everyone. Trying to WIN forces the other participant to LOSE. And no person is eager to feel like a loser.
Currency of Trust
If authenticity is the real currency of trust, then transparency, thoughtful communication, and a commitment to work together for the benefit of everyone involved is a simple formula that, when applied internally and externally, just may differentiate you from the noise.
Authentic relationships require real work. Transactions may be more straightforward, but they lack the mutually beneficial connectivity found in human-to-human relationships and when it comes down to it, we are all human, afterall.
What are you doing to stand out from the crowd and create authentic connections? Share with us below!
Never miss another Multifamily Collective moment. Sign up to Catch the Weekly Rundown to see all our weekly content plus bonus material for our subscribers. It’s FREE, easy, and we promise not to spam your inbox!
All The Lonely People
Look at all the lonely people, where do they all come from? Eleanor Rigby’s sad tale was immortalized in the famous Beatles medley. Eleanor was lonely – but she was far from alone. Loneliness was a problem long before the pandemic. It’s a bigger one now. Leadership is a position of hallowed trust in service of others. As such, it is our responsibility to act mindfully and intentionally to help bridge the literal and metaphorical gap.
Former surgeon general of the United States, Dr. Vivek Murthy writes about loneliness as a public health concern in his book, Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World He writes about the anecdotes shared by the people he encountered in his work across the country. Beneath their stories of addiction, violence, depression, and anxiety lived a common thread of loneliness. Dr. Murthy says that when he spoke to groups, he would touch on the topic of loneliness very briefly but afterward, it was the only thing people wanted to talk about.
Owner Of A Lonely Heart
A brief web search quickly reveals longstanding concerns about the widespread problem of loneliness. The actual number of adults affected by loneliness is hard to quantify but Dr. Murthy estimates it to be at least 20% based on survey responses. Covid has certainly made the number higher. Why does it matter? Loneliness is more than a feeling. When people experience extended loneliness, it has an impact on their health and can even shorten lifespans.
Adolescents, a demographic that often struggled with loneliness pre-pandemic, are affected more profoundly. Coming of age in an era where traditional peer-to-peer experiences are stunted by pandemic-related restrictions increases the feeling of isolation. Prolonged or profound loneliness is having a detrimental effect on emotional and psychological wellbeing.
Only The Lonely
At the root of loneliness is the fraying of social connectivity. When it comes to an organization’s culture, it is our responsibility to design systems where people are connected and empowered to feel active, participatory and heard. Human-to-human interaction is necessary to create and sustain authentic relationships.
The current work from home model can provide many benefits to the individual team members who work remotely. Gaining back hours every week that were previously devoted to commuting often tops the list. But video conference calls with multiple faces on the screen aren’t a replacement for one on one or small group conversations. Since the beginning of the pandemic two years ago, brief chats around the coffee station and similar work-life touchpoints have dissolved, taking with them the casual connectivity with workmates.
People Who Need People
I believe that many companies will evolve back to a hybrid model that combines remote and common space/corporate work in a way that responsibly connects teams around shared work and camaraderie. Periodic in-person sessions build and strengthen relationships and lay the foundation for healthier remote connections.
It can be uncomfortable to admit to feeling lonely. It feels vulnerable to say it but when we normalize talking about feelings, we give permission for others to share, and in those experiences that are common to us all we find support and solidarity.
I encourage you to get intentional about engaging and connecting team members across your organization. Build it into your calendar. We discussed this topic last year along with some tips for getting started.
What things have you incorporated into your practices and systems the improve social connectivity? Share them with us below!
Never miss another Multifamily Collective moment. Sign up to Catch the Weekly Rundown to see all our weekly content plus bonus material for our subscribers. It’s FREE, easy, and we promise not to spam your inbox!
New Year – Same You
Another trip around the sun is done and across the globe, the ink has barely dried on a fresh list of new year’s resolutions. The “new you” is a concept driven by the marketers and newsy types who would sell you their magazines filled with ways to improve upon yourself. Lose some weight, start that program, sign up for the gym, pay for the class, and purchase the organizational tools that look so cool on your social media feed where everyone else’s pantry screams perfection (does any even cook or eat there?). In those same photos, all the beautiful people seem to live in perfectly curated spaces filled with white sofas, gauzy linens, and beautiful baubles. My friend used to say, “Where is the junk mail?”, a phrase that was intended to encompass all the accouterments of a lived-in space – the toys, the inevitable crayon marks, and handprints, laundry spilled out, and books piled precariously. The disparity between the fake utopia and your very real life leaves you feeling like you just don’t measure up.
The “new you” resolution setup is a gimmick that is almost certain to fail. It is designed that way for the very reason that it lures you into the next round of promotions to make your life more Instagrammable. I would offer you this perspective instead. It is unnecessary to create a “New You” when the current You is already just fine. There will always be opportunities to grow and evolve but I encourage you to first begin with some self-reflection and a hearty appreciation for the wondrous gifts of your existing body, mind, and soul.
Reflections
Here’s an exercise – take pen and paper and draft a list of good things you contributed last year to the world. It all counts – the big and small things – because every act of kindness, empathy, generosity, and love had a positive impact on someone else, a value that was generated by your existing good self. Not some imagined future You who might be ten pounds lighter or ten years younger or driving a better car. The now You. The real You. See, the real you was just the right person who was needed at that moment to bring comfort or joy or relief to someone else.
The other important things to consider are the acts that pay into you, that fill your tank, and enable you to have the bandwidth to feed into others. I know, “self-care” has become overused to the point that it has lost its meaning. People quickly equate self-care to bubble baths and pedicures, neither of which make my personal list. I like to think of self-care in terms of the promises I make to myself that I actually keep. Being honorable to myself serves to remind me that I am worth the investment of my time and resources such that in the end, it makes me a better man which is essential in my quest to be a better husband, father, friend, and leader.
Rewind
The last two years have been a blur of evolution at warp speed. It almost feels like a science fiction movie, somehow not real. Times like these make self-reflection even more important. But, if you didn’t keep a journal as part of your routine to capture your experiences, the age of technology will lend you quite a hand. From your social media posts to your Outlook sent folder, you will find the fertile soil of your life as it unfolded, and the photos app on your phone literally tracks the images of your days and weeks.
Summarize
A period of reflection on the past year as viewed through those lenses will bring clarity about where you spent your time and what you prioritized. It will also start to become obvious where your life is out of kilter – where what you say is important to you doesn’t align with how you actually apply your time. Therein lies the secret of the areas that will benefit from intentional evolution in your life.
Forget about the fad of “new you” and instead seize the opportunity to move the needle of your actions in line with your intentions. Baby steps.