monday
Multifamily Monday: Collect Moments not Things
Looking forward to another crazy over the top uber-cool week? Me too. This week we are penning on the idea of collecting moments.
Let’s start with a story to set the context for our post. I was recently remarried to my first and only wife – Stephanie. It’s a long story and this is not a post to garnish congrats and atta boys. It’s an amazing story and one I will cherish. Cherish in the sense of what being in relationship really means. It’s work that is worth it and it is work that is hard. I cherish it for all that it has taught me and all that it will teach me. And, my encouragement to you – embrace the ones that are near and dear in your life. Go make some moments.
Collect Moments not Things
Stephanie and I would rather collect moments any day of the week. Faced with the choice of buying our kids toys, gadgets or the latest and greatest widget or taking them on an amazing adventure in a foreign country – #gameon foreign country. Faced with sitting around playing games inside or building a fort in the woods behind our house – #gameon fort (or, fourt as our kids so aptly name it and wrote is with a sharpie no less). Play some Wii or go to a water park – #gameon water park. Sit around on a Saturday or volunteer some time at a dog shelter – #gameon dog shelter. (Okay, for those of you that know me – animals are not my thing. But, Stephanie, J and K love them and they give back time for them). To us – our kids education comes down to activity that sparks emotion, creativity, need to be resourceful, collaborating and giving back in the way of time and energy. And, creating moments for the such.
Resident Moments not Things
What the heck does this have to do with my Multifamily Monday? Everything! It has everything to do with it.
Stop giving residents things, i.e. money, carpet cleans, accent walls or whole new paint jobs. Ok, give those things if you want to but make a moment out of it. Make a moment of truth. Make a moment of celebration. Make a moment worth sharing.
Here is my short speculation. Get enough crazy good resident moments collected and they will pay back in two ways: 1. if you have a bad moment – the good will offset. 2. When it comes time to renew (another chance to create a moment) – they are locked in and thirsty for some more moments. Your job – feed the thirst by creating the moments.
Your collecting moments not things multifamily maniac,
M
Multifamily Monday: Relationships Take Time
Relationships Take Time
It takes time to foster the relationships necessary to lay plans for a new apartment community development. It takes time (sometimes a lot of extra time) to develop the relationships necessary to clear the land for building. It takes time to build the relationships necessary to lay the infrastructure. It takes time to build the relationships necessary to lay the foundation(s). It takes time to build the necessary relationships to frame it out. It takes time to build the relationships necessary to do the finish work. It takes time to develop relations with everyone involved in the project along the way. And, it takes time to develop the relationships with the people who will give the place to life and make it interesting for people to live there. And, it takes time to turn that life and interest into relationships whereby people choose to fill the apartment community up.
Time
Time is something that further escapes us everyday. The only way to find more of it – is to take it. Take it from those things that rob it most. Be it procrastination or the inability to say no. Figure it out. And, exercise it everyday. Once you take it – then make it count. Give it to the art of creating relationships. Be it more time with your children, spouse or life partner. Give it to them. Give it to them with no strings attached.
It is the best gift you can give yourself –
Your waking up looking forward to tackling the opportunities that every Monday brings multifamily maniac,
M
Multifamily Monday: Listen – Body Language
Good morning!
Very quick note this morning.
We could get really deep into the art of body language as it relates to listening. Speaking to things like bending your brow as a show of concern, thinning your lip to show you understand the anger , leaning in, unfolding arms and the king of them all – eye contact. While not exhaustive, all good topics and in the same respect not possible without the nugget we will put out there today.
The Most Meaningful Body Language – Listen Technique I Know
Front and center to the person you are talking with – Pick up your phone and turn it OFF. Not silence, not vibrate – OFF. Or, don’t bring it along at all. Put your what if’s to rest as we could debate that to death. If you want meaningful conversation – demonstrate willingness through action – the action of turning off and tuning in.
Your – working on listening through meaningful body language – multifamily maniac,
M
Multifamily Monday: Empathetic Listening
I love Monday – one of my favorite days of he week.
Today, we are doing a down and dirty lesson on empathetic listening or a fancy way of saying – pay attention. Empathetic listen is active listening or seeking first to understand and then to be understood. The goal being two-fold – listen on an emotional level as well as a cognitive level. In other words you aim to get a sense of how they feel and what they are thinking. And, remember empathy is not sympathy. Empathy speaks from experience; sympathy is there in support of.
Two Questions – Going Deep
When communicating with any one of your apartment residents over any issue, good or bad, use the following two questions to go deeper. If they are in your office complaining about a leaky faucet for the third time this week [and, presupposing you have experienced a persistent leaking faucet in your lifetime], stop and listen. Once they are done talking ask, “how does that make you feel. Or, suggest, “I can imagine that makes feel very frustrated or angry.
It seems obvious but many times, in our haste to get the cranky people out of our office, we don’t take time to validate their feelings. Guess what, that makes a person even more frustrated or angry. All that most people are after is an outlet to vent their anger, frustration or the such and they want the problem fixed. That is where the second question comes in. It is more cognitive in nature.
At the end of understanding their emotion; repeat the reason for the anger or frustration; “I see Mr. Ineedamyfaucetfixed; this is the third time this week you have been in to report your leaky faucet. Our service person has been over two times and still you have a leaky faucet. It bugs you because you are a light sleeper and the persistent drip against the aluminum sink keeps you up. And, you don’t think you should have to put a cup or a rag under the drip to soften the sound. You just want it fixed.”
Your – seeking first to understand – multifamily maniac,
M
