#Trust30
#apartmentmarketing: Culture
Your culture is your brand. TONY HSIEH – CEO, ZAPPOS.COM
Over the years much has been written about Zappos and Apple as it relates to culture. And, for good reason. Both companies enjoy massive success with customers around the world and continue to do so despite the ups and downs in the economy.
I have to believe it is due, in large part, to happy employees and more specifically the collaborative nature of their culture. I believe, in my heart of hearts, that a happy employee is a productive employee. And, a happy employee is, in part, is a byproduct of a superior culture. And, one that is customer-centric and based on a premise of trust.
Building Multifamily Culture
When I think of building culture; I think of the often quoted line out of: The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck. The first sentence of Page 1 Chapter 1 reads “Life is difficult.”
Culture is difficult. When you think about it, you are attempting to meld a medley of individual cultures under the spirit of one unifying culture. The nuances are mind boggling.
Might I suggest that it bolis down to one word – Trust. Work on trust and the rest will fall in to place. Understand that it will take time, understand that there will be mistakes. Exercise patience with the former and reward the latter.
The health of your business depends on it.
What do you do to build up, maintain and push the edges of your culture?
Multifamily #Trust30: Misunderstood
Day 30 of the #Trust30 challenge
Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
As we roll across the finish line; I feel a sense of discipline having set in. I find myself looking forward to sitting down at the keyboard to punch out a few words before I get my day started or to put a nice end cap on it before I lay to sleep. Either way it’s been a great way to recall some memories, formulate some new business and life strategies and dream a little to top it off.
Multifamily Challenge
Many are misunderstood in this world, even the simpletons. I think the message central to every prompt along this thirty day journey has been to be your best and authentic self in light of the difficult circumstances that crop up from time to time. Context and content are teachers that build character. And character fuels your emotional fortitude so that you might when adversities strike. And, they will strike, to be sure.
In parting – my encouragement to each of you is to partake in your own #trust30 challenge be it this or one of personal prompting. Do something that gives cause for you to write everyday for thirty days straight. Do it on or offline as it’s not the platform that matters but rather the person(s) you further along their given line in this life. And, don’t be afraid to be misunderstood –
Your wishing you the very best along the way contributor,
M
Multifamily #Trust30: Reversion
Day 29 of the #trust30 challenge…
I must be myself. I cannot break myself any longer for you, or you. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Think of all the things that are not working in your life. That job you don’t like, that relationship that’s not working, those friends that annoy you. Now turn them all on you. Imagine that everything that’s not working in your life, is your fault. How would you approach it? What would you work on to change your life to the state that you want it to be?
(Author: Carlos Miceli)
Multifamily Reversion
It might be the hardest look you ever take at yourself. It’s that look that gives cause to admit a shortcoming or an outright failure.
My short answer to this question is higher the best people and do it quickly. Many times the shortcomings I experience are a result of my own willingness to take on more than I can handle without evaluating my capacity first.
What about you?
Your always striving contributor,
M
Multifamily #trust30: Future Text
Day 27 of the #trust30 challenge. Getting close to the end; I think I will miss the daily exercise a bit…
Speak what you think now in hard words, and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said today. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Imagine your future self, ie, you 10 years from now. If he/she were to send you a tweet or text message, 1) what would it say and 2) how would that transform your life or change something you’re doing, thinking, believing or saying today?
(Author: Tia Singh)
Multifamily Tomorrow
My tweet would be;
Listen attentively. You will be all the better for it.
That would give cause for me to listen more and speak less. Take more action and give less lip service.
Your listening attentively contributor,
M
Multifamily #Trust30: A Call to Arms
Day 24 of the #trust30 challenge – it’s a big one!
The secret of fortune is joy in our hands. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
What if today, right now, no jokes at all, you were actually in charge, the boss, the Head Honcho. Write the “call to arms” note you’re sending to everyone (staff, customers, suppliers, Board) charting the path ahead for the next 12 months and the next 5 years. Now take this manifesto, print it out somewhere you can see, preferably in big letters you can read from your chair…
(Author: Sasha Dichter)
I kind of feel like Jerry McGuire right about now.
I can’t help but to call upon the great Tom Peters for this exercise. Back in 2006 I drew from Tom’s: The PSF is Everything! Manifesto to re-imagine the way we did business in Portland. I had just inherited the Regional Manager role where I was responsible for managing fourteen properties consisting of over 5000 units spread over five sub-markets. It was a daunting task and I had no illusions that I could run the deal by myself. I knew it would take the collective efforts of our 100+ people as lead by eleven site managers. It was a bonus that they were the best in business.
If given the charge today to chart the course for the next 12 months and beyond; I would break it down just like we did back in 2006.
- Enhance Work & The Legacy
- Enhance Firm & The Brand
- Enhance Employee Commitments
- Enhance Resident Commitments
I would assign our top talent to each of these four over-riding areas. The task? To Develop the next generation of Mills Properties. It would be on each team [with as little guidance as possible] to come up with amazing over the top and executable strategies to create excellence.
Enhance Work & The Legacy
People want to be a part of something bigger than self. And, it all starts inside with the innate need to move character. It starts with a
company that is convinced that organizations are put in place to serve the people that serve it. It stars with mission, vision, strategy and values. As such we would take action on the following:
- Get a crystal clear point of view
- Create a dramatic difference
- Create a culture where ‘Stretch is Routine’
- Create a culture of ‘Game-Changer’ – WOW Projects
- Work only with ‘Playful Clients’ – Life and Business is Too Short to work with Jerks
- We would get obsessed with LEGACY
- We would part ways with anyone who says ‘apartments are commodities’
- We would never shy away from ‘Radical’
Enhance Firm & The Brand
- We would define what it means to make our business ‘cool’
- We would recruit the absolute best talent
- Integrity would rule the day
- Execution would rule the seconds, minutes and hours
- We would create a ‘Swarm Team’ as a way to support
- R&D would get front and center attention
- We will own the relevant Saint Louis digital frontier
- We will aim to be no less than a ‘LOVEMARK’
- Passion would be the guiding principle
Enhance Employee Commitments
- Our talent would breed talent – FANATICS
- We would hire peculiar
- We would manufacture Early Opportunities for new Talent
- They will rise up or be out
- We will make way for YOUTH
- We will get committed to Renewing our CURRENT base of Talent
- We will get obsessed with MENTORING
- Everyone is a leader
- Bring in the Best in Breed
- INTEGRITY with everyone
Enhance Resident Commitments
- We will invite our residents in as partners
- We will draw in only the best vendors to Serve our residents
- Have residents claim that working with US is THE BEST EVER
- Implement Implement Implement
- Our Chief AIM? Resident’s assist in creating CULTURE
- The measure? Did we make a Dramatic, Game-Changing Difference? Will they tell a friend, family member or co-worker about us?
That’s it! That would be my framework for the next twelve months. After that year we would go on an EXECUTION and IMPLEMENTATION QUEST! It would be a No Holds Barred Journey into Compelling, Over the Top, Amazing and downright Stunning Achievement!
Your always striving contributor,
M
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