From a very young age, humans begin to learn the fundamentals of cause and effect, and by the age of 3, they generally have a fairly sound understanding of how cause and effect works. However, as we grow older and our life experiences assist in shaping our views of the world, those early and fundamental understandings can be pushed the the back of our conscious mind as we run through the daily motions.
In Property Management, we are often managing many pressures with day to day activities, in addition to interacting with, listening, mentoring, and coaching clients through their lives as we work with them to find security, either through something that may seem as simple as a roof over the heads of their family or the financial security of building an investment portfolio.
While we would like to believe that all of these interactions can run their course quite happily, that isn’t always the case, as the sometimes volatile state of human emotion can come into play and life’s pressures can create added stress. These stresses are often where sources of conflict begin in Property Management and how we react in those stressful situations can either placate or inflame an already tense situation.
I recently had a Property Manager mention to me, that he couldn’t understand why he kept getting all of the “headaches” and “challenges” that were on the rent roll, where the other team members all seemed to have portfolios that were humming along without drama. This was where that fundamental element we spoke of earlier comes into play. Cause and effect.
They often say what you put out into the universe, will oft return to you in a similar, if not the same state. If you have a negative viewpoint of the world around you, you are likely to receive negative outcomes in the majority of situations that you come across, alternatively, if you have more positive outlook, you may find you receive positive results in return.
Ekhert Tolle has been quoted as saying, “people tend to dwell more on negative things than on good things. So the mind then becomes obsessed with negative things, with judgements, guilt and anxiety produced by thoughts about the future and so on.” This could be argued to be true of what can happen in the land of Property Management as we are caught up in emotions around a situation and overthink possible alternative outcomes.
If you are finding that you are in a similar situation to the Property Manager I spoke of earlier, try the challenge that we have set for him; for the next month, take a step back and think about how you are approaching both your work and personal life interactions. Are you using honey to attract ants, or vinegar? Are you currently approaching situations with a side of vinegar? If so, try a little honey instead as in the words of Malory Archer, “because that’s how you’ll get ants”.
And the Property Manager? I’m happy to report that in our coaching session this week, he has reported that two weeks into his new approach, he is finding he is achieving much better results in his negotiations with Owners, Tenants and personally.
In the end, we need to remember that this industry is not just about housing, it’s about people and while we cannot change how other people react to a situation, we can control how we choose to react.
