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April 2017 — Property Management Quarterly — Page 23
Management
C an a positive attitude really
make you a better property
manager? To answer that, let
us ask the opposite: Do you
know a property manager
with a bad attitude? Yes. Do you like
working with that person? No! If
that person had a positive attitude,
could you, potentially, like working
with him? Probably.
In answering the negative, we
have proven that, in fact, a posi-
tive attitude can make you a bet-
ter property manager. The people I
encounter with a pessimistic atti-
tude often want to change but need
guidance and real world examples
in order to affect an authentic shift
in their mindset, which is what I
hope to share.
First, a brief background on me.
People who know me now, or whom
I have met in the last few years,
have told me that I am one of the
happiest people they’ve ever met.
While I am genuinely happy now,
I haven’t always been. I grew up in
an emotionally abusive home and,
as such, may have had a smile on
my face but, on the inside, I was a
disaster.
In my thirties, I read an article
that helped me realize I lived with
a “victim mindset.” My response to
things going wrong was to question
why it was happening to me and
wondering why I deserved it. Once I
realized I was living this way, I had
to choose to change my mindset to
that of a “victor.” Doing so meant
developing responses like – “OK,
that’s life,” “lesson learned” and
“moving on.”
In this line of work, a positive
mindset can dras-
tically impact how
we respond and
relate to tenants,
vendors, clients
and co-workers.
Following are the
seven steps that
helped me make
the switch from
victim to victor.
• Change the
people in your
life. Quit hang-
ing around people
who are consis-
tently negative and
are content with
the bare minimum.
Surround yourself with other achiev-
ers who are working to be the best
version of themselves. Invite a men-
tor or trusted friend to call you out
when you need it, so that you can
continue to grow and improve.
To do this, set boundaries. If you
work with a “negative Nancy,” have
some canned responses ready. For
example, when something negative
is said, suddenly remember that
you have to get an email out, make
a phone call or run an errand. Bet-
ter yet, when this person complains,
ask her how she plans to fix it. Shift
her thoughts from complaining to
problem solving.
• Educate yourself about the power
of positive thinking. I highly recom-
mend reading The Miracle Morning
by Hal Elrod. Learning about change
and improvement keeps you in a
positive mindset when challenges
arise – and, as we all know, they will
arise.
There are many paths for this edu-
cation, such as attending leadership
conferences, asking someone you
admire to mentor you, or placing
affirming quotes around your office
environment in addition to exploring
books, music, movies, articles and
documentaries on the topic.
• Change the way you “do” social
media. Make your feed your happy
place. Unfollow or unfriend negative
people, even family members; they
do not make you better. Follow peo-
ple who are striving toward positivity.
Stop complaining on Facebook. Share
positive stories you see on other
feeds and spread joy.
Use Facebook as your own personal
marketing tool. Remember, you are
the CEO of “You Inc.”Think of your
social media accounts as the market-
ing director for your life. Would you
hire someone to publicize the nega-
tive things about you? No! So, don’t.
• The news. Quit watching it. A few
years ago, my sister’s job took her
to Baghdad for a year. It was calm
when she first arrived, but about six
months in, ISIS became a household
name, and I couldn’t stop watch-
ing the news. I was working from
home and the news was on in the
background all day long. It changed
me. I was fearful, anxiety ridden,
depressed and lethargic. Once she
was safely home that August, I
turned the news off and, immedi-
ately, noticed an improvement in my
attitude.
• Choose your reaction to different
people and situations. This is extreme-
ly difficult in our industry because
we have zero control over our days
and it requires a vigilance of self-
awareness. You have to be constantly
mindful of what sets you off and
you have to not let it get to you. Of
course, this is much easier said than
done.
In this industry, we all have that
“special” client, tenant, boss, vendor
or co-worker who seems to love to
bully by throwing us under the bus,
spreading lies or accusing us of not
doing something that we know we
did. With these people, we have to
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Tiffany L.
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CAM
President and
CEO, Compass
Management LLC,
Greenwood Village
In this line of work,
a positive mindset
can drastically
impact how we
respond and
relate to tenants,
vendors, clients
and co-workers.