Condo Media - November 2011 - 39

Manage clients’ expectations, starting with the expectation that you will respond immediately to every phone call and every email. Just because a beep announces an incoming e-mail doesn’t mean you have to read or respond to it at that moment. Rivers says he used to set his phone to vibrate when an e-mail arrived, but he turned that function off, so he’s no longer tempted to monitor every incoming message. Servidio, similarly, turns the e-mail function on her blackberry off on weekends, although she can be reached by phone for emergencies. “People are generally respectful,” she has found. “They won’t call unless there’s a crisis, but they will e-mail any time. If I don’t see the message,” she says, “it doesn’t bother me.” Prioritize. Recognize the difference between an important issue that needs attention, and a crisis that needs attention now. If every task has equal weight, managers will be pulled perpetually in different directions, wildly busy, but not necessarily productive, and frustrated as a result. Take the time required to complete essential tasks. “I never get anything done,” is a common complaint, and a major source of stress, for managers, who must be able to jump quickly and frequently from task to task in the course of a day. The ability to multitask is essential, but there are times when you have to turn off the phone, close the open door and focus single-mindedly on the task at hand, in order to meet an imminent deadline — the budget that must be reviewed or the financial reports that must be completed before an upcoming board meeting. Of course, while ignoring the phone for a while may be necessary, it will also bring pressure from a different direction. “People will complain that no one is answering the phone,” Servidio sighs. “It’s a constant struggle

to find the right balance,” she says. “Which techniques work best depends on the day.” Delegate. Some board members or residents will insist you are the only one in the company (or on the planet) who can solve their problem. Don’t get sucked into that vortex, industry executives caution. “There is always someone else who can answer a question or solve a problem,” Keegan notes. “Let them do their jobs.” Create a supportive environment. This is directed more at management companies than at individual managers, but in order for managers to delegate (as suggested above) there must be others on whom they can rely. Equally important, the managers must feel comfortable asking for help if they need it. If working 18hour days without complaint is a requirement for success in a company, or perceived to be, high stress and high turnover will be endemic. At The Dartmouth Group, Rivers says, if one manager “has a lot going on,” the company will shift support

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services from areas that aren’t as busy. Managers also know the company has “an open door” policy, Rivers says. “They can go in and talk to the president of the company anytime.” Sometimes, Rivers notes, “just talking about stress will help to relieve it.” Keegan says he tries to watch for signs of stress in other managers. “If I see that someone’s eyes are crossed or their hair is standing straight up from pulling it so much, I see what I can do.” Keegan and other managers also emphasize the need to provide as much flexibility as the job will allow. One manager in Keegan’s firm, who lives some distance from the office, works from home three days a week. “We don’t have any problem with that as long as she’s getting her job done,” Keegan says. “We’ll work with employees as much as possible” to make it easier for them to do their jobs. Servidio also “tries to be flexible” with her staff. “If someone needs personal time off, we try to be reasonable. It’s a way of showing respect and appreciation for what they do,” she notes, “and it creates a lot of loyalty in return.” Some companies try to reduce or eliminate night meetings, by charging clients more for them. Others find ways to compensate managers for the long hours. At Keegan’s firm, managers who attend a night meeting “aren’t expected to be in the office at 8:00 a.m. the next morning.” Barkan gives its managers “out” days — one day a month when, Meaney explains, “they can do whatever they want.” Control the workload. Recognize that there are limits to what any individual, however capable and energetic, can handle. Overload is a particular problem for portfolio managers, some of whom oversee 10 or 15 properties. “We won’t [allow] that,” says David Abel, CMCA, at First Realty Management Corporation. In making assignments, he explains, “We look at the manager’s experience and the complexity of the property. An experienced manager

CONDO MEDIA • NOVEMBER 2011

Condo Media - November 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - November 2011