Condo Media - November 2019 - 38

Industry PERSPECTIVE
The first step toward achieving balance,
or a semblance of it, Adamen says, is
"to recognize that this is not a 9-5 job
and embrace that reality. Management
isn't a job, it's a lifestyle," she says. "And
it's going to intrude in your life to some
extent." The goal, for managers, she
suggests, is to control the intrusion by
understanding that "they need time
off. No one is so important that they
can't afford to take time off," she insists.
It could be an hour, a day or more,
but for that period of time, "you must
completely unplug. Turn everything
off-the phone, the computer,
everything. You have to give yourself
permission to disconnect."
Turning off your mind isn't so easy,
she acknowledges. It is hard to keep
work-related thoughts at bay. "So don't
beat yourself up if you find yourself
thinking about what you've done or
what needs to be done," she advises.
"But don't obsess about it. Jot down
those thoughts and then get back to
focusing on your time away."

UNDERSTANDING
CAUSE AND EFFECT
Much of the stress that keeps managers
off-balance stems from the expectations
board members and owners have for
them-primarily the expectation that
managers will respond instantly to
questions or requests. Email is a big
culprit, Adamen says. "It used to be
the phone. Managers would come
in on Monday and there would be 17
voicemail messages waiting for them.
Today, there could be 117 emails," and
the pressure to respond can be intense.
Email messages are always "urgent"
to the people sending them, Adamen
notes, "but that doesn't mean they have
to be a priority for the manager. Most
won't have a profound impact on the
course of events at the community."
Because managers tend to be "type-A
personalities and people pleasers,"
Adamen says, they try to respond
quickly to everything. "But if you are
always Johnny on the Spot, you set
expectations high. And when your

Representing Condominium Associations, Homeowner
Associations and Management Companies throughout
New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts.
Providing representation in all areas of condominium
law from drafting and execution of condominium
instruments, amendments, collection of assessments to
litigation from trial through appeal.
For specific questions and to find out how we can
service your particular needs, please contact our office
and speak with one of our attorneys.

(603) 627-5997

45 Bay Street
Manchester, NH 03104

(603) 742-1052
3 Webb Place
Dover, NH 03820

(800) 828-3200

565 Turnpike Street
North Andover, MA 01845

www.fenigeranduliasz.com
Serving clients in all of NH and northern MA
38

CONDOMEDIA November 2019

performance falls short of what clients
have come to expect, you feel guilty
about disappointing them."
FINDING ANSWERS
AND SOLUTIONS
Her advice to managers: "You have to
pace yourself-not only for the day or
for the week, but for your entire career.
You will do some things immediately,
but not everything." By explaining
clearly that they won't respond to every
message and every request the day they
receive it, managers will "wean people
off their expectations for instantaneous
responses." Not only will this manage
the expectations owners and board
members have of managers, Adamen
says, it will manage the expectations
managers have for themselves.
Management company executives
can help managers struggling with
work-life balance issues, she suggests,
by paying close attention to their
stress level, by encouraging them
to take time off when they need it,
and by intervening, when necessary,
to ease their work load. That may
mean adjusting the expectations of
association clients by explaining the
relationship between the management
fee the association is paying and the
amount of time the manager can spend
on the account. And it may sometimes
mean reducing the manager's time
or increasing the association's fee
to create a more reasonable balance
between them.
"These are candid conversations
management company executives are
loathe to have," Adamen acknowledges,
especially when they may result in
losing a client. "But my philosophy has
always been, if an account isn't paying
enough to support the manager, it's
better to dump the account and let it
kill one of my competitors and their
managers instead of mine."
n NENA GROSKIND IS PRESIDENT
OF ECONTENTPLUS, PROVIDING
EDITORIAL CONTENT FOR
WEBSITES, PRINT AND ELECTRONIC
NEWSLETTERS AND MAGAZINES.
Condo Media - November 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - November 2019
