Property Management DETOX
It has been a while. I know you must be so used to me saying this, but man it has been hectic. When I think back to five months ago I actually need to pause and take stock. Talk about mega growth! Not just in numbers, we took on the Ray White portfolio with the merger, but more in skill sets, confidence and yes some real issues that we are needing to work through. I have never worked so hard in my life. I feel like I have been running for months … maybe because I have.
Literally putting down one phone to pick up another to put that down to see two people queuing to see me to come back to voice mail and half a dozen emails while I’ve been gone. It is crazy. (So I am on leave for one week. I will not be checking my emails, I will not be answering my phone. I am in Property Management Detox! – Yeeeeeeeaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh………………………….) 
I did take an afternoon to go to Waitangi for the Ray White Zone awards … (goal in site!) and Carey Smith spoke. I found it inspiring. He did remind me that I can be so focused on my ‘crossing things off my to do list’ that I don’t take the time to actually be totally present with what is in front of me right now, be it a potential landlord or a leaking toilet. I confess to struggling with the whole reactive/proactive tug of war that I swear all property managers’ deal with. It is such a reactive job. But the only way to stay sane is to have some semblance of control. To be proactive.
But making the time to do that over the last five months has been my greatest challenge. I cannot wait for the changes to cease and for some familiar stability to come back into my world! Speaking of stability …
I’m sad. We are loosing Hayley. Hayley Russell came to us in August. No experience in property management but she came from a management role and she has plenty of customer service experience. Hayley has been a breath of fresh air.
We nearly didn’t hire her as she ran the risk of simply being too nice! You know, not enough mongrel in her. We didn’t want to break her! Now I want to break her partners legs … he has received a promotion that involves leaving for Tauranga – and Hayley, despite my best efforts, is packing up and moving with him. Our loss and Tauranga’s gain. Seriously, any property management firm down there looking for a property manager, call us for Hayley’s phone number. You will not regret it. She is so nice people don’t want to let her down. She just has to look at you with those big kitten eyes and I swear you’d rob a bank to pay your rent. Only four months in, so she still needs a little support but I have never seen anyone take to a job so easily before. She has grown into it wonderfully and she will truly be missed.
However … as much as Hayley will be missed I am super stoked to have Fleur Dobson and Claire Hewertson. Such depth of experience, such integrity, such laughter!!! (Just between you and me I am a little in awe of the company I keep nowadays! Shhhh … )
And in months to come I will introduce you to Gina. Gina is also super nice, but I suspect this kitten has a little more scratch ability! Time will tell. What I will tell you is she is super excited to be joining us as are we. We approached her because we see a depth of intelligence that we believe will grow her in to an outstanding property manager, and one thing I know about Allens … sorry, Ray White Allens, is they totally rock at supporting people as they grow to what ever they want to be. We don’t just grow your business … We grow people!
November 29 2011 07:57 am | Management
Linda Reid on 29 Nov 2011 at 9:01 am #
Diane – you have coped amazingly well, you are an inspiration to me how you keep your integrity high especially when under pressure. You rock!