THE RETURN TO “NORMAL”

I don’t think anyone could have predicted the Covid-19 environment we are experiencing and while we are all adjusting to our “new normal”, the most successful managers will be using this time to scenario plan for the future. Simply put, scenario planning is anticipating future events and having a game plan. It is kind of an “if this, then that” approach to controlling your destiny. So, if you want to lay the groundwork for a successful summer you will start planning for various scenarios and take steps now to prepare.

Here’s what we know:

1. It is likely move-outs/evictions will rise – if this happens, what is your plan? Is your leasing team properly trained to handle more apartments to lease? Do you have great show product to get those apartments leased? Do you have your make ready resources ready to deploy? Is your curb appeal the best on the block? Don’t wait until June to get these strategies in motion.
2. Maintenance teams will be overextended – many companies are keeping employees safe by only attending to more serious maintenance requests so the queue of pending work orders is likely going to be very high the first few weeks back on the job. How will you communicate with residents? How will you prioritize the backlog? Are you fully staffed? Do you have inventory of supplies to address an increased load?
3. Teams will be adjusting to the new normal – once your office is fully staffed again everyone is going to be experiencing an adjustment. What will the first week back look like? How will you get everyone working synergistically again? Do you need to have more staff meetings initially or “morning huddles”? Should you be planning a team building event?

By now you probably get the picture. Visualizing what the future may look like helps you articulate your plan of attack and take steps now to set yourself up for success rather than just winging it. As the author of Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill stated, “Plan your work and work your plan.”