In my world of being in this industry for so long I have developed a passion for taking care of our mind and our own personal development. How to cope with stress and pressure that seems to be heaped upon us on a daily basis.
I have noticed a real lack of this type of topic within our industry and at the LPMA conferences. Is this something that you think should be included in our conferences and not just professional development.
I think this is a great topic to bounce around as a group @Colleen. There is definately very little happening in our industry in this space, especially for small business owners. I myself have suffered from ongoing stress. Not just the stress of meeting a deadline, which I thrive on, but the one that causes you to lose 10kg and withdraw socially from the world.
I think I found your 10kg and someone elseās due to stress. Damn female hormones.
There is a lot of talk of culture, flexible hours, toxic team members, snazzy offices and shitty bosses but there is very little on the individual and helping them to cope. When you do find the right person, personal development is just as important as professional development.
I think that is what I tried to bring across during my short stint as a public speaker (haha) at the LPMA Premierās Day. Just how damn hard it is to juggle so many balls, wear so many hats and not be addicted to alcohol and swearing as a means of expressing frustration and disillusionment.
But it canāt just be about downward dogs and vegan diet either. It has to be realistic, doable and have a genuine intent behind it. Taking the energy out of the head and into the heart ā¦ maybe Iām getting too hippy here but it is the best way to describe it.
*drops mic
Thereās definitely a reason so many PMās can relate to the drinking and swearing memes on FB @Colleen! And how annoying - the men talking about ālosingā 10kg when our stories are always about GAINING 10kg! HA!
There is definitely a space for this and I guess itās up to us to share our thoughts and ideas around what we do individually to cope - certainly with there still being so much stigma around mental health, no else is going to do it for us!
I think youāve hit the nail on the head with personal development and itās something that got touched on briefly by @jodie.stainton in the portfolio vs task discussionā¦ I think its very easy for a member of the team to be pigeon holed in a particular role because thatās where they started - but doing this day in day out, without having the opportunity to grow and explore other areas of the business will quickly wear anyone down.
I would love to see this element factored into our conferences and events - has anyone had any good experiences with this or seen anyone doing this really well?
I had previously suggested Libby Weaver as a speaker. She speaks beautifully and articulates personal health very well. Easy to listen to. No Rah-Rah that comes with her either.
OK great, thanks @Colleen Sutherland - weāre currently in the process of putting together our speaker line up for 2019 - @Ashley Giles just bringing you in here as well so we can look into this
Hi @Colleen, great topic to raise.
@rikki there is a business owner in Western Australia who has an internal programme for his team around mental health and provides access to a Counsellor/Psychologist and loads of support. He spoke with me briefly about this at an LPMA dinner and I was so impressed with how he has implemented this as part of their culture - very caring. You should look him up - Jarod 
We have that here too. Have done for quite a number of years. The staff appreciate it and I get better results and reduces hissy fits. Win/win I say.
That is amazing Colleen. Itās a win for everyone but shows just how much you care. Well done!
Jarod is amazing!
Such a great topic @Colleen I think its really important esp when its all about employee cx these days!
@Colleen interesting discussion. I have a phone app called Mindspace that I try to spend about 20 minutes or so of time each day meditating. I have now successfully failed to do this over 120 days in a row. (Oops) .
Time to get back on that 
. I know it really helps me get centered when I do this.
I now I frequently used the time to focus, before answering an email that made me angry. Even if I just took a few minutes to get my breathing under control.
Then I could politely fire a bad owner
Iād love to be in a position to fire bad owners. How great would that be for mental health?
Being today is the last day of the year I will share this one. Today we are terminating 15% of the rental units we manage. Some because the owner opened his own management company (we helped him), some because the rate they were signed were lower then our standards, some because they provided to much direction, and others just because they were no fun to work with. This was about 60 doors and represents our door growth for 2018.
The average rent on these units was about 800 USD.
The New units they were replaced with have an average rent of about 1100 at higher fees.
I am also today speaking with an owner who owns 57 doors that is considering us, we are on boarding 9 units that have been signed in the last 7 days.
Waiting to fire a bad owner is like trying to focus when you have a tooth ache. Just stop and go to the dentist and get it over with. Or at least I find that is the fastest way to get back on track.
Wow! I love the confidence and conviction you do this with. If I had as many to cover me as I did to fire I would do this as well.
Glenn I didnāt realise you were in the US until I saw the word ādoorsā
Your dollar figure, thatās monthly. right?
Yes that is monthly. So what do you call a door?
We call it āPropertyā
What do you call each unit in a multi unit building.
In business terms I call ādoorsā properties. On an individual basis they are units, duplexes, townhouses or houses
@glenn I also enjoy the confidence you have in sacking unprofitable owners. I think it is great that you have taken the time to identify properties that are either not a cultural fit or just donāt make you money.
Yay! thatās my type of thinking! Thereās always more opportunities around us that the time consuming customers are clouding us from.
thereās strength in saying No and parting with people that donāt suit before the relationship turns sour.
I really like to look for win-win situations, thatās what makes everything worth it and takes care of my mental health too!
Cheers to you! perfect way to start the year!