Are we doing enough listening?

Summer is here and it is already a hot one!

So much of our jobs and careers center around doing. What action items need to be completed that day, what goals need to be met quarterly and what growth can we obtain annually? While this is all an important and necessary part of our roles, what if we put an emphasis on listening? The people we surround ourselves with in our day to day roles have a lot to say, we just need to be open to what that is. Sometimes that means slowing down to take in the value of the conversations and really tune in and turn off our checklists for the moment. 

The peoplezest team recently partnered with a client on a special project. It put us in a unique setting and allowed for conversations with onsite associates. This space allowed owner Jonna Smith to  engage her passion for recruiting and career counseling. Just days into the project it was easy to pick up on a noticable trend. In speaking to Leasing Professionals, their hunger to to have guidance from a veteran in the industry was apparent. Conversations were had that allowed them to talk about their career goals and how to navigate their professional journeys. There were short term goals of moving into the next level of positions including assistant managers and managers, but the talks went beyond that to long term career aspirations of development, information technology, marketing and executive roles. The excitement in their voices as we discussed the skills needed to obtain their career goals was contagious. We talked about ways to upskill through internal training onsite, industry training and classes to take at online colleges. They encouraged us to talk about the different people we know in the industry at varying levels and how their career journeys led them to the positions they are in today. We emphasized that there is not just one way to get to your progression goals, it needs to feel right for each individual. For some, that means staying with the same company for the internal promotion track. For others it made sense to make upward moves to different companies for growth exposure to experience how varying companies operate. We talked about being intentional in salary growth so that their career goals and personal goals aligned for the lifestyle they envision. One of the biggest take-aways from this project is the people who are entering into the property management industry want mentors! They want someone to bounce ideas off of and provide feedback on how to get to the next step. They want to hear about the career journey of executives who they look up to. They want to feel like someone is taking interest in them. While many companies have a mentorship program setup, even if there isn't a formal one within your company, look for opportunities to pour your wisdom and insight into that someone just starting out. They are our industry's future. Challenge yourselves to make a goal to find someone to mentor, take an interest in their career and prepare them to be our next leaders.

Each company has a unique opportunity within its structure to create an environment to make sure its                                    employees are heard. Whether it is through encouraging inner office chats, hosting zoom happy hours, or creating mentorship programs, find the ways that make the most sense for your company culture. Be open to listening, from the C suite to the young professional straight out of college, we all have valuable insights and those only get shared in environments primed for genuine candor.  

We love to hear feedback! Comment below with ways your company is set up for listening or a mentorship that has helped along the way.

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