The Emotional Cost of Management - by Alana Haggis
can mitigate to promote a calm co- operation and response. Next, envision your “personal life” is multiplied by the number of units in just one corporation (let alone more than one which is usually the case for every manager). In this scenario you are really not the Boss! The Board of Directors that hired the management company is the Boss; the owner of the manage- ment company is the Boss; owners, not all of them equal, consider themselves the Boss; and then add the government and the many evolving modifications to legalities in the industry into the equation of Boss(es) and we become masters of compartmentalizing to keep every- one satisfied with the responsibili- ties we have assumed on behalf of a corporation. And let’s not forget the personalities and the crises that might evolve in any number of the Boss(es). Taking all of these elements into account, it stands to reason, the stress level of a condominium man- ager might be off the charts. Some of us are legitimately used to deal- ing with some stress and even fre- quent upheavals in our “personal life” so it’s not uncommon for any of us to stop paying attention to ourselves and by that I mean our inner selves; that is, until we get a wake-up call: the cold that never seems to go away, lethargy, con- stant mood swings, unhealthy diets, and yes, how do we fit in a gym date on a regular basis when there is no “regular basis”? In some cas- es, we might suffer worse case sce- narios, including panic attacks and heart disease. There is the emotional side of con- dominium management; because as
We all know the constant struggle of trying to juggle many different balls in the air of our personal lives, but not many realize how much juggling is involved as managers of corporations, including how we cope to keep everyone satisfied with the assignments we are tasked to do. For example, if one corporation is equivalent to one personal life, con- sider all that is involved in the fi- nancial security and safety of family and home, as well as the very lengthy list of your “personal life” responsibilities. Also, don’t lose sight of the fact that there are dif- ferent personalities and what might be considered life crises that will undoubtedly come up in the day to day demands of a family. No one is immune from life’s obstacles. The coping mechanisms of how to deal with them is the mystery. In this scenario, we might be considered the Boss (although that just might be questionable depending on your family structure). As managers, we all strive to learn to interact as courteously and pro- fessionally as possible at all times. This does help alleviate stress for ourselves and for those we interact with. Not everyone is adept at cop- ing with anger, contempt and even fears at their life’s situation and it isn’t unusual for one experiencing this condition to lash out at some- one and that can be the manager. We have all learned to recognize emotions through communications and do the best we can to calm alarming behavior with the skills we endeavor to master such as listen- ing and (hearing). While we are not professional psychologists, life’s experiences can teach us how we
Alana Haggis , RCM is a man- ager with Sunshine Property Management. Alana manages 9 properties around London and Strathroy. She has been a mem- ber of CCI for five years and hopes to contribute more to the organization to pass along edu- cational benefits to others in the industry.
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