Jamie Kirn Director of Training Resolution
Katarina Koonce Director of Employee Experience
Is there a particular female leader who inspires you or that you look up to? Why? My Mema, Bernice Guettler, inspired me growing up. She had a successful hair salon and has always been so strong and independent. From the time I could hold a broom, I was in her shop sweeping, watching, and learning everything I could from her. As I got older, she continued to give me tasks in the shop and I appreciated the lessons I was being taught. She was a master multitasker, and I admired her grace and passion in everything she did. Most importantly, I was able to see her be successful and still be a loving wife, taking care of my Pepa and my Great Grandmother until their passing. She is 93 now and would still be working if she could. What advice would you give women just starting in their career in property management? Educate yourself and master your skills. Try to learn something new every day because this industry is never stale and is ever-changing with new technology and methods. Continue to push yourself, set realistic goals and review those goals often, and remember moving UP is not your only potential path. How do you balance your career, personal life, and passions? Is there such a thing as balance? Truthfully, it depends on the day or week. I would rather work an hour or two longer in a day so that I can then focus on my family instead of my mind wandering thinking about work and what I needed to get done.
Is there a particular female leader who inspires you or that you look up to? Why? Shonda Rhimes. I just think she’s incredible and has such a positive/radiant light to her. She’s professional, intelligent, creative, and comes across as strong and confident in her demeanor. I also appreciate that she is clear on her values and what she will and won’t tolerate. However, what I love about her the most is that she shares some of my strong introverted qualities and has been so open about her journey to saying no more often to self-consciousness and anxiety and saying yes to self-love and growth through living outside of her comfort zone. Her work on screen is incredible, but for anyone who has not read her book “The Year of Yes”, I highly recommend it! She commits to saying “yes” to everything for a year and talks through how transformational that was for her. Lots of gems and teachable moments there! What advice would you give women just starting in their career in property management? My advice to anyone really would be to ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF. That is so important. Learn as much as you can and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask for what you need and ask what you need to do to grow and develop yourself and then make time to do those things. Find your people and don’t be afraid to lean on them. Find what you are good at and perfect that skill. Use it to start your brand. Lastly, say yes to new challenges and responsibilities. When I was an assistant earlier in my career, our department experienced some turnover and I was asked to step up and do things I had no idea how to do at the time. I wanted to learn as much as I could about every aspect of my function and about people, so I said yes and stepping into the unknown in that way was probably the most pivotal moment of my career. I wouldn’t be where I am today without that experience. How do you balance your career, personal life, and passions? Is there such a thing as balance? There is such a thing as balance. You just have to figure out what that means to you and what works and doesn’t. If I am being honest, sometimes I am great at it and sometimes I fail terribly. For me to maintain it, it’s important to have a routine that I stick to that incorporates working out and time to myself. I keep lists/reminders to keep me focused and organized, and most importantly, I have limits/boundaries. When I am unbalanced, it’s important for me to check-in, listen to my body and show myself some grace. I always know when one area of my life is out of whack or if I am getting close to burnout because I’ve been on the other side of that. What matters is that you listen to your body/the signs and adjust as needed. If you are not making time for stillness and joy, it trickles into everything else you do and everyone else you interact with so my motto is to fill up your cup so that you can continue to pour into others. People count on you and look up to you and you can’t be there for them if you are running on E. If this is something you struggle with, I recommend getting an accountability buddy that you trust enough to tell you when to slow down and take a break.
Where will we find you on a Saturday at 10:00 am? Unsuccessfully, trying to get my 8-month-old to take a nap so I can too!
How important is it to have a mentor to grow as a leader? What are some steps to build that type of relationship?
I never had anyone mentor me to grow as a leader. I have always been an observer, taking from coworkers or supervisors’ different aspects of what I want to be like or not like. You have no idea how you would manage until you experience it as an employee. It is important that as you are putting those experiences, good and bad, in the ol’ memory bank. This is your opportunity to grow and shape who you want to be as a leader. What makes you feel the most alive either at work or in your personal life? Watching someone grow and succeed. Frommy son hitting a developmental milestone to an employee reaching a goal of getting a promotion. What is your most meaningful accomplishment during your career? Why does it mean so much to you? I have held many different positions in my 20+ years in multifamily and leading and training others has always been the two items in most of those positions. When I joined our Resolution Training Department, I was able to reach people on a much larger scale. Creating the 8-month Operation Performance Ambassador (OPA) curriculum is part of that reach. Watching everyone learn and apply these lessons to their day-to-day operations has been amazing. When we reached our final class last year, I actually cried! I was so proud of everyone that not only stuck it through the 8 months and graduated but for those that were guest speakers in the courses and added their touch to each class we created. What do you believe will be the biggest challenge for the generation of women that follow you? I am not going to answer this as if there is an expectant challenge ahead. My only suggestion would be to stay the course, stay positive, work hard, and appreciate the people you work with and those that help you get to where you want to be along the way.
Where will we find you on a Saturday at 10:00 am? Every Saturday looks different for me, but in general, wherever there is coffee, I’ll be there!
continued on next page
14
15
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker