Victoria Trautman Property Manager
What makes you feel the most alive either at work or in your personal life? I feel most alive when I amwithmy team and they lease an apartment, and we all celebrate with high fives, shouting, etc. Then, we get another lease and it’s an even bigger celebration! Or when we get a 5-star review, that makes me happy! In my personal life, I feel most alive when I am with my hubby of 35 years, my kids, and my grandson. What is your most meaningful accomplishment during your career? Why does it mean so much to you? I built a team at an older property in 2012 that was being rehabbed and convinced everyone that we could win Rehab Property of the Year for San Antonio and every month we accomplished more and more and I documented it along the way. We were nominated by one of our vendors and we won! It was a huge accomplishment and it all started with a positive idea that came to life! What do you believe will be the biggest challenge for the generation of women that follow you? I think that in our society, little girls are being raised to think that they are princesses which is cute, but I feel that we also need to teach them to believe in themselves, be positive but realistic, and self-reliant and take care of themselves. You do not need to find a rich husband to take care of you like on the reality TV shows. It is so easy to blame everyone else for mistakes or not making a goal, but the reality is that you have to be self-motivated, goal orientated, and never give up and never surrender! You have to find a way to get the job done. Don’t just try one solution and give up. You have to use your imagination and try until you succeed. I see young people today that try one time, then give up. You cannot give up! You have to ask for help sometimes too! Google is great, but sometimes you just need to ask for help! Sometimes you have to go outside of your comfort zone and push yourself. I think that this is something that needs to be promoted and taught to everyone as well.
Is there a particular female leader who inspires you or that you look up to? Why? I admire Dolly Pardon because she rose from absolutely nothing to a superstar who is a businesswoman in today’s world. She does amazing work for charity and her Imagination Library program has delivered age-appropriate books for over 2 million kids around the world. She was inspired by her father who was illiterate and began this program in 1988 to encourage students to stay in school and offered scholarships and financial incentives upon graduation. Her work efforts helped Sevier County Tennessee lower dropout rates from 40% a year to 6%. I truly believe that teaching children to read and to stay in school strengthens our country, our society, and our future. What advice would you give women just starting in their career in property management? I would tell women to learn as much as they possibly can through online courses, Gracehill training, their local apartment association, and to find a mentor. The more knowledge that you have on your given career path shows that you have the passion and desire to learn all that there is. I learn new things every day and I have been in this industry for almost 30 years. I would also tell them to always update their resume and research companies to see if their values match yours. Check with your vendors and get the scoop on companies before you begin working with them. Ask if they pay their bills, how they treat their employees, and take care of their properties before you agree to work with them. How do you balance your career, personal life, and passions? Is there such a thing as balance? I have always had large properties with a lot of employees and issues, so my family knows that work will always be a part of my life and plays a huge role in my life. I try to delegate more and train my team to know as much as I do so that anyone can help in any situation. Balance is a funny thing. Some days it goes one way and some days, it goes the other. Keeping it in the middle is a true juggling act! Where will we find you on a Saturday at 10:00 am? If I am at home, in front of my computer working on renewals or new leases or approvals. If not, out with my mom or my husband antiquing! How important is it to have amentor to grow as a leader?What are some steps to build that type of relationship? It is so important just to have someone that you can bounce questions off of, or ideas off of, or just to learn the little things from. Being a mentor is a huge responsibility, but it gives you a chance to learn from situations that you are not actually in. Every situation is a chance to use as a learning experience for you or someone on your team. Most companies have programs where they support this and offer to match specific roles. I try to mentor everyone on my team and at different properties to share the knowledge that I have is important to allow them to see how to handle situations so that they may not make the same mistakes that I made. I learn from them too. I listen to them when they interact with prospects and residents and when I hear them use the phrases that I have said, it makes me feel giddy inside and so proud!
Carrie Williams Regional Manager
Is there a particular female leader who inspires you or that you look up to? Why? There are so many wonderful leaders in the world, but my favorites are the women of Trinity. They are all remarkable and inspiring. To watch future leaders growing, learning, and then teaching those who work for them is incredible. Shoutout to Brandy Clark who was my VP when I came to Trinity and is a woman who has it all. She is strong, smart, beautiful, thoughtful, and a great leader and coach. She was the first leader I had that helped me see I don’t have to give up being me to go places. What advice would you give women just starting in their career in property management? Don’t give up on who you are. Figure out what you do best and surround yourself with other strong associates who are strong where you are not. You won’t be happy all day every day, but there is a reason to be happy every day doing what we do.
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