Can we talk...about disaster readiness?

As disasters go, this week's crash of a Germanwings jet by the co-pilot is so high on the OMG list that maybe I should not even talk about it.  I find it impossible not to though, because as Property Managers, we are ALWAYS trying to think about how to prepare for things happening we can't control, but must respond to.  

Our hearts and prayers go earnestly out for all the families of those who lost their lives Tuesday.  

The very next thought, and again, we cannot help ourselves, is:  What are our vulnerabilities?  How can we prepare for the unthinkable to happen?  

My team talks disaster preparedness through regularly at our weekly huddles, we play what if games, and do our best to come up with the best plan we can.  We then communicate it to tenants, and then we practice it.

Since that's where my head is at this week, I dug out this article from  Building Operating Management magazine, on disaster preparedness.  I hope it helps you if your mind wanders down the worst case scenario path like mine does.  It always helps me to shift from OMG to What Can I Do???

http://www.facilitiesnet.com/emergencypreparedness/article/Disaster-Response-Planning-Tips-from-Preparedness-and-Remediation-Pros--15750

Resilience and the Property Manager

I shared with my colleagues at CBCA today some training I received in a class at the SMU/Cox school of business back in January.  I am enrolled in a leadership certificate program through CREW Dallas at SMU and the learning I have been exposed to in these classes has been a good source of training for our own folks.  

Resilience training was just this kind of content.  I know that as Property Managers, if you are not resilient, you likely won't be a Property Manager for very long.  A couple of hallmarks of resilient people are Optimism, Solutions Focused, and determination.  Check, check, and check.

If you're a Property Manager, and you KNOW that toilets will run over, roofs will leak and ruin a tenant's copier, power will go down, the landscapers will break a sprinkler head, etc, etc, etc, and you come to work today anyway, what else would you call that besides OPTIMISM????

If you're a Property Manager and you have a tenant who needs parking for 100 people for a meeting they are having next week and you have 125 parking spaces in your lot, you find a lot within a block from your building to help that tenant because you are SOLUTIONS FOCUSED

If you're a Property Manager and you have a roof leak that keeps coming back after you a)replaced the roof, b)sealed the brick on the penthouse c)cleared the roof drains d)caulk the flashing AND the counter flashing, e)5 other things, and you have told the tenant you WILL find that leak, well, folks, you are DETERMINED

That is the Property Manager - Resilient

Contact me if  you would like to get my powerpoint slides on resilience training.