Frustrated about your Super? CONGRATULATIONS! Free yourself from pains. Read here!
Exceptional supers are a blessing and an asset to a building. As a property manager, believe me, it's a great feeling when a building runs smoothly and its residents are happy because the Super is doing a fantastic job.
If you’ve worked closely with Supers before, for instance, as a property manager or as a member of the Board, you’ll know that having an exceptional Super can make your own work easy. You can count on him to focus on priorities and follow up on them, and they serve as your most important set of eyes and ears.
Great supers help the building save money by making accurate assessments of maintenance issues so that you, as a board member or manager, can make the right decisions for the building.
Great supers save you time and energy so you can focus on things that matter to you most, and time is something that money can’t buy.
But, what happens when things haven’t gone smoothly around the building. Sometimes, the problem is obvious. Sometimes, it’s not, and you just can’t put your finger on it. All you know is that you just find yourself anxious, frustrated and/ or overly tired when it comes to dealing with your super because:
For instance:
residents are constantly complaining about the cleanliness
- Or they're complaining that they can’t reach the Super and calls go unanswered
- You're finding yourself doing things that you thought the super should be doing, like going on emergency calls
- You're always second-guessing him and you're following up with him on every little thing
If you’ve ever experienced these issues and wanted to change this situation, then congratulations!
Recognizing these symptoms, understanding what’s the cause and wanting/ desiring to change this is the first step to finding a way to deal with what many managers and board members simply ignore and endure the pains time and time again because they don’t:
- want to disrupt the status quo for some reason or another (maybe he’s been there “forever”)
- know how to go about solving this
- think that this is something that will ever change, no matter who is hired
If you’ve found us, that means you’ve recognized something wrong about your super situation and that you’ve decided that you CAN change something about it. This is the right first step. I’m happy to help you on this journey by showing you a few ways you can fix this on your own and then I’ll reveal how how WE can help you.
Common Problems:
So, when it comes to problems with your Super, I’ve heard them all.
Top five complaints are:
- I can never get a hold of him
- I can’t trust him or what he says
- I always have to follow up or things never get done
- He doesn’t seem to know many things that a normal Super should know
- I can’t understand him or what he’s saying/ he doesn’t listen to directions
What does it take to solve them?
Let’s start by breaking these down into its more recognizable forms, which are pains dealing with:
- Reliability and dependability
- Consistency
- Honesty and trustworthiness
- Experienced and skilled
- Attitude and personality
- Proactivity
- Communication
- Availability
- Cost
We’ve found that each of these items can frustrate your goals, whether you’re a Board member or property manager, and keep you over-supervising and micromanaging your super.
But which do you think is the most popular pains on this list?
The very top on the list of pains for board members or managers is honesty and trustworthiness (or lack of it).
Our survey responders have stated that dishonest or trust issues, if recurring, is the most serious problem and something that needs to be dealt with right away.
Let’s face it; you count on him to give you accurate assessments of things around the building. If he’s less than truthful, that’ll impact your judgment and the decisions you make from it.
If this happens time and time again, you’ll find yourself having to verify things yourself repeatedly. Second-guessing means double work, double time, double energy.
This is different from second-guessing your super because you feel that he’s not competent enough to have figured something out correctly. With a little coaching, you can minimize this.
Trust issues are debilitating to work around and can wreak silent havoc upon your productivity.
So, what do you do if you’re facing an ingrained, recurring trust issue with your Super?
Answer: Terminate the employment fast and start the hiring process again. This is one MAJOR pain that’s simpler and faster to fix over the longer run by replacing your Super.
But, for you, it doesn’t have to be this way. Find out more about how we can take that burden off your shoulders by finding, vetting and hiring your Super or Porter here. Let us find you the perfect Super!
Still interested in traveling this path on your own? See our next video to learn how we can help you find your perfect part-time super.
Oh, by the way, before you go, if you can “like” this video, I’d appreciate it!