Staying motivated in the apartment industry can be a real chore. Aside from 2 or 3 great residents who show appreciation, it’s pretty much a thankless profession. Dealing with Mr. Johnson coming into the office with his list of why he hates the place that you work so hard to keep beautified is enough to break the toughest spirits.
Now, before we dive deeper let me just say that there is no magic motivation pill. If you’re searching for greener grass you’ll be searching forever. Take it from me, someone who has worked at over 20 apartment complexes. I’ve searched high and low for an easy property that has no annoying residents and co-workers. And I can tell you that those properties don’t exist! Nothing changes but the names and the faces. So, it all depends on you and your attitude. When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change. Keep reading and you’ll see how I keep people from stealing my joy.
It’s time to power up!
You can have more than you’ve got by becoming more than you are. That’s the challenge in life. Growing every day and becoming better. And of course the other side of the coin says, unless you change how you are you’ll always have what you’ve got.
So what keeps some people moving upward while some people sit stagnant? Why do some people seem to have a permanent smile tattooed on their face while others look like they just walked through a fart at the grocery store? The answer is motivation and enthusiasm. What creates motivation and enthusiasm? A why! Why are you doing the things you’re doing every day? Is it to get a promotion and more money? Is it so you can save for a dream vacation? Or, maybe your why is that you just love helping people every day while on the job. Those are fantastic whys! However the, “Just so I can pay my lousy bills”, is not a very good why. It’s actually quite depressing.
Stagnant people don’t have a why. Therefore, there is no climb and no desire to become better than they were yesterday. There is only wandering around the base of the mountain watching years slip into decades. So, if you’re feeling stuck you may need to get you some “whys”. And I’m not talking about a, “Just so I can pay these lousy bills” kind of why. Get you some awesome whys and start working towards their completion.
Whys are pretty much goals. I myself like to write a bunch of goals down on paper. For example, I’m an apartment maintenance tech and one of my goals was to get better at working on air conditioning units. I studied them at night before bed and woke up excited and motivated to apply what I’d learned on an actual unit. So, instead of coming into work like I just walked through a fart at Wal-Mart, I was upbeat, confident, and ready for an A/C call to come my way.
Another goal I had was to save $10,000. Everyone should try this as a why you’re getting out of bed every morning. Not because of the money, but because of the person you’ll have to become to achieve it. It was amazing! I changed my crappy attitude, quit smoking, and found some disciplines I didn’t know I could do. See my blog post titled, “How A Maintenance Man Saved $30,000” for more on that subject.
Okay, I know what you’re saying, “That’s all fine and dandy Lex! But how do you stay motivated once the honeymoon stage is over?” Great question! I know exactly how you feel. I was always motivated in the beginning. Then, as time went on it would wear off. Then, Mr. Johnson would come in with another list and put me over the edge. Funny how we’re motivated until we get around people! 
I was taught that you have to look at motivation and enthusiasm the same way you look at taking a shower. After a shower you feel great, you smell great, and everything about the experience is positive. But, it starts wearing off over time. So, before you start stinking and feeling icky again what do you do? Hop in the shower! Then, you feel better again. Motivation works the same way. Once you start feeling icky and you need a boost, it’s time to find a power shower!
There’s 3 choices to where you can get a power shower. Books, YouTube, and seminars. I myself use all 3. If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know by now that I read 2 books a week (one audiobook I play in my truck to and from work and one actual book). Books keep me pumped and showered. Reading a positive book is the first thing I do every morning. My soul needs it and I can feel the difference in my day if I don’t do it. I’ll post my top 5 books below if you’re interested in starting a positive reading regiment.
There’s also YouTube. Sometimes during lunch I’ll listen to my favorite inspirational speakers while I eat lunch. This really helps if you’ve had a rough morning. Again, I’ll post a few of my favorite speakers below to get you started. You’ll find your own favorite speakers as well when YouTube recommends others.
The third choice is seminars. This requires physically going to a conference for discussion and training. This is kind of like what I listen to on YouTube except you’re actually there and participating which makes the experience way more fun. And, I’ve got some great news! There’s actually seminars that are specialized for the apartment industry! If you want your staff to stay motivated or if they need to power up, I highly recommend that you book a date with the 2 people I’m about to introduce you to.
Mark Cukro
Mark is fantastic! Not only will your maintenance staff benefit from Marks’ training but so will your office staff. Mark started out as a maintenance technician. And, he started from the bottom (picking up garbage) and worked his way up. Your maintenance team is going to love this guy!
After Mark came to speak with the company staff that I work with, I was blown away at how different everyone’s attitude was the next day. They were saying a few of his quotes and whistling while they worked! I’m part of a lot of online apartment communities and I always see property managers asking what they can do to get their maintenance team motivated. Well, here’s your answer! Have Mark come do what he does best. If you’d like to contact Mark, here’s a link where you can find him: www.ServiceTeamTraining.com
Toni Blake
If you enjoy laughing while learning and hearing new ideas about the apartment industry, then you’re going to love Toni Blake. I’ll admit, at first I wondered why us maintenance guys needed to hear about “office stuff”. Then, to my surprise she had some very good knowledge about things that the office staff does that annoys us maintenance techs. Needless to say I was shaking my head in agreement like a bobble head and was an instant Toni Blake fan. Toni has also worked in the business for many years before setting out and spreading her abundance of positivity and knowledge. If you wish to contact Toni, here’s a link where you can find her: http://totallytoni.com/
As you can see, there’s no shortage of material out there to keep you boosted & powered up. Although, there will be days when you’re just not feeling it. It’s called being human. We’re not robots! I have days where I struggle too! The trick is to not stay mad though. Nothing ruins my whole day. I feel the feelings for a few minutes and maybe throw out a little taboo language and then I’m back to being cool again.
With that said, I’ll admit that working on yourself is a never ending climb. To this day I’m still working on myself and I’ve been doing it purposefully for 4 years now. You have to love the process and the journey. Too many people fall in love with the end result only and are impatient to have it. Too many people want an above average life, with above average pay, without learning how to become an above average person! You have to work on creating an above average life every day if you want it. Who you are is defined by what you’re willing to work for. People who enjoy the process of working out in the gym are the fit people with muscles. While the couch potatoes only want the end result & wish for muscles but don’t enjoy the process of the gym.
Fall in love with the journey and not the end result. You’ll feel motivated and much happier about everything I promise! And that goes for raising kids, having great relationships, and your work life. See: it’s a never-ending upward spiral. And if you think at any point you’re allowed to stop climbing, I’m afraid you’re missing the point. Because the joy is in the climb itself.
Links To My Top 5 Power Up Books
Click on book link to take a closer look!
Click on book link for a closer look!
Click on book link for a closer look!
Click on book link for a closer look!
Click on book link for a closer look!
Links To My Top 3 Inspiration Speakers
-Related Blog Post-
YouTube University Will Make You A Better Maint. Tech – Link
10 Reasons Why You Can’t Find Good Maintenance Techs – Link
Easy Ways Maint. Techs Can Pile Thousands Of Dollars – Link
Good Tools For The Apartment Maintenance Trade – Link
Should The Property Management Company Buy Your Tools –Link
The Maintenance Man Myth – Link
Good HVAC Tools For Apartment Maintenance Technicians – Link
How To Get Into The Apartment Industry – Link
Going On Call As An Apartment Maintenance Technician – Link
How To Deal With A Goodbye Talker – Link
How To Have A Successful Student Housing Turn Season – Link
How To Handle Working With A Hider – Link
Dirty Maintenance Cheat Sheet – Link
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