Bouncing Back From TURN!

Turn is wild! We all can agree on that. One second you’re trashing units and catching vendors laying on the couch in an air-conditioned unit, then before you can blink an eye, you are three days away from move-in and crashing from your third “red bull” all-nighter. Move-in day hits, parents are crying and just like David after the dentist, you are left saying… “Why is this happening…is this going to be forever?”

The answer to that is no. You will not feel the effects of Turn forever. From my personal experience on-site and now leading the Travel, Transitions and Training Team, I could write a Harry Potter length novel, filled with turn stories from across the nation. Collectively, the TTT team alone has worked 50 + Turns, and we all agree that the weeks following move-in can yield many feelings, including but not limited to all words that start with a B and rhyme with “Shurnout”. Post turn burnout is a real thing, and it is our job as leaders to gauge the shape of our team to set up a plan of action to get everyone back on track for the 2018-2019 leasing season.

If you have not had time to think about life after Turn – that’s okay! Bookmark this blog for when you are ready to hit the big red RESET button as a team! The steps below have been scientifically Cardinal lab tested to get you back on track (note: no scientists were actually involved).

Step 1: Reflect As A Team

Schedule a team meeting to exclusively talk about the hits, misses and milestones that occurred between move-out and move-in. Often we go through big events such as Turn without dedicating time to “process” the experience. Real studies do show that when we participate in experiences outside of our normal routine, there is often a lot of learning that can take place. Reflection has a positive impact on team attitudes and the lack of reflection can have long-term negative effects.

During your post turn meeting really take the time to answer the following questions as a team:

• What did we achieve as a team? What were our highest highs?
• Where did we fall short OR where did the plan unravel? What were our lows?
• Do we have any team members who reached new heights?
• Did anyone become a master in a skill that they didn’t have before?
• What do we want to keep for next time? On the flipside, what do we want to change for next time?

Before you can move forward you have to reflect. I promise this exercise is worth it! It’s wild what even 30 minutes of reflection can do for the team’s soul! Also – all of your lessons learned will come into play under Step 4, so make sure to keep reading.

Step 2: Fill Up The Gas Tanks

Just like my car right now, you might be running on empty. To get your gauge back to the full position, know that self-care is NOT AN OPTION. You must make sure you are taking time to get your body right. Get consistent rest, eat food that your body will thank you for (and no, fried wings from Buffalo Wild Wings do not count as “lean chicken”), work out or meditate and for the love of Cardinal get outdoors and say hello to our good friends, Sun and Air.
On top of looking out for your body, make sure to not forget about your mind too! Find a new show to make up for that concert you missed, go see a comedy show to make up for the few tears you cried (in my Tom Hanks voice,“There is no crying in TURN”) and for Pete’s sake…hug your family members or pets or friends for longer than 5 seconds. Show those you love some extra attention!

At the end of the day know that YOU and only YOU can make the decision to bounce back from the Turn mindset. Before moving to our next step, I need you to repeat after me: I, *insert name*, promise to stop feeding the burnout and will make MYSELF a priority today, tomorrow and forevaaaa evaaa!

Step 3: Plan a team event and catch up on FUN!

With all the blood, sweat and late nights shed over the last few weeks, know that a much-deserved congratulations is in order and it’s okay to take a predetermined afternoon/weekend to get with your team and celebrate getting over the finish line! It is no secret that projects of this size are hard work, and all of our teams have tackled TURN like ABSOLUTE pros. Cardinal wants to thank you for all that work, and a job extremely well done.

Feel guilty for taking an hour out of the office? Don’t. Once your Portfolio Manager has approved your event and budget – go ENJOY as a team. Make some new memories, bring your best and create fun! It doesn’t take a lot of money to go enjoy a team event (…some events below are even free!).

Some post-turn event ideas:

• Team dinner OUTSIDE of the office
• Team move night. Go enjoy a new box office hit!
• Mini golf
• Go see a local sports team in action
• Sing Karaoke (email me directly if you need a go-to song)
• Volunteer together
• Bowl

Step 4: Start Thinking About Post Turn Goals

So at this point, you have reflected, refueled your tanks and celebrated your accomplishments! Spirits should be high (or at least higher than they would have been before Steps 1, 2 and 3). We have hit the point where we can put 2018’s Turn in the rearview mirror and start forward looking to the future of leasing, marketing, collecting money again and can we say…planning for Turn 2019?

As you plan for the future make sure that you focus on implementing your ‘lessons learned’ from your reflection exercise. Strive to be more prepared, participate in units walks earlier and more frequent this year, replace damaged items now (and don’t forget to charge those residents), start looking for vendors (if this year wasn’t great), control renewal transfers/set limits and learn the Entrata system inside and out.

Turn can be controlled and get better every year if you take this time to reflect and implement practices that will help you throughout the year. Setting the tone and being proactive today will help squash burnout in months to come.
For our late markets who are still turning, keep pushing. We will see you on the other side!