President's Pen 2020 Issue 2

April 14, 2020

Posted By: Kelli Lea in TAA News & Updates, the ApartMentor,

When it came time to write this article, I spent so much time deciding what to write about. There is so much going on in the world right now that has completely changed the way we conduct our daily business. Months ago, I had planned to take this opportunity to discuss upcoming events within in our association, and how we’re in the “busy season” so time to produce those leases! My, how my agenda and focuses have shifted.

As of Monday, March 30 when the “Shelter in Place” order became official, our lives changed. Some companies made adjustments prior to this date, but never did I think the words “essential,” “social distancing,” and “quarantine” would be the topic of most of my daily operations.

As many of our supplier partners and most all owner/operators are considered essential employees, we are still doing our jobs to the fullest extent we can. For those of us with children, we may also be sprinkling in homeschooling in the small snippets between conference calls and financial reporting.

As we all are figuring out this new normal and not knowing how long this will last, it’s important for us to focus on the positive and sustainable impacts to our communities, our companies, our employees, and our families.

How many of you have video conferences more in the last few weeks than you have in the last few years? What about FaceTime with your family? Dare I ask the last time a handwritten note or card was mailed that wasn’t for an occasion? The power of connection is so impactful! My hope is that this yearning for connection doesn’t fade out as we get back to our old habits in the upcoming months. Anyone interested in having virtual happy hours on a regular basis?!

Speaking of going virtual, I’ve got to give credit to the incredible staff at TAA who has been working around the clock and seamlessly created ways to be available, resourceful, and meet the needs of our members. We’ve held 7 webinars (Plus many more being scheduled!) that had over 1,037 attendees combined in the last few weeks. Not only was the delivery approach new, but the content was handcrafted based on what we, the members, were asking for. I’m incredibly grateful to work with these people and commend them for their hard work!

The events and courses on the calendar may look different, but it doesn’t change the fact that the community we have created within TAA runs deep. I do still believe that my charge to you from the night I was inducted as your 2020 TAA President can be achieved. As a reminder, I’m looking for 20% more attendance to our meetings. Maybe you couldn’t get off-site before or leave the office to attend a committee meeting. Well, you’re in luck as those have gone virtual too! Please consider joining and listening in.

I’ve been wondering what it would be like if I had a crystal ball and could look forward three months. My inner psychic tells me that we WILL change some of our operations. We will move to more virtual tours, educational offerings, and sales. We will run our operations more efficiently through all of the expense saving exercises we’ve run in the last few weeks. Most importantly, we will get through this together.

While things feel uncertain and even scary at times, the power of this Association and its members is that we are going through this together and will come out of this together. I leave you with this, “Embrace uncertainty.
Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later” — Bob Goff

Until we meet again and I hug your necks, here’s a virtual high five to you! I hope to see you on the next virtual happy hour to give you a proper cheers.