A murder of crows.
A Pod of Managers?
By Julie Adamen

Just think about this: Suppose you had a group of managers that knew everything about their accounts, and a heck of a lot – if not everything - about the accounts of 4 other managers, and if those managers worked out their vacation schedules in order to cover each other’s accounts.  Suppose one of the managers in the group had to move, or was out for a long period of time. What it would this concept mean to executives and owners if the pod could handle the account problems itself? Just think if you had managers that could exchange accounts without causing the standard uproar in the Board – because the Board already had contact with and confidence in – the alternate pod manager member. Just think.

No More Lone Ranger

Managing communities is often a very entrepreneurial position. Managers make their own decisions, often make their own hours, and many times work with little or no supervision. Managers in our industry are self-starters, self-motivated and in reality Lone Rangers with direct care and supervision of only their accounts.  The better the employee, the better this scenario works for the management company, with regard to account retention as well as from the profitability aspect.  But for any mid- to large- management firm, where manager turnover is troublesome this is an often wished for fantasy. As any VP who manages a full account load, supervises managers, then has the misfortune to take on another 5 accounts, will tell you employee turnover is the number one roadblock to their company going on the greater heights of professionalism and profit. So, if the manager is the Lone Ranger and only he or she knows anything about what is going on in their communities, and that is the most (on the surface) cost efficient way of doing business, how do we combat the inevitable turnover? Not to mention other personal issues such as vacations, sick leave, and pregnancy leaves.  Think of this concept: A Pod of Managers.

The Basic Pod Structure and Start Up

The Mission. The Mission of the pod is to provide comprehensive community management to all of the pod’s accounts on an equal basis, to be able to provide interim management in the event of turnover that is seamless, or nearly so, to the clients. The pod shall provide accountability to the management firm, and a positive learning atmosphere in which to train new managers.

Formation. The pod should consist of 3 to 5 managers. The pod formation also includes the appropriate number of assistants who are dedicated to accounts within this pod only.

Start up. Executives or owners must be the ones to put together pods based on what they believe will work with regard to the various regional issues. Consideration should be given to account loads, degree of difficulty, experience levels of the pod managers (we can’t have 5 brand new managers in the same pod). As equally, if not more important than the above – the personal dynamics of the potential pod members should be seriously reviewed.   Once these decisions have been tentatively made, the execs should involve those being considered for certain pod units for fine-tuning the group. They may have insights that the execs do not, and may provide valuable information that can facilitate the development of a pod with just the right mix.

Pod Leaders. A pod leader should be appointed by execs or elected by the pod – whichever works best for the personnel involved. This leader is responsible for making sure the pod holds its meetings, work cohesively and meets the charter set out by the management firm. The pod leader will also be responsible for any and all reports, including budget reports, which go to upper management. A Pod leader should ideally be experienced – but more than that should engender a sense of trust within the pod to work for the good of the group. Yes, there should be a financial incentive for the pod leader – this cost will more than be offset in unit productivity.

Pod Responsibility. Let’s be clear here – this concept of management should not be lumped with other team management concepts that seem to follow the adage  “responsibility shared is responsibility shirked.”  Ultimate responsibility for each account still lies directly with the manager assigned that account. The purpose of the pod is to provide that individual manager with a support system. Pod members familiar with their group of accounts can help individual members if they are in crisis, cover vacations or sick leaves, and prevent the management company from scrambling to cover accounts should the manager have to leave. Yes, the missing pod member must be replaced – whether it is an existing assistant or a new employee.  But, if it works well, the pod system will foster enough team mentality to, for the most part, keep managers from simply up and quitting the firm with no notice because they have a vested interest in their team – the pod. That team spirit is what works for the company as a whole.

First Things First

Pods Need to Meet and Communicate. All pods must meet on a regular basis – preferably weekly. The pod itself must work out this timing, but upper management needs to make sure it is happening. The pod leader is responsible for making the meetings happen.

In the beginning, pod meetings should really be about one thing: Exchanging information about accounts, including basic information such as Board members, phone numbers, contractors, etc. [1] But really they need to exchange information on the “feel” of the community: Who’s really in charge, what are the real problems. Who are the squeaky wheels, which are the reasonable folks? What’s the current big deal? What’s the next? If managers have been around each other for a while, they probably know quite a bit about each other’s accounts. The pod members will fill in all the gaps with facts and not gossip. This won’t happen in the first meeting, but it will happen.

And, yes, the pods need to make site inspections of each other’s accounts. It might take a whole day, but it is vital to the pod to have a working idea of what the property looks like.

Secondary Goals

Support. As our last months article discussed, managing the inconsistency, that is community management, can take a serious emotional toll on our managers. One goal of the pod system is to provide managers with an internal support structure that doesn’t place an immediate burden on upper management. Whereas in most management firms under their current structure, a single “VP” or “District Manager” takes on myriad of problems from several managers all the while managing their own accounts. Not only is it very wearing on that individual, it also makes managers have a tendency to either not want to additionally burden the District Manager because they feel bad about it – or they know nothing will happen because there are only so many hours in the day for an overworked DM or VP. 

A pod of managers can act not only as a sounding board and a life saver, but when the need arises, pod members can most likely suggest solutions to thorny problems a pod member may be having - because all it really needs is a fresh set of eyes. As the pod becomes more established, they would be able to shift accounts (with approval) within the group to prevent manager burnout, or make reasoned, quantified and qualified recommendations to upper management on what accounts need an increase in their management fee, or maybe just need to be terminated.   This gives the managers a sense of control over their working lives – something sorely missing with the vast majority of today’s manager in the trenches.

Scheduling. Pods schedule out their vacations and time off with each other through a master pod calendar.

Training New Management Staff. A pod is a great place to train assistants to become managers. Team spirit and cohesiveness provide the necessary fertile ground for personal growth and training.  New pod assistants will receive a lot of exposure, will be involved in the decision-making and attend the pod meetings making them intimately familiar with how the managers think and work. The trainee learns what the real issues are and how experienced managers deal with them. Once the trainee is ready, they can take on accounts. The satisfaction of helping and supporting new members can provide strong pod and company loyalty.

Pods and their Budgets. Once pods are established and working, they should be responsible for their own budget. Yes, that’s right. It should be clear to the pod what they as a group bring in, monthly, including extras, and what their outgo is in terms of costs and overhead and any other expenses.

The pod needs to be given income figures they must meet or exceed monthly based on a total pod expense figure. Pods exceeding their figures can be rewarded accordingly. Pods not reaching goals may need some re-structuring. The pod system is dynamic, and not meant to be written in stone. If something isn’t working, adjust it till it does.

Pod Supervision

Executives aren’t getting off easy here. There will have to be upper management guidance, development and supervision of the pods. If the pods are well thought out and the supervisor is capable, they should be able to supervise 5 or 6 pods and not, as a rule, manage any accounts.  This is a leadership position, which will be crucial to the success of the pods and must not suffer the distraction (and fate) of normal middle management roles, which require them to have high-end supervisory responsibilities and while managing Mrs. Smith’s petunias. NO.  Not only must the supervisor attend the pod meetings, have an understanding of all the pods and supervise the budgets, they must have the trust and faith of the managers. This position should go to a top notch, star quality person, not necessarily the person who has been with the firm the longest. This supervisor concept cannot be overlooked or taken lightly, as this position will utilize all of their managerial talents to create and sustain working pods.

Employee Development = Employee Empowerment

Employee development is something we would all like to see. Unfortunately, in our crisis management oriented business, employee development is usually somewhere at the bottom of the list. The pod system can be a natural place for employees to develop – or not – while still being financially productive. One way to help employees develop is to give them a real sense of what it takes to make the company work and grow on a day-to-day basis and make them partly responsible for making that happen. This is empowerment.

Despite challenges, there are some big upsides to the pod system: Pods work and care for their own team, forming cohesive, empowered management units. They are employees that have a say in their everyday work life and a vested interest in their pod, or team, which translates in to a vested interest in the company. Pods develop a sense of responsibility for making the pod work, and thus, the company work, for them, for the clients, and for the owners. These units provide an environment for employees to develop a level of competence and involvement that could set the company apart in profit and professionalism.

Just think what a group of managers would be able to accomplish is they felt empowered in their workday. Just think if they had a vested interest and responsibility to their team and to their company. Just think what could be achieved.

 Just think.