By Julie Adamen

I am writing this while heading off to the CEO-MC conference in Nashville, TN to speak to their group about finding and retaining staff. Back when I started community management, lo these many years ago, if you had told me I'd still be in the industry and speaking to a group of management company executives about how to better their relations with their staff members, I would never have believed it. And this got me thinking:  I loved being a manager, and I now love my continuing affiliation with managers, Board members, homeowners and the industry as whole, because it is such a challenging - and terrific - business.

I emailed colleagues and industry professionals, from one end of the spectrum to the other, and asked them what they thought really was terrific about the industry. The answers I received boiled down to simple, but significant reasons as to why community management is a great business. So, just when you are ready to throw in the towel, take a moment and read this article. It may remind you of why you are here.

So, what makes this business so great? Here's the practical side:

We're growing. Our industry is growing leaps and bounds.[1] Existing management firms can barely keep up with the demand for service, allowing companies to better find their niche in the market and charge a fee more commensurate with the services they provide. The demand for experienced, large-scale managers has grown exponentially, yet many of our existing pool of mangers are retiring out. Developers continue to build large associations and urban hi-rise communities aimed at the soon-to-be-retiring baby boomers.  And let's not forget that our industry teems with opportunity for entrepreneurs as well, to provide goods and services to communities and those who manage them.

We're recession-proof and outsource-resistant. I've been in this business close to 20 years, and I've seen the economy fluctuate wildly during that time. At no time did demand for services to community associations diminish. Neither did the demand for qualified persons to perform those services. Even after 9/11, we were back to business as usual within two weeks, and many of us within days.  Communities must have their trash picked up, their bills paid, their dues collected, and their various malaises treated. Economic or political swings affect those facts very little.

As for outsourcing, well, maybe we could outsource the production of financials, but I just don't see an engineering student in Sri Lanka named 'Bob' taking service calls about dog poop or meeting with the Board over touchy political issues. The very nature of our intensely people-oriented industry says you have to be there, developing and maintaining relationships. Something poor 'Bob' just won't be able to do.

Jobs for all and forever (if you want). For the most part, our industry is not ageist. As long as you can do the work, you have the opportunity.  Management companies and associations value managers for their intellect and ability to perform, not for the amount of hair on their head (I personally know several managers in their 70's who show no sign of slowing down). This means managers can work for their employers until the manager chooses to retire, or possibly work part-time.  [2]

We have a flexible schedule - and it's precious. In our ever-more-busy lives as employees, parents, caregivers, volunteers - having a flexible schedule allows us to perform certain personal tasks during "normal" working hours. In turn, this allows many of us more quality personal time off. You can pick up your prescription on the way to a site inspection and the dry cleaning on the way back. You can schedule your father for a trip to the doctor during the work week or pick up your child from school. For the legions of workers who punch a time clock, this is a luxury they can only dream about. And it's one with which we are blessed.

Where we find satisfaction:

Problem solving.  It's what we do all day long - solve problems for others. From the mundane to the bizarre, we are continually making things happen, or stopping negative things from happening by solving problems in one form or another. This process day in and day out makes us analytical and it can make us somewhat cynical; however, it makes us realize that we can do a lot more than we thought we could do. From this we receive a tremendous amount of personal and professional satisfaction. We develop confidence in knowing we can break down a problem to its basic components, proceed forward and ultimately solve that problem. Problems, and being able to resolve those problems, is what make the business interesting and challenging.

The intellectual challenge.  Most of us in management would not find much intellectual stimulation in factory work, doing the same thing, day after day, week after week, year after year.  In our business, seldom does a day, let alone a week go by that there isn't something new for which we have to stretch our brains, put pieces together (or take them apart) and come up with a working solution - or at least a working plan to find a solution. For some people, putting a wing nut on a widget hour after hour is fine. Those in community management thrive when there is an intellectual puzzle to solve.

You learn something new everyday. How many new subjects do you now know about that you didn't know before you became a community manager? I'll wager that your knowledge base is a lot more diverse than when you started. For example:  Risk management, asset management, people management, real estate law, contract administration, the difference in how turf is maintained winter to summer, snow removal and storage, and why those darned double paned windows fog up  about a day after their warranty expires. And does it end? Never! In this business, you truly do learn something everyday - about  tasks, people, supplies, laws, and especially about yourself. New experiences make you learn, learning makes you grow, and learning something new everyday is one of the great things about our business.  

Even more Great Things about this business… 

Lateral transfers. Unlike many professions, you can move just about anywhere in the country and make a lateral transfer in (comparable) salary and benefits. People's lives change, family needs change, and sometimes a move to another part of the country happens. It's great to know that when we get to a new home,  there is an employment market for us waiting there.

Your retirement isn't locked in with any one employer. It used to be desirable to work for a big employer - like an airline - because the pay and benefits were something of which you were "assured." As we look at the thousands of employees who are losing/have lost or have downsized benefits and retirement, we realize how fortunate we are. Most management companies and associations now provide a 401k program, many with matching percentages that go with us as we move up and on in our profession. The company could go bankrupt, but your retirement is yours.

And finally… The People. Let's face it - we love to work with people. Sometimes we can't stand them, but we love them all the same.  All of us in the community management industry have had some absolutely terrific experiences with people, be they homeowners, service providers, or managers.

The vast majority of individuals we encounter are usually benign, decent and polite and we are happy to assist them with their problems. The friends I have met and made in this business, some whom I have known almost 20 years and are scattered across the country, have been some of the most supportive and fun people I have ever known. Though I may not see them as often as if they lived across the street, we always start off just as if we saw each other yesterday.   Because when you boil it all down, everything we do, be it as managers, vendors, executives or what have you, comes down to creating and sustaining relationships with our counterparts, with our clients,  with other human beings.

After reading this I hope you recall the best aspects of our industry as I do:  A growing future, job flexibility, intellectual stimulation, fulfillment from providing a needed service, and great people. I know now that these are the things that have kept me sharp, alive and looking forward to tomorrow. We are so fortunate that in this business, we have this opportunity every day, and indeed, every hour.  

And - oh yes - did I mention that it's never boring?