A strata manager is a professional who is responsible for the management of a strata scheme.
Strata schemes are made up of multi-unit residential buildings, with each unit in the strata being an individual property. In these schemes, each owner has a share of the common property. This reserved property may include amenities such as a swimming pool, tennis court, or, in some cases, a housekeeper’s cottage. Strata management services are responsible for maintaining these facilities and ensuring that all owners have access to them when they need them.
Good managers can be deciphered through multiple traits. Top among them is the ability to effectively handle people, which is why it should be your primary focus.
Managing people is significantly more than just setting goals and expectations. It encompasses emotional intelligence and conflict resolution skills and how they compare to the type of person you’re managing. On the other hand, overseeing a dynamic entity like a strata scheme requires more traits than these. Consequently, there are a few tips on what you need to be a better strata manager.
Adequate Knowledge
You may not live in the strata you manage, but the efficacy of its day-to-day operations relies almost solely on how well you know your facility. Consequently, you shouldn’t hesitate to gather all the information you can about the building or properties. For example, examine the building plans and take note of where the core components are located. Furthermore, you can also familiarise yourself with local contractors and technicians who specialize in the various systems used within the building. They will become your point of reference if anything goes wrong. Finally, you can also keep personalized notes or create a binder where you store all the most important critical information and some handy hacks as well.
Listening Skills
Your role as a strata manager often requires you to interact with owners and residents alike. As a result, you will face instances where you are a sounding board, a mediator, a negotiator, or even a counselor. No matter the circumstances, you must always be alert to the strata’s needs. Fostering an atmosphere of approachability and the willingness to provide a listening ear may spell the difference between your community’s success and failure.
Ability to Communicate Well
Along with the ability to listen comes the need for effective communication. Your position places you at the center of an ever-churning sea of interactions between multiple groups. Therefore you have to communicate well with everyone, from owners and residents to vendors, contractors, other employees, and even lawmakers. However, good communication doesn’t stop there. After all, sometimes, it is not what you say but how you say it that makes a difference. So you have to hone your skills in diplomacy as well.
Quick Response
Now that you’ve learned, listened, and communicated, you must also respond. Endeavor to seek and provide solutions as fast as you can. The quick responses will indicate to those you work with that you take them seriously and are willing to help.
Transparency
The only way to keep your community secure is by building trust between yourself, the community, and the owners’ corporation. That same trust rests on a bed of transparency that you need to make and lie in as well. More people within the strata will be willing to comply with your suggestions the more open you are.
Use these tips to learn which skills you should cultivate to enhance your abilities as a strata manager. Once you deploy them, you will be more likely to create excellent, thriving living communities everywhere you go.
