Differences between winning and losing

Differences between winning and losing

Recently I have been spending as much time as I can, watching the Winter Olympics with my kids. I believe the Olympics are one of the greatest mediums to show how a focused effort can produce outstanding results.  While I do agree that there is a significant correlation between genetics and athletic ability, that however is only a small part of the equation.  My unscientific opinion is that 10% of the population is genetically predisposed to some type of athletic Endeavour.  After that, it's all in your head.  Your ability to push harder, last longer, get up earlier, give up more, are going to be the difference between standing on the podium or watching from the couch.

I am not saying that everyone should be out there skiing at 70 mph. I do believe that what Olympic athletes do is no different than you and I. They just picked something they love, focused a lot of effort on it and are taking a huge risk to succeed. Just think if your 4 years of efforts were decided by a 6 inch lead. My feeling is that our lives are decided by those inches, every day.  We are all Olympians in our own ways. Winners and sometimes losers every day.

At Signature Community we have been in a race for the past 2 months to renew as many leases as we can. We have a game plan in place to keep every resident possible.  We have been throwing parties, visiting residents door by door, offering resident's jobs to stay with us.  Our rates of renewal last year were phenomenal from an industry perspective, but our gold winning goals set for this year will make that look like me skiing next to Lindsey Vonn. We are going for top of podium gold metal status.

The other day I was watching the women's mogul skiing and this young woman was at the top of the hill waiting her turn. The camera was in her face with probably a billion people watching and the look on her face was complete relaxation, concentration, focus and optimism. It was so apparent in her eyes that my youngest daughter (5yrs old) said she is really focused.  She went down the hill in this zone and was incredible!

When I hear stories about what Signature team members are doing for our residents; I know that as a company, we are as focused as that young skier making her way down the slopes. Nothing can stop us from winning when are in the zone.

Thanks for making it happen at Signature.  You are champions.

Nick

Underdog

Its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog.

The Colts were favored to win last Sunday's Super Bowl, but in the truest sense of never counting out the underdog, the Saints pulled off an incredible win.  When they received the trophy you could tell that they were not there for the money, they were there to win for them selves and for the people of New Orleans. They were there for the city that was feeling abandoned and left for dead just 6 years earlier.  They were there to show the world that even with little help, they rebuilt.  They turned a homeless shelter into a house of champions. 

Of all the great feats accomplished, it not only takes great talent and hard work, but it takes heart. Last Sunday was an evening were heart and passion trumped experience and skill. That is the way every athletic event should be played.

At Signature Community we play with heart and passion everyday. Some of our properties are up against incredible odds, yet they we are still playing to win.  We have markets where more than 20% of our residents have recently lost their jobs, where hurricanes have ravaged buildings, areas where crime and drug gangs have attempted to move-in, you name it and its happened at a Signature Community in this past year or so.  At Signature Community we have not taken it sitting down.  For unemployed residents, we have a Signature Help Work Program so that residents can work off their past due balances. We have residents in almost every market in the country now working off their balances while serving the Signature Community.

We also have team members that go the extra yard for our success. Like Kristen in Richmond, VA who was up until 2AM salting parking lots and fixing electrical breakers during a record snowstorm. Matt in KC who worked with an unemployed resident to start cleaning hallways to pay her back rent. 

We may be the underdogs in this fight but don't count us out. We are winners!

Thanks for making it happen with Signature Community.

Nick

Nick Jekogian's Monday Morning Message- Managing a winning team!

Managing a winning team!

This past football season has been exciting and I can't wait to see the upcoming Super Bowl showdown between two great teams, the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts. While they are not competing in the Super Bowl, one team which really stood out for me this past season was the New York Jets.  A recent NY Times front page story about Rex Ryan, went into great detail on how it was the rookie Coach's leadership that  turned around the Jets and made them a Super Bowl contender. While Coach Ryan's leadership turned this team around, he did not do it alone. Coach Ryan spoke loudly and often about the talent that surrounded him, until the players believed every word he said. Rex Ryan changed the way people felt about coming to work. But the team's hard work, great talent and enthusiasm made all the difference. Too often, the press glorifies one leader when there is a whole team that is actually making it happen. Ultimately, the New York Jets great turnaround story reminds me of the great turnaround we made at Signature Community in 2009. 

We had the same winning record with Signature this past year. 

We started with a team that didn't communicate, lost a lot of money, had no bench strength, and everybody was running in different directions.  We changed that by setting out clear goals (97% occupancy, 70% resident retention and operating in the black); we created a real time communication protocol (daily huddles and weekly calls, training and best practice calls); we engaged one another (Signature Ideas Teams); we are creating a bench (STAR Center training), we even look like a winning team (Signature shirts). 

The differences are pretty clear from just 15 months ago and will continue to get better with a team of 100 working on making us better, not just a team of three. Over the past year, we have changed our culture from complacency to urgency, from bureaucracy to lean and from good to great. Everyone at Signature jumped in and made this happen and can take pride in the fact that we are a better company today because of your contributions. 

Great job everyone for getting us on the right track!

Thanks for making it happen in 2009

Nick

 

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