Episode 22 – JuvoHub Podcast
Education in property management needs to continue to evolve as time and learners change. We are joined by Steve Wunch, who brings his decades of industry experience in training to discuss how education has changed and where it is going in the new age.
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Host(s): Jonathan Saar from Market Me Social and Mark Howell from Howl Creative Concepts
Our special guest: Steve Wunch from Leap Easy
Steve Wunch has more than 20 years as a dedicated multifamily professional facilitator in the arenas of leadership, sales and customer service, technical training, performance consulting, and talent development. His current focus is with Multifamily Training/Learning & Development, Sales, Customer Success Guru at Leap Easy.
Show Highlights
You can’t miss this episode. We all spilled the beans, so to speak, about our age, but hey, that’s okay. The room was filled with seasoned professionals ready to talk about a crucial topic: education and training. We know things are changing; are you, as a company leader, prepared to change with it?
Key Questions Covered
Why is education so important in our industry?
Steve pretty much summed up the answer to this: “You need to spend money to make money.” You need to view education as an investment in your company and your people.
You spend time and money recruiting and hiring top candidates. Why would you sabotage this by not continuing the investment into their education and training? This can lead to your staff becoming frustrated and seeking employment elsewhere, and you are back where you started.
If it’s a budget thing, reach out to your resources like supplier partners or your software company. Get in contact with your local apartment association. Send an employee to relatively inexpensive workshops and have them relate what they learned to the rest of your staff.
Education is at the heart of our industry. Whether it’s systems or soft skills training, investing in your staff aids in retention, loyalty, and increased sales.
Why is leadership training so important to the organization?
It starts at the top. Years ago, it was felt that only staff needed training. This is no longer the case. Everyone involved in the company should have some access to training and training resources.
Creative short-learning tracks – the ever-changing needs of generational learning.
Learning styles have changed over the years. Education and training need to evolve with it. Steve brought out that the average learner has the attention span of a goldfish. That’s eight seconds.
There is a need to be agile and nimble in our approach to learning. Keeping the sessions short or building in movement breaks keeps the mind moving along with the body. As Steve said: “The mind can only absorb what the butt can endure.”
Also, allowing training to happen when it’s best for the employee vs. a strict time, can have better results. Imagine how much a staff member is going to retain if they are expected to stop during their already busy day when they have a million things fighting for their attention. How much are they going to retain?
One good thing about Covid is that it showed us that our staff is quite capable of managing their time and getting tasks done. Why not let them train when it’s best for them?
Systems and maintenance training – the struggles and historic problems around these categories.
Historically, there have been gaps in these forms of training. We need to remember that these positions are an equally important part of our team, and they need access to – at the very least – fundamental knowledge.
Through education and training, you are providing the staff with the necessary tools to know how to do their job better and interact with residents in a meaningful way.
What one actionable tip could you share that has served you well as an educator?
Be flexible, be nimble, listen and be open to change
Steve Wunch
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