There’s always room for one more rose in the garden. But what happens when that rose turns out to be a weed? Are you watering your weeds or your roses?

No one can deny the beauty that a garden brings to the environment it surrounds. Gardens are vibrant and provide magic to the eyes. In this case, the “Garden” is your Leasing Office and the roses are your Leasing Professionals. Unlike flowers, people have personalities that have the uncanny ability to excite, enhance, create ideas, stimulate and help the team develop into what I call a “well-oiled machine” that makes Leasing look easy.

Sometimes, underneath the Garden surface, there may be insects eating away at the roots, like ants, or disease and decay. There may be weeds that pop up even though the Garden has been tended to at times and treated. Like weeds, some people in your Leasing Office may have personalities that seemingly choke the joy out of the day, or otherwise destroy the comradery of the team.

So, what do you have in your Garden? Roses or Weeds?

Roses! Then you can develop your Dream Team! These are the people who enjoy themselves, enjoy helping others, see the humor in Miss Alice when she calls and says she can’t find her keys (again!) and talks to you as though you are her daughter/son. These are the people who trade off on the Walk-In traffic and don’t generally fight over commissions because 1. They know the Company Policy; 2. They share the commission so there is nothing to fight about; and/or 3. They figure it all evens out anyway so why fight about it? These are the people who will chat about life, perhaps actually spend time together outside of work; they eat lunch together – even occasionally trade off treating each other. In other words, they get along, like each other and respect each other and the goals of the property. They work together, too.

Weeds! Yep, this is where on team member that talks about one person or another on a daily basis (sometimes ganging up on the same person daily). They tattle to the Manager about what someone said, what the Maintenance Tech did or did not do (always in a negative fashion), how another Leasing Consultant lost a lease because of …. They try to listen to every conversation and mentally make notes about how the person is “doing it wrong so they can tell the Regional the next time the RPM visits.” They talk rudely to the Residents, can easily turn from a good to a bad mood and take it out on whoever calls or walks into the Leasing Office. Instead of being happy when Corporate sends out an email congratulating a team on increasing occupancy, they complain that THEY did not get anything the “last time we leased 14 apartments in one week!”

As a Manager, sometimes you think you have roses, but you really have weeds and it isn’t until someone leaves and you are in the hiring process that you start to understand the team dynamics and what it all means. If the Manager lacks a “Green Thumb” then the new team may never flourish. Just remember though, that in order for roses to grow, you have to put some fertilizer on them on a routine basis. It may not be pretty then, but it works.

All ROSES are outstanding! They rise toward the sun and you will recognize them as the Overachievers (they do more than is required – everyday.) ROSES do not need to be “managed” because they manage themselves (organized, prepared, submit things on time, constantly planning and thinking about what is next). ROSES look at problems to be solved. They will not bring problems to upper management and walk away thinking, “Well, I told them; now it’s their problem.” They will come in with a problem and if they have no solution, they are willing to work on finding one and ask to get back to you later. They retain ownership of the problem because it is an opportunity to “fix” something, make a process better, thereby adding value to the team. ROSES invest in their own learning and education. They are the sponges soaking up what they can for their own personal development. You won’t hear them bellyaching that no ever sends them to conferences – they will either be reading the publications and they will be begging for more.  For Leasing Consultants, ROSES are the go-getters who figure out early what it takes to close the deal; they set their own performance goals and know how to build a relationship with their Prospects so that they get both the RENEWAL and a REFERRAL.

WEEDS should be pulled out of the garden as quickly as they appear. Don’t waste a lot of time on those WEEDS that kind of look like a flower but really aren’t. You know: eventually after you work with people long enough you begin to see WEEDS for what they truly are: back-stabbers, tattle tales, energy-drainers and Drama Queens. Unfortunately, it may take a while to see them if you are inexperienced. At first, you may be swayed by their attempts to befriend you -  (they may casually tell you that Dottie came in late three times this week – Dottie is the ROSE that closed ten leases and stays late to ensure all the paperwork is complete and the PM software is correctly updated before her day off.) They may also be the one who casually asks you “WHEN are you going to ….” Or “I thought you were going to ….” Both of which may seem innocuous questions but are really designed to prod you into performing something he/she needs or wants done – don’t be fooled by this quiet attempt to manipulate. WEEDS will tell you all the gossip and expect you to react. WEEDS talk to the team with a tone of disdain, arrogance and/or superiority. Eventually during CRUNCH TIMES, this will annoy the heck out of people and after a while it will pull morale lower. This in turn means, your ROSES may rethink whether or not they want to work there. A lot of times, they leave.

Concentrate your Miracle Grow magic on those that matter, your ROSES, and go ahead and saturate pesticides on those WEEDS and get rid of them. I don’t know why people have an obsession over keeping people who cause problems, disrupt the team dynamics, and add unnecessary drama to the daily routine. It’s amazing how much damage can be done by the WEEDS of the world and there is no reason to keep rewarding the negativity WEEDS create. Kick them to the curb so your ROSES can take root and showcase themselves, the property, and the company.