One of the best things you can do to improve your team’s training plan is to add Skill Gap Analysis. This step helps the trainer to identify gaps in performance and areas for added training and development.

Benchmarking

The first step in conducting a thorough Skill Gap Analysis is to create a picture of what ideal performance looks like. This step—called Competency Profiling—takes a look at the attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and specific skills needed for an individual to excel in a particular role. These competencies can be rated as critical or core, meaning that a high level of proficiency is needed in order to be successful in the role; or preferred, meaning that while not mandatory, a particular competency would help the employee to better excel.

Assessment

Once your benchmarking is done and core and preferred competencies are identified for the role; it’s time to measure the employee’s proficiency against the competencies you’ve identified. There are a number of ways that this can be accomplished, and while any one of the following strategies can be effective, it’s far preferable to use a combination of several so that you get a more well-rounded picture of how the employee is performing and what he or she might be missing that can be rectified with added training and development. Assessment techniques include:

• Performance Review – a standard performance review typically revolves around discussion between the employee and the supervisor of both the supervisor’s and employee’s assessment of the employee’s proficiency. The review includes development of a strategy to help the employee further improve his or her performance in the role.

• Interviews – interviewing employees and supervisors with open-ended questions (questions that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”) allows for gathering of qualitative data. Interviews can also identify misconceptions with regard to the role; resistant attitudes (including change-resistance and personality conflict); and other barriers to excellent performance that might not surface in a performance review.

• Surveys – surveying managers, employees, and coworkers (including other managers) can help gather even more qualitative information that can be used for statistical performance analysis. Today, such surveys can be designed and conducted very quickly, easily, and efficiently, online.

• Customer Feedback – if it’s possible to interview or survey customers or other stakeholders, they can be an outstanding source of feedback on the performance of either a group of employees or an individual.

• Performance Tests – many skills can be assessed using standardized tests to gather quantitative data (multiple choice, fill in the blank etc.) of employees’ understanding of particular competencies, necessary to their ability to perform them.

• Audits – this process simply creates a checklist of specific operational standards, and the employee’s ability to perform to those standards is checked against the list.

Analysis

Once the assessment has been completed using one (or preferably several) of the techniques listed above, the trainer can then begin the process of closing the gaps with strategies including training (if a lack of knowledge is identified), role reassignment (personnel transfer or organizational changes); allocating new resources; added rewards or other incentives; or improved goal-setting and measurement. As in any case where proficiency can’t be improved by other means, termination may have to be considered.

Adding Skill Gap Analysis to your training plan will help you to identify, improve, and prioritize your training and development projects by creating a sharper picture of your team’s abilities as compared to your vision for ultimate success; but creating a fully comprehensive plan requires far more than we could fit into one blog post! If you’re interested in putting this outstanding tool to work in your organization, be sure to make Your Team's Got Talent: Better Training Through Skill Gap Analysis presented on Thursday, September 16th at the Multifamily Brainstorming Sessions by Kara Rice and Jana Muma of Grace Hill part of your Brainstorming 2010 training plan! We’ll see you there!

Our good friend and top Brainstorming Facilitator Tina Cavaco sent us this AMAZING link!

In Hong Kong, because of the space, apartments are small and expensive. Gary Chang, an architect, decided to design a 344 sq. ft. apartment to be able to change into 24 different designs, all by just sliding panels and walls. He calls this the 'Domestic Transformer.'

By Jim Whitt
Before you invest time and money in traditional strategic planning consider this — only 5-10% of strategic plans are ever implemented.
The reason most organizations engage in strategic planning is to reduce anxiety. It’s like taking a couple of aspirin for a headache. In this case the headache is the future. The aspirin is a couple of days locked in a room putting checkmarks in the appropriate boxes. Mission statement (yada, yada, yada): check; SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats): check; long range goals (3-5 years): check. Ah, that feels better. And like the aspirin bottle, the plan is put on the shelf. But the future, like the headache, keeps coming back. As Dr. Phil likes to ask, how’s that working for you?
Even if you do try to implement a plan using this process it will be flawed. Think back five years ago. It seems like a millisecond doesn’t it? If you look no further ahead than five years you’ll see the future as an extension of the present. You’ll be trying to solve tomorrow’s problems with yesterday’s solutions. If you really want your organization to succeed in the future, you need a pioneering process instead of just a planning process. Instead of looking ahead 3-5 years you need to look a generation ahead.
To get started, assemble key people in your organization to be part of your pioneering team. How many and who you choose will depend on the size and structure of your organization. Break them into small groups and have them select a facilitator and recorder for their group. Ask the following questions, one at a time, giving the group time to share and record their answers. After each question, have the groups share their answers with the rest of the team.
1. What did the world and your industry look like 30 years ago? This question primes the pump. Once you’ve compiled a list of the monumental changes that have taken place in the last 30 years you understand there will be monumental changes that will take place in the next 30 years.
2. What will the world and your industry look like 30 years from now? While no one can accurately predict the future remember that Jules Verne was writing about a trip to the moon 100 years before it happened. Don’t limit your thinking. Tell your team to be as futuristic as their minds will let them.
3. What will your organization have to be, do and look like to succeed in the future you just described? You are not bound to the form or model of your current organizational structure. Borrow a page from Star Trek and dare to boldly go where no man has gone before.
4. What will you have to do to help the organization get there? Planning for an organization’s future requires collectively creating a picture of our future where we’ll find meaning and purpose, not just as a group but as individuals.
The collective answers to these questions provide the information your team will need for the next assignment: A major newsstand business magazine has selected your organization as The Model Organization in the year 2040. Have each team member write an article describing what happened in the three decades between then and now that enabled you to become that model organization.
These articles are a matter of engaging your team in a process of writing tomorrow’s history today. Everything you need to do to succeed in the future is contained in that history. You’ll identify your organization’s purpose, operating philosophy, business models and structure. You’ll identify goals and objectives and the people who need to be responsible for their completion. Your history will have everything you need to develop a real strategic plan. Implementation then becomes a matter of living the history. What makes this process effective is that instead of starting at the present and trying to work your way forward you are starting at the future and working your back.
Of course, this is a condensed overview of the pioneering process. It takes a genuine commitment of time and energy. If you simply want to reduce your anxiety about the future take the road most traveled and use the traditional check the boxes method. But if you want to succeed in the future, you have to go beyond traditional planning and do some serious pioneering. Pioneering has never been for the faint of heart. It’s for those who want to lead rather than follow, and thrive instead of just survive. Pioneers take the road less traveled. Which road will you choose?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jim Whitt is an unapologetic people provoker. For more than 20 years as a speaker, consultant and author Jim has provoked people and organizations to reach their full potential. He is cofounder of Purpose Unlimited which is in the business of transforming lives, leaders and organizations through the power of purpose. To find out more about his speaking and consulting please visit www.PurposeUnlimited.com or call 918-494-0009.

A few years ago at one of the  Brainstorming Educational Sessions  “Practical Leasing Strategies, Creative Marketing Ideas and Proven Management Techniques from Across the USA.”  was presented by Donna Olson of Olson Training, Kara Rice of Gracehill, and Rebecca Rosario of Full House Marketing, this sessions was both entertaining and idea-packed as it took attendees on a quick “flight” across the United States—complete with blue-suited flight attendants who handed out snacks and drinks. As we traveled (completely free of turbulence!), we learned what our colleagues in the various parts of the country are doing to keep their properties full and profitable. The ideas maybe several years old but they are still viable.

From the Northwest…
The first zone we covered was the Northwest, where we heard about an innovative way to use guest cards. ConAm Management has converted its guest card into a guest proposal; after the card is filled out, one copy stays with the leasing consultant, and the other goes home with the future resident. The future resident’s copy contains the property’s rates, location, contact information, and so forth!

Another great idea from the Northwest region came from Weidner Investment. Weidner is expanding its training expertise by sending a team to the national American Society for Training and Development conference. Those attending the conference will learn from training experts outside the multifamily industry—a key way to import fresh ideas and ensure that they are using the most effective methods available.

Two other fun tips we collected in this region included:

Setting up an inflatable moonwalk (those big bouncy things that kids love) outside your property on a Saturday afternoon to lure in drive-by traffic; and
Setting up a “cruise photo” spot in your office or clubhouse and having future residents pose for a picture when they visit—then using the photos as email follow-ups.

From the Southwest…
In our trip through the Southwest, we discovered some great ways to keep the bottom line healthy. We started with two tips designed to keep those rental payments and deposits coming in—even in the toughest markets.

As we all know, the soft economy has taken its toll on our residents. More and more often we are faced with individuals who simply can’t come up with the money they need, either for a deposit or a rental payment. In the wake of the September 11 disasters, the Las Vegas market was especially hard hit, with many in the tourist industry losing their jobs. Apartment residents, unable to pay the bills, were skipping like crazy, and ConAm Management knew it had to do something—quick—to prevent its Vegas properties from emptying. The solution it decided upon was to allow residents to pay their monthly rent in two installments rather then one big payment. By implementing this short-term, emergency option, ConAm weathered the worst of the storm—and went back to its standard collection procedures once things become more stable. Another management company is experimenting with a similar approach to its pet deposits, but with an income-boosting twist. It allows residents to pay their pet deposits in installments—but it charges a $50 “finance fee” for doing so.

Another “bottom line” strategy came from an Austin, Texas property that has replaced its first-level flooring with concrete. Now, before you start envisioning the ugly, gray stuff you see in unfinished basements, you should know that concrete flooring has come a long way! Scored, stained, and patterned, it is an attractive and even elegant decorating choice. If you don’t believe that, here’s your proof: The Austin property was charging—and getting—$75 extra on a one-bedroom unit with the concrete flooring. And just think of the money it will save on replacement costs!

From the Midwest…

Our Midwestern portion of the session focused mainly on quick, clever marketing and leasing ideas, like the following:

Put a fishbowls or tanks, complete with live fish, in vacant apartments, and attach a tag that says, “We’ll keep him alive until you arrive.”
Put out bowls of Reisen candies in the leasing area, with a card that says, “Need a Reisen to live here?” Print up strips of paper with various reasons to live at your property, and attach one to each piece of candy.
For senior communities, have staff nametags printed in extra-large, easy-to-read letters.
Work with local tourism departments and companies to buy discounted admissions to area attractions (theme parks, museums, wineries, etc.), and offer these as leasing or renewal incentives.
Look into the price of a kiosk in your local mall—you may be surprised at how affordable it is. Steve Matre, who contributed this idea, has found that the cost per lease is typically $100 or less.
If you have properties that cater to college students, consider hosting a free seminar for those eligible to live off campus. Invite parents as well, and explain how the lease works, what it takes to live in an apartment, etc. The two best times of the year to do this are in January and August—and you might even consider coordinating with the university’s housing administrator so that your sessions coincide with orientation activities.

From the Northeast…
The presenters had collected a hodgepodge of useful, easy-to-implement ideas from their contacts in the northeastern states. First up, from Princeton Properties, came the idea of a quarterly bonus program designed to reward the maintenance staff. Each quarter, the “pot” starts at $100 per maintenance staff member, and money can be both added and taken away for good and bad behaviors. At the end of the quarter, whatever is in the pot is divided among the maintenance team.

The next northeastern tip was to develop a “hospitality mentality.” One property that decided to adopt this approach offers a breakfast-on-the-go in its clubhouse from 7:00 to 8:30 each weekday morning. The property started offering these mini-breakfasts (coffee and muffins) to guests in its corporate apartments, but soon found that it was a great retention tool for all the residents. The managers also found that these breakfasts are great times to schedule renewal meetings!

Our presenters also reminded us of a couple of tried-and-true marketing techniques that we don’t always use as often as we should: sending out press releases and welcoming new businesses into our area with personal visits.

From the Southeast…

For the last leg of our journey, we learned about some ways to motivate our staffs. In a challenge especially appropriate for the southeast, one property management executive agreed to dress up as Elvis and spend the day as a human directional if a community could meet its leasing goal. They did—and he did. We saw pictures to prove it! Other companies in the region motivated and retained their staff by sending them on an annual ski trip and by providing a mandatory 6-week paid leave for those who had been employed for 10 years.

We also discovered some ways to capture our future residents’ attention…like with a musical follow-up! One company created a CD of songs and hired a professional DJ to announce and “frame” each song so that it pertained to the community. The CDs—costing around $1.75 each, plus the cost of setup—were sent or given to prospects who had visited the property. They proved so popular that the company ended up creating a Christmas CD as well!

Another tip focused on a different kind of communication: communication between staff and residents who speak different languages. To overcome the communication barrier that can be a problem in heavily bicultural areas, one southeastern property hired instructors from a local community college to teach its employees Spanish. The instructors focused on teaching “apartment talk,” the kinds of phrases the staff members would be most likely to use. Some of the attendees pointed out that you could expand this idea, and offer classes in English as a second language as a value-added resident service!