It’s March Madness. We are moving into the Final Four and interestingly enough this year is different. For the first time ever three of Final Four the schools had never made it to the big dance before. Now, you might be asking yourself, “What does this have to do with me and my agency?”
As always, so glad you asked!
Every PHA needs to know the four strongest teams in their block. Your PHA’s Final Four, is spelled out below.
Team #1 Operational Support
Making your agency a productive workforce can be a challenge for every PHA. An overwhelmed agency leads to an exhausted workforce, which leads to a slowdown in processing. And this vicious cycle continues to feed itself. Not all agencies have the time, resources, or know-how to simply enhance their procedures, training, systems, and guidelines.
If this is your agency, you likely have resorted to creating many temporary fixes for operational gaps you are experiencing. Creating a team to implement operational support measures can relieve the pressure and get your team back on track. Just a few operational support measures to get you started could be:
Systems Implementation and Training Consult with your IT person, or an outside source to get an idea of what you can do to improve in this area and watch your agency become strengthened and efficient.
Inspections Management A backlog of inspections is bad news for all involved. It increases risk for owners and tenants. It creates a backlog of paperwork. And it stacks up appointments that will be compounded over time. Make your inspections management a priority for your agency to keep the processes moving forward.
Processing Quick, secure, and accurate processing is key to agency efficiency. Utilize whatever reports or resources you have available to track your agency’s transactions so you can stay ahead of any potential problems.
Team #2 Talent Optimization
It’s not enough to just hire people with the right qualifications. The success of your agency will be a direct result of the people you bring onto your team. It won’t matter if you have all the resources in the world if you don’t have a team that is invested in the success of the agency. You need to go beyond what you see on a resume to find candidates who can strengthen your team, fill gaps, and move your PHA forward.
Similarly, investing in your staff pays off big time. Identifying leadership candidates, mentoring, and curating your workplace culture to encourage growth results in a fiercely loyal team, dedicated to each other’s success and that of your PHA.
Team #3 Technology & Innovation
Technology and innovation sound fancy but it isn’t always about finding the next best thing. On the contrary, it is more about utilizing technology and creative strategies to provide solutions that produce measurable results. This can mean a wide range of different things.
In the literal sense, having access to the best and most current technologies is a positive. However, not having these tech advancements doesn’t mean you are out of luck. Technology, like anything, is a tool. Knowing how to wield it properly is the key. If you have the ability to upgrade your current systems, then definitely look into that. But, if not, start by going back into the systems you have and become a master with them.
Above all get creative. Don’t be afraid to implement something innovative. Gather your people around, let them tell you what they need, and allow them to give ideas to achieve it. Not every idea is going to be a winning strategy, but encouraging innovative thinking and creativity is guaranteed to produce a higher performance among your team.
Team #4 Compliance
Ah. Compliance, our old friend. Yes, we talk about compliance a lot here at AMA, so no need for a TON of detail, BUT… It is one of THE MOST effective ways to ensure the success of your teams.
Every agency needs to have a system of checks and balances in place that is routinely monitored. These results should be tracked and compared for trends and potential issues. Remember, any amount of quality control is better than none.
Finally…
The best thing about these four teams is that no matter which one you bet on, you come out on top. If you need help optimizing your team for success, we’re here to help. Contact us!
