Melissa Gillispie of JWB Property Management had plenty of book recommendations for us when we asked her to be on our podcast. But the one that stood out the most was Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, by Liz Wiseman.
Leading a property management team is no easy feat. There are so many processes, tools, and personalities that need to be managed. The key is to develop a leadership style that makes everyone on your team better and enables them to be their best selves.
Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter is written by Liz Wiseman, and published by HarperCollins.
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Laura Mac
Hello, professional property managers, and welcome to a special book club episode of the Triple Win Property Management podcast.
I'm your host today, Laura Mac, and we're thrilled to have Melissa Gillispie of JWB Property Management here with us. Welcome to the podcast, Melissa.
Melissa Gillispie
Thanks, Laura.
Laura Mac
Hey. So for those in the audience who don't who don't know you yet or who might not know your background, could you give us a quick intro about yourself, your role at JWB, and just your journey, into property management?
Melissa Gillispie
Yeah. Absolutely.
Again, my name is Melissa.
I am the director of leasing and property management for JWB Real Estate Companies.
We are a turnkey investment company that has a pretty large property management business. We manage about fifty-eight hundred doors in Jacksonville, Florida, Northeast Florida.
And I started with JWB back in 2013, really kind of had no experience at that point in real estate or property management or otherwise. So really all of my growth and learning both in the industry and as a leader has happened here within these walls. So excited to chat today, but that's a little bit about me.
Laura Mac
I love it. And one of the things I love about JWB is the fierce women in leadership in your company. And as we sit here today recording this, it is March 31, the last day of Women's History Month. So it's a special special day, that we're here talking together, and we're talking about this book.
So, each month, we invite a Triple Win Mentor to recommend a book that they believe is pivotal for property managers who are looking to enhance their business strategies.
So what book are you bringing to us today?
Melissa Gillispie
I am bringing you Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman.
Laura Mac
Awesome. Another influential woman. So let's talk a bit. We'll just open up with where you found this book. So when you first encountered multipliers, what and, like, where were you in your life and what, in your career that made it resonate with you specifically?
Melissa Gillispie
Yeah. I had just become a supervisor for the first time. It was probably I guess that's, like, nine years ago now.
And I was looking for tools and resources to help me as I kind of embarked on that new leadership journey, really going from individual contributor to the one trying to get the most out of others. And I had been for so long an individual contributor that I was like, oh gosh. Do I have the skills? Do I have what it takes to do this well? And so I honestly think I stumbled across it through a simple search of, like, best books in leadership or what whatever.
But it ended up being one of those, like, pivotal foundational books in my own journey that now I recommend to everyone else around me because it was so helpful as a tool as I was kind of getting started and how to move from that kind of individual direct impact to the customer to how do I, you know, build and enhance a team that's going to continue to carry out those functions.
Laura Mac
Amazing.
So it's it sounds absolutely transformative for making those leaps, and it's it's amazing that that was nine years ago and to see where you are today. So that's exciting.
Melissa Gillispie
Crazy, yeah.
Laura Mac
Very cool.
And specifically for property management, can you share a little bit about how the ideas in the book are relevant and applicable to the field of property management?
Melissa Gillispie
Yeah. You know, I think when I think about property management, I think that you're faced with challenges every single day. Your team is faced with challenges every single day. And my goal as a leader would be to empower them to have the autonomy and be able to use their creativity and use their own strengths to solve those problems and be that resource to the resident, to the client, to their vendors when they're approaching maintenance.
And the whole book's premise is how do you get the most out of those around you to empower them and allow them to be the leader that they want to be. And so I think it's really important because sometimes as leaders, we want to maintain so much control that we become kind of, like, maybe unintended dictators to some degree, where it's, I'm going to call the shots. I'm going to make the decision. I'm going to tell you what to do next.
But all you're doing then is kind of creating robots who regurgitate versus independent thinkers who can problem solve on their own.
And I know for me, when I look at what a property manager or a maintenance coordinator faces in their day to day, they need to have some power and autonomy to make those types of decisions. So it's how do I become the leader that creates that type of an environment for them so that they can go in their day to day and be the hero to the customer versus having to wait on me to be that end all be all or answer for them. And that's not creating an environment where people can truly thrive and go above and beyond for the customer, which I know in our organization is very important. When I think about all the property management companies out there that I know of, everyone is working to enhance and elevate the client experience, the resident experience.
And so this book to me is like, it's given me so many tools on how I can help do that for my team and allow them that freedom to crush it.
Laura Mac
Yeah. It almost seems obvious where you know you want to be that type of multiplier, that type of leader. But if you don't have the tools to do it and you've never been led by someone like that, you you might unintentionally say something or just diminish someone else's efforts by, really, a great intention of trying to help them. So I love the tips and tools and tricks that you found in this book. So now when we're talking about your business and, like, maybe, can you think of any examples that you might be able to share from the book that that helped change the way that either you operate as a leader or that your business has operated through multipliers.
Melissa Gillispie
Yeah. So one of the things Liz talks about in the book is there's disciplines of being a multiplier. There's things you can do to try to be that multiplier versus being the diminisher that is more of a limiter even if you're accidentally doing that. And one of the ones I love is being a liberator, which basically in her book, she just describes that as creating an environment where people are free to think independently, experiment, and take risks.
And so I think I try to approach most of my work and most of my leadership with this in mind. One of our core values at JWB is empower people to make mistakes and fail forward.
And so in that, we encourage, take the risk, go out on the limb, make the decision to be the hero to the customer even if you're not a hundred percent sure that that's the right thing to do in that moment because we want people to have an environment where they can truly feel free to make decisions. And so it's that's such a hard thing to do because I am such a perfectionist.
I want things done right. I have a very high bar of excellence kind of as a core value of my own where I just am demanding and can be critical.
And that doesn't always create an environment of freedom and independent thought and creativity. And so this one has been really fun to watch in action that, like, as you, for example, we have a big maintenance issue and the person is going to get displaced because maybe they have no working plumbing, let's call it.
And in the past, what I might have done is try to control that outcome and situation and say, okay, this is exactly what we will do. This is exactly what we won't do. This is what we'll pay for. This is what we won't, and just give the really clear direction to my team.
When I'm trying to be a liberator and free people up from having to wait on me, because what I noticed is I become the stopgap, and I become the a barrier and a hurdle to the decision, which slows everything down and probably is not helping the customer experience. And so when I step out of the way and have given, you know, some framework for how we'd want to try to approach those types of problems, people get creative and they solve the problem better than I would have. And so we've had it where we have a teammate leverage our short term rentals to put somebody up in one of our Airbnb's instead of extended stay hotel.
And then they're saying, how can I deliver dinner to them to make that experience all the more better? I maybe, if we would have just stuck within the confines of my SOP, I'm sure we would've gotten the job done. It was fine, but I think allowing people to use their own mind and their own creativity and be kind of the steerer of that ship, it's just led to better outcomes. So I think to me, that's the one that's the most fun is watching as people get freed up to use their own brain and think for themselves.
I always say I don't want a bunch of mini Melissas that walk around and all regurgitate the same mindset perspective or opinion. The goal would be that we can each be our own independent selves and bring our awesome strengths to the table. So that one's fun for me.
Laura Mac
So fun and such a fun work environment too.
And when you first said it, I was like, oh, that's liberating for the people who work with you because they get to have that freedom to fail forward, and that's liberating. However, I didn't think the the way you just framed it, it's liberating for you because you don't have to like, once you can let go of that.
Melissa Gillispie
Yes. That wasn't the initial intention. You know, as I read this book and tried to implement a bunch of things from it, the intention was truly only to serve the team, but what I've found is it's also allowed my own growth to kind of flourish because I'm getting out of the way where I no longer belong in something, right? Like, I have to step out of the way and let my team step into the seat they belong best in. And when I do that, then I'm freed up to be creative and solve different problems.
Laura Mac
Gosh. Yeah.
Melissa Gillispie
So it's been a really cool journey using a lot from this book to help guide me and and redirect at times, right, when I get it wrong or remember, wait a second. I'm probably not... I'm probably being a diminisher right now instead of a a multiplier, which happens on occasion.
Laura Mac
And having the language for that, that you know what to call a diminisher or diminishing behavior.
Yeah. Such such a strong tool.
Second to last question that I have, which I think pivots well into what you were just talking about is, you know, you're implementing these new strategies. You're on this leadership journey. You are facing challenges as you go.
Are there or were there any hurdles that you faced while trying to integrate these concepts into your business, and how did you address them?
Melissa Gillispie
Yeah. I think the only real hurdles our culture is very much empowering people. So our culture accepts this methodology pretty easily. I think the biggest challenges for me were within myself as a leader of how do I get myself out of the way because I like to have control and because I'm an assertive woman, and I have opinions, and I have kind of strong thoughts about how things should go at times.
It's like figuring out how can I still be me and still provide the direction and influence without being the... I don't wanna call it dictator? That sounds so harsh, but really the one calling all the shots. And so it's just a little unnatural for me to say, let me defer to someone else to make that decision. I'd rather be in the driver's seat. I'd rather be making a decision. I'm just, it's who I am.
Laura Mac
So are you still able to be are you still able to be Melissa? Are you still able to be that assertive powerhouse in your business while being the multiplier?
Melissa Gillispie
Yes. So you I think what I've really learned is picking my spot of when it's necessary to step in and speak up and and kind of grab the reins back or become that driver again, as well as where and what decisions should I still remain in the driver's seat. Right? One of the things we talk about a lot and it's not from the book, but it kind of plays well with the conversation is anytime we're talking about something new or a change or a decision, we like to determine in our org who has decision making rights here. So, for example, I'm about to sit down after this conversation with one of my supervisors, and we're talking about some changes.
And at the end of the day, I'm gonna tell her she has decision making rights. I want her to have the space for me to share and give my input and and my thoughts, but at the end of the day, it's her decision.
And so in every moment, we're talking about that. So sometimes it's, hey, we're gonna talk and I want your feedback, but I'm going to have decision making rights here, and here's why.
And so that kind of thought process and framework has helped me work through how do I still remain in the driver's seat when I need to be and then empower others when that's the right thing to do. But that was hard at the beginning because, you know, I think also as a young leader, you're kind of, like, trying to prove yourself in some ways or you wanna show everybody what you got and what you're capable of. And so I know for me with my personality, sometimes that came out as more harsh or aggressive unintentionally.
It's because I was just trying to show that I could. And, you know, you live and you learn, but you have to work through that. Then years later, you're saying it doesn't really matter who makes this it's going to be fine, and I don't have it's, like, not the power trip anymore. And I think that's common in a place where, you know, you want to prove yourself and show face, but at the same time, it doesn't really do anyone any good.
You've got to step aside and be able to kinda put your own, whether it's ego or whatever aside and say, what am I doing to best get the most out of others? Because that that's my new job. Right? Individual contributor is all about what you contribute.
But in her book, I actually wrote down a quote because I thought it was so good.
It says, "Your greatest impact is not through your own work, but through what you enable others to achieve."
So it's like a paradigm shift going from individual contributor to leader. It's no longer about what you produce. It's what you're able to get others to produce.
So if you don't step aside, it's actually hurting your leadership ability, right?
Laura Mac
Right. If you're if you're clinging on to the control, you're limiting you're you're only doing what you can do, and you're not empowering others.
And I love just to go back to the decision maker thing. There's a quiet power and letting go of power in in in that way, and you're still able through the language of, like, who's the decision maker here, you're still able to eliminate the power struggle. Like, we know everyone can get their voices on the table. We're not trying to convince or manipulate or whatever to the situation.
We get it all out there, and then you know who the decision maker is.
Melissa Gillispie
And everybody knows where they stand in that conversation. I know sometimes in the past, I've been like, so is this my decision, or is it yours?
Laura Mac
Or it's the hierarchy. It's like, it doesn't even matter what I think because the hierarchy.
Melissa Gillispie
This is what's happening.
Right. And so that has been so helpful really at every level. Top down, peer to peer, managing others, it gives everyone a lot of clarity, to be able to show up open and willing in every situation.
Laura Mac
You know, I I think people are going to especially people who are in that gap now of, like, growing their team and and bringing on new people and who don't want to maybe, or are kind of seeing the diminisher results, you know, who might want to become a a multiplier.
Hopefully, they're they're going out to go read this book right now. And the final question in this in the in the last, minute or two, could you just summarize, if we haven't covered it already or just to reiterate, the top two to three takeaways, people who maybe don't have time to read the book or want to go out and read it now. What could people take from this book and apply right away?
Melissa Gillispie
Yeah. I think, ultimately, the whole concept is a multiplier brings out intelligence, creativity, potential.
It makes everybody around them smarter and more capable.
A diminisher does the opposite, limits others, micromanaging, ego, dominating behaviors. And so, really, it it's key to creating great teams. Some of the things she mentions is, like, how to do this? How do you actually become a multiplier?
Shift from telling to asking good questions. So always having kind of a mindset of curiosity and approaching everything from how can I seek to understand and learn versus tell someone else what to do?
Empower versus micromanage, cultivate humility, openness, and then be able to have the self awareness to recognize when you're being a diminisher. So being able to say, oh gosh. The way I approached that was not empowering to you, and I'm sorry. I think that's something as a leader, sometimes I think we shy away from saying we're sorry or admitting that we've got it wrong, but what better way to show somebody that you're self aware and you care to acknowledge when you got it wrong and try to seek to make it right. So I think those to me are kind of the takeaways of what you can do. Be curious, lead with questions, be open, and admit when you've screwed it up so that you can get better and the other person builds stress through that process too.
Laura Mac
It's like switched into parenting notes now. I'm like, this is really good for parenting.
Melissa Gillispie
Yes. It applies to many areas of life, not just property management and leadership. Yes.
Laura Mac
Thank you so much, Melissa. We'll be leading a discussion on this, and, hopefully, this book will multiply all of our multipliers.
Melissa Gillispie
Yes. Amen. I love that.
Thanks, Laura. Thanks, team, for having me. Appreciate it.
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