The Key Ingredient For Choosing A Great Manager

(Michelle)      It's amazing to see the transition of one personality and management style to another go so smoothly. And that is what we are witnessing with the transition of management teams at Star Storage. One successful manager moves on to manage another property and a new manager takes over. Both successful in their prior careers and both with different personalities and management styles. Both have backgrounds in different industries. So, there must be a common denominator. What makes both a good choice to manage the same location? Great customer service skills, that's what, and a love for the people who walk in the front door.
     I was thinking about the week I spent training Joe, our new Manager. Although we only had a week together before I headed to the Pacific Northwest, when I left, I felt I had known him for a long time. Our customers who seemed a bit apprehensive about the transition in the beginning, seemed to really like Joe. Joe has an amazing personality and is very customer service oriented. He understands the needs of both the business and the customer and balances both very well. His background in management prepared him very well for this position. When you understand the needs of the business, it is easier to understand how to serve your customers. It takes someone who is able to withstand some hard punches as well as some big hugs. People are still people and their current circumstances often follow them inside. To know and understand as well as know how to draw boundaries from the beginning without making them feel unwelcome are all key to success. I knew after spending the first day with Joe that the owner made a wonderful decision when he chose to hire Joe.
     So, as I transition into my new position co-managing a facility with my son in Washington, I pass the baton to Joe and ask him to begin with this blog a contribution of what customer service means to him and why it is equally as important for him to serve the needs of Star Storage, both business and clientele, in a manner that makes us all proud to be a part of that entity.

(Joe)      Famous philosopher and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer says it well when he states that "Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility." A readiness for responsibility is the keystone to good management and in-turn is also the keystone to good costumer service. I very much believe that great costumer service begins with great management and, anyone who has managed people knows that 'yes' is not always the right answer. Good management and customer service does not always except the easy and safe answer, but instead is always looking ahead in foresight.
     Foresight, defined in two ways is 1) provision for or insight into future problems, needs, etc., and 2) the front sight on a firearm. Foresight, like the front sight of a firearm keeps us aimed in the right direction and always focuses in on what the true problems and needs that lie ahead are. Foresight simultaneously lives in the past, the present, and the future. Foresight understand needs before they arise, but also uses the sources available to move forward. This is where the costumers and tenants come into the picture. Without great insight from our clientele we lack foresight, but with great communication and ongoing dialogue we strive for what is best for the community as a whole.
     So, as we move forward through these new transitions and times, we look forward to hearing your input in how we can better serve you. Swing by, see us, tell us where you read this, and ask us how you can get a free month worth of storage.

At Your Service:

-Joe Goodwin-