Image: Portrait of Aimee Duplessie, smiling, with long highlighted hair.
BY AIMEE DUPLESSIE, AAMD OWNER DIRECTOR
If there’s one thing I’ve learned after years in multifamily, it’s this: the plan will change.
Image: A woman seen from behind at a desk covered with plans, notes, and a coffee cup looks out toward a city skyline at sunset. A sign beside the path reads “NEW OPPORTUNITIES.”
You can start the morning thinking you know exactly what needs to get done and, two hours later, you’re dealing with a water leak, a staffing issue, an unhappy resident, a client request, a surprise expense and numbers that suddenly need an immediate explanation.
And while I’m a big believer in having a plan, I’m an even bigger believer in knowing when it’s time to change it.
Being able to pivot is probably one of the most valuable skills I’ve learned in this business. Not because the original plan was bad, but because sometimes the circumstances change. Sometimes the numbers tell you something different. And sometimes, if we’re being completely truthful, the thing we thought was going to work just…doesn’t.
That’s when you have to be willing to get creative.
I’ve always believed that just because something has been done the same way for years doesn’t mean it’s the best way to do it. Some of the best ideas I’ve seen in this business have started with someone saying, “This might sound crazy, but what if we...”
Those are usually my favorite conversations.
Try the weird idea. Ask the question nobody else is asking. Look at the problem from a completely different angle. Put something on the table that might make everyone look at you funny for a minute.
Not every idea is going to work. I’ve certainly had some that didn’t.
But I’d rather work with a team that’s willing to try, adjust, learn and try again than one that keeps doing something that isn’t working because it feels safe.
There’s also a big difference between pivoting and reacting.
Reacting is changing direction because you’re panicked.
Pivoting is looking at what’s in front of you, getting curious about what could work better and making an intentional decision to change course.
Markets change. Clients change. Legislation changes. Technology changes. Teams change. What worked six months ago (or even last week) may not work today.
We don’t always get to control the circumstances we’re operating in.
But we do get to decide how creative, courageous and willing to adapt we’re going to be when the plan changes.
Have a plan and know where you’re going. But don’t be so committed to one way of getting there that you miss a better one.
Because the goal was never to prove the plan was right. The goal was to get somewhere worth going.
Aimee Duplessie is the Vice President of Operations at Avenues Residential.