Good Morning, Super!

Finally, the weekend is here! For me, it was a hectic week. Some mistakes were made and valuable lessons were learned. Talking about mistakes, it would be great to get your feedback on this true story:  

"A $300 flower bouquet was delivered to a building (there is no doorman). The delivery person buzzed the resident, who was not home, so he stepped into the building when someone was exiting and went upstairs to the apartment floor. 

The delivery person left the flowers near the recipient's apartment, which also happened to be next to the building's designated trash pickup area (let's just say that due to the building's strange layout and policy, the exact border where the trash pickup area begins and ends is very unclear). 

The next day, building porter threw the bouquet away after noticing water leaking from the pot, thinking that this item was left out for trash." 

Needless to say, this created a stir as to whose responsibility this was: (1) the Porter who threw this out, (2) the delivery person or flower store who left the item unattended and without proper protection; or the (3) Co-op for having the strange layout and policy that caused this confusion. 

Who would you think is responsible for this $300 mishap? By next week, I'll let you know how the Co-op Board and property manager had decided.

Anyway, I would like to end this week with a podcast and Youtube video about a topic I'm often asked about: “Which is the better career -- a Live-in or Part-time Building Super career?”

For many years, I've had the chance to see how both of these paths turn out, and I've discovered that there's so many pros of both types of career. But, as with anything in life, there's some noteworthy cons as well. 

For one thing, when you make mistakes like the one in the story above, you could be financially liable for mistakes. Thank goodness that this item was only $300; what would happen if this was a MUCH more expensive mistake (hint: that's why professional part-time supers should carry sufficient insurance). 

In this podcast, I weigh the pros and cons of each career to see if there's a rhyme or reason to this question. 

We're on Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Podcasts! Thank you for subscribing!

Sit back, and enjoy your weekend!🍺

The idea of taking on a Part-Time Super / Porter gig is exciting. This can mean more income, an opportunity to learn more, meet more people and add experiences to your professional resume.

But, the hardest part of pricing correctly and making sure the gig is profitable boils down to knowing the job detail (the weekly task list) and accurately predicting how long it will take to get everything done. Once you have this number (whether in total number of weekly or monthly hours), you can calculate your price for a clean profit. 

Nothing will help you more here than an old-fashioned building walk-through. Inspecting a property before you offer a price will give you a chance to understand the complete set of expectations that the customer (property manager, board member, landlord, etc.) will have for his Part-time Super or Porter service. 

Follow me through a small, 20-unit building as I perform a basic-level walk-through and check out those things that will determine how many weekly visits this gig will require and how many minutes or hours each visit will take. 

For the Youtube Version, click the thumbnail below:

Also, if you need a  walk-through task checklist to start off, click the thumbnail below and download the PDF version.

It's great to start seeing things return to some sort of normal. Yesterday, I walked into a neighborhood gym (yes, it's time for me to reverse my pandemic weight gain) and I was given the choice not to wear a mask. It seemed like Twilight Zone.

Not so long ago, people were fighting about wearing masks. Tempers were flaring at places like Wal-mart. Remember that?

As Building Supers / staff members, we've also had to enforce rules inside the building that stoked anger among shareholders, vendors, etc. I remember the mad dog stare straight into my soul when I asked a shareholder to put his mask on inside the building's common area laundry room last year.

Luckily, it was my attitude that de-escalated the situation and persuaded him to wear a mask. I'm sure you've had similar incidents. Building Supers and staff often have the unappreciative task of enforcing rules that residents don't particularly like.

And, I'm sure you know that, many times, the key to preventing things from heating up is by keeping cool and having a positive attitude.
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So, I would like to end this week with a podcast and Youtube video dealing with this touchy subject: ATTITUDE.

Coincidentally, this past week, I sat in on several job interviews for open Resident Manager positions and, afterwards, I was given the opportunity to listen in as the Board discussed the pros and cons of each candidate. Can you guess which trait came up time and time again? You guessed it: attitude.

The Boards seemed to think that a good attitude would spell success when it came to dealing with the building's residents, with staff, upcoming projects, etc. Attitude was a close runner-up to a candidates' actual real-life professional experience.

On the other hand, attitude -- or a negative attitude -- was often a huge, if not the main, reason behind unfortunate situations I've witnessed where the Superintendent was finally terminated from his or her job.

The scary fact is, every single one of us is vulnerable to slipping into a negative attitude without realizing it. We can sink into a negative attitude when we're overlooked for a promotion, feel under-appreciated, or our integrity or self-respect is questioned or challenged. The list of pitfalls is endless.

The goal of this podcast is to help you recognize when these negative attitudes creep up on you, and how to counter them before it takes root in your soul (and your professional work).

Having only a great attitude will not help you win every interview, but it will make you memorable to the interviewer and give you the edge when you don't have everything else.

We're on Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Podcasts! Thank you for subscribing!

In the second part of this episode with Albert Laracuente, we'll continue on our journey getting to know this Part-time Super in NYC.

We'll get his take on pricing and how he sizes a potential building as an opportunity, the hardest part of being an entrepreneur-superintendent.

So, sit back and enjoy a discussion on:

• The life-changing decision why Albert suddenly decided to become a part-time building super
• How Albert quickly sizes up a building for service
• Common, hidden mistakes when pricing buildings

See the YouTube Video by clicking the thumbnail below:

This podcast (and Youtube video) covers a topic that comes up time and time again: What are boards and property managers really looking for when we're being interviewed.

At these interviews, we're often asked such questions as: "What's your greatest strength?" or "What (value) can you bring to the building?" We try and answer these questions as best we can, hoping to say the right things, keep cool and focused on the question we've just been asked. Then, panic sets in.

Sounds familiar?

If so, don't worry; it happens to the best of us. We panic because we aren't sure what board members and property managers are looking for and we start to lose track of what we are trying to say.

This episode reveals the secret behind interviewing, and the ten (10) things, or traits, that every interview question is designed to uncover about you. Once you know what these 10 things are, you can ace your interview by focusing your answers on promoting these values.

We're on Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Podcasts! Thank you for subscribing!

This podcast is about Hank Wisner.

You may already know Hank through the building trades if you, or your building, have ordered building supplies through National Maintenance Supply, one of NYC's leading janitorial supplies and services company, which he represents.

But, another surprising side to him is that Hank is also a great educator and the co-founder of the immensely popular Residential Manager Emergency Response Team ("RMERT"), a course that prepares an Resident Manager and other building staff for human-made or natural disasters, which he created with his partner, Peter Morici.

This course is designed to turn building staff into first responders with knowledge about how to approach a catastrophic event in which lives are stake and where there may even be human casualties.

Hank and the RMERT instructors cover such topics as terrorism, high-rise fires, flooding, active shooter, among many others. They also provide hands-on training so that action is fast and effective on the part of building staff when things quickly turn dangerous and confusing.

In this episode, we talk with Hank about the RMERT course and what it takes behind the scenes to deliver this popular course year after year to NYC's building staff.

See the Youtube version:

Course website: https://rmert.com/
 
Related videos: https://youtu.be/1jEoesHQhd0
 https://youtu.be/Z_fuGjIHXmc

In this episode, you'll meet Albert Laracuente, who operates a part-time Super company in Brooklyn. We'll get his take on things, such as how he handles sanitation tickets, finds new customers and takes on a new building and its responsibilities. We'll also talk about his past mistakes in this industry and how he's overcome these challenges.

The reason for this episode is that talking to other supers helps me to solve the problems that I face everyday in the super industry. The potential to learn from each other is huge.

The reality is that, in addition to Albert, there are countless supers out there. Across NYC, inside every property, large and small, is someone serving as its building superintendent with his feet on the ground and mind set to solving everyday tasks. And they are hard-working, diligent, always on-call, silent, low-key, and often under-appreciated heroes of the building trades.  

So, sit back and enjoy a discussion on:

• The life-changing decision why Albert suddenly decided to become a part-time building super
• How Albert quickly sizes up a building for service
• Common, hidden mistakes when pricing buildings

We'll also look at an actual Superintendent task list for a new building in Astoria, Queens and go over the details with a fine-toothed comb. 

One common source of anxiety for a Part-time Super who is just starting off in the industry is Boiler Maintenance. What should you do, as the part-time super, to minimally ensure that the boiler is properly maintained?

Knowing what to do and what not to do can be confusing and scary, given the many parts of the boiler and the consequences of when the boiler breaks down.

Should a Part-time Super simply leave the boiler care to others, or should you take this responsibility on? The answer should be YES, learn about the boiler and take this on!  Your value to the building increases with higher knowledge about the boiler, and what to do to in the event of:

• A heating emergency (sudden loss of heat or hot water)
• A boiler breakdown, and the super is needed as a first responder and troubleshooter

In this episode, I share a very simple checklist for you use as a starting point to learning more about the steam boiler. This checklist is for making sure your boiler is maintained and operating correctly.

I filmed this episode inside the boiler room of a small, 10-unit Co-op in the Upper West Side with a unique boiler setup (for instance, the boiler body is set too low compared with the water heater, causing all sorts of problems). Your boiler may have its own quirks, so make sure you learn about them.  

What I learned from making this episode is that there are Building Supers who not only understand this subject better that I do, but ALSO are probably MUCH better at teaching this than I am.  

If this person is you, I bow to you! Reach out to me - let's do an episode together and get you the recognition you deserve.

This episode may be better "seen" than "heard." Watch the Youtube video here: 

A job interview can be a nerve-wracking experience for a building Superintendent. 

That's because saying the wrong things or wearing the wrong kind of clothes can derail an interview unnecessarily and cause the interviewer to focus on things that may not really be about your experiences, skills or work ethic. 

This episode is about preparing for a job interview, whether it's for a part-time super building or any other position. It's about the simple things to watch out for before and during the interview so that you start off on the right foot and stay on the right path.  

We often forget that we are being interviewed to see if we can solve a problem they have, something which keeps them up at night. I'll show you the secret to flipping the script on the interview process so that you can take control of the interview, become confident and come off as the expert they're looking for. 

I'll show you the tips to keep improving your interview skills with every failure or success. 

So, after you listen to this video/ podcast, you'll know the answers to such questions as:

What should I wear to the interview?

What do I do if I can't answer a question?

What are two small things to bring to an interview to appear professional? A "notepad" is one of them!

In this episode, we'll examine the complex relationship between the Building Superintendent and:

• Property manager
• Board of Directors (with multiple people to answer to)
• Shareholder / Unit Owner
• Subtenant / Renter

Being a building superintendent a Co-op or Condo building in NYC requires a savvy understanding of the rules of "who's the boss," or who holds the ultimate authority in the building.

Building Supers are often considered the boss because they carry the responsibility to prioritize the needs of the building and the authority to carry these objectives out.

But, this chain of authority can become very confusing and frustrating to follow for a Building Super because everyone - including the property manager, the shareholder, a board member, a renter or subtenant - can seem or act like the Boss.

And breaking from this chain, no matter how well-intentioned you may be, can cause a host of problems that can get you into a heap of trouble with the manager or Board, and even cause you to lose or forfeit money.

This podcast aims to show you when to defer (say YES) and when not to (say NO), and whose authority should take priority at any given time. This episode will also guide you to confidently navigate any conflict between the parties when it comes to the question of "Who-is-in-Charge."

Learning to do this correctly will help you preserve your time and energy, as well as to keep your efforts and hard work properly compensated.

For this episode, I'll use a whiteboard to help illustrate the points. Feel free to see the Youtube version of this podcast by clicking the image below.

Sit back, grab a Friday drink and enjoy this podcast. Cheers to a great weekend!🍻🍺