Last modified on March 15th, 2019
By Vince Coley

Imagine if one day you walked into your bedroom and the light switch had moved to the other side of the door. Seem impossible? I recently moved, so this happened to me! How many times do you think you would bang your hand on the wall before you realized the switch wasn’t there anymore? I’ll tell you, about 50 times…and still to this day!

The moral of the story  – change can be hard. Upgrading your property management software is no different (and only slightly more involved than my light switch example). Having implemented property management software and supported companies for over 12 years, I’ve helped hundreds of companies make the migration. What’s the biggest difference between companies who adapt quickly and companies who struggle? It’s simple, their willingness to change. Is it possible to “prepare” your team for change? Absolutely.

Here’s a scenario. Your company has decided it’s time to look into upgrading your property management software. A core group of superstars have been tasked with selecting and implementing new property management software. This new software is going to help take your business to the next level! The group enters the process with an open mind. They are interested in hearing new ideas. They want to understand how a software upgrade will improve the business and improve their lives. If this is how your entire team views the project, run out and buy a lottery ticket. Unfortunately, 100% commitment from the get-go is not the norm.

Here’s another, more common scenario. The majority of the team is open minded and ready to see what’s out there. But, there’s one person who’s not sold. There are too many reasons to guess what the motivation might be (although you probably know what it is), but this person is not only adverse to change, they are going to fight every step of the way. Think about how much time, effort and planning (not to mention money) will go into implementing a change like this. One influential person can either slow the process to a crawl or pull it off the tracks completely.

What I’ve learned – it starts at the top. Companies will follow leadership. Leadership needs to make it clear early and often that change is going to happen. It won’t be easy, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and these are the things the business, and you as individuals, stand to gain from the upgrade (A, B and C benefits). If the leader is willing to make this kind of commitment, the team will follow! They have no choice. It all starts at the top.