The following reflection was shared by John Vornholt, Director of Asset Services, and is a representation of our team’s commitment to the RockStep Way.
“I know you feel these are the worst of times
I do believe it’s true
When people lock their doors and hide inside
Rumor has it it’s the end of Paradise”
Ironically, the name of that song is titled “The Best of Times.” Maybe Styx was right in making the best out of the worst. All I know as I sit here today is that nothing is clear and I have no idea what to expect.
As we trek our way through these muddy waters, setting brand new expectations for a new beginning might be a better approach. A time to reset and get focused on a whole new set of expectations. Both personally and professionally, I have accepted this challenge and I challenge you to do the same. I am not focused on getting back to normal, or even a new normal. I am focused on being better than ever. As the world took a pause, I found myself taking this time to break out of old personal habits, and finding new and better ways to do things. The world is continuously evolving around us yet our expectations often don’t. Now is the chance to find a new approach and a better perspective. A new path to finding better ways to accomplish daily expectations.
Within RockStep we have a group of property managers and they call us the “field team.” Together, we have a combined more than 200 years of experience at the property level. While under “stay at home” orders we came together, working harder than ever, meeting daily in this virtual Zoom conference world. While each one of us has a personal responsibility to a particular asset, together we formed a very powerful team. We had to recreate a whole new set of expectations to meet this new reality we now live in. We were focused not only to re-open our properties but to use each other’s strengths to re-open these properties better than they have ever been before. A new and unique presentation of a mall that the “new-normal” person will enjoy, respect and feel safe in.
Let me present to you our amazing “field team” of property managers. Beth, Christa, Debby, Jerry, JoAnne, Jody, Jamie, Joseph, Julie, John, Karla, Laura, Lynn, Renee, Scott and Tina. Together, we have made our expectations crystal clear. No back to normal or finding a “new normal.” We are planning for better than ever or maybe even the Best of Times.
