Key takeaways
Lessons from a purpose-driven property manager
- Be a little audacious, and own your mistakes. Ainsley volunteers, speaks up, and does her research, but she also admits when she is wrong and learns from it instead of covering it up.
- Use BOMA to build your network. Industry associations connect property managers with the service partners they need, and with peers who have already solved the problem in front of you.
- Roll out programs like a health promoter. When a new system launches, such as third-party parking management, plan how tenants will hear about it so it actually works.
- Listen before you act. Meet tenants where they are, ask what is keeping them from being happy, and keep communicating through disruptions like a major water leak.
- Keep systems simple and documented. Consistent processes across a portfolio mean any operator, or your replacement, can pick them up without guessing.
About the guest
AO
Ainsley Oldershaw
Director of Properties, YWCA Regina
Ainsley is Director of Properties at YWCA Regina and vice chair of the BOMA Saskatchewan board. She holds a kinesiology and health studies degree from the University of Regina, started her career in workplace safety, and was an associate property manager at Harvard Developments before joining the YWCA.
Episode summary
In this episode
Ainsley Oldershaw recorded this episode in her final weeks as associate property manager at Harvard Developments, before becoming Director of Properties at YWCA Regina. She came into the industry through workplace safety and stayed for the mix of operations, budgets, and people.
She explains how volunteering with BOMA Saskatchewan led to board leadership, how her health promotion background helps her design programs tenants actually use, and how she approaches tenant relationships, staff development, and operational consistency across a 12-building portfolio.
Ainsley also walks through Harvard’s new tenant app, what she expects from janitorial partners in Class A office space, and why she recommends Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead course to anyone who leads people.
Chapters
- 0:00Introduction
- 2:01A career in transition
- 4:34Ainsley’s path into property management
- 7:15Being a little audacious
- 8:30Why the YWCA
- 9:27Getting involved with BOMA Saskatchewan
- 14:46How health promotion shapes her work
- 18:35From office towers to community properties
- 19:57Developing people
- 22:09Building strong tenant relationships
- 25:03Operational excellence
- 27:18Technology and the tenant app
- 32:27Advice for property managers
- 34:16What she looks for in janitorial
- 40:05Dream property
- 41:36Leadership recommendation
Jump to a chapter (16)
- 0:00Introduction
- 2:01A career in transition
- 4:34Ainsley’s path into property management
- 7:15Being a little audacious
- 8:30Why the YWCA
- 9:27Getting involved with BOMA Saskatchewan
- 14:46How health promotion shapes her work
- 18:35From office towers to community properties
- 19:57Developing people
- 22:09Building strong tenant relationships
- 25:03Operational excellence
- 27:18Technology and the tenant app
- 32:27Advice for property managers
- 34:16What she looks for in janitorial
- 40:05Dream property
- 41:36Leadership recommendation
From the conversation
Transcript excerpts
I’m a little audacious. I am happy to take a risk.
Ainsley OldershawPlay from 7:37
Accept when you’re not right. Accept when you’ve made mistakes, learn from those, and don’t just try and cover them up.
Ainsley OldershawPlay from 8:07
If we have opportunities to help… I feel like I have a moral obligation to do so.
Ainsley OldershawPlay from 9:10
Want a day porter team that keeps your lobby sparkling?
We’ll walk your building with you and send a written cleaning scope and price. Free, no obligation.
Read the conversation
Full episode transcript
Show transcript
Paste the edited transcript here.
FAQ
Questions about this episode
What does Ainsley look for in a janitorial company?
She wants a cleaning partner that understands each building, not just the contract, and offers ideas to do better. In Class A office space, that includes day porters on what Harvard called Sparkle Patrol, keeping glass, chrome, lobbies, washrooms, and fitness rooms clean through the day, and adjusting when conditions change.
What advice does Ainsley give new property managers?
Set a big goal, then break it down. Ask your leaders, colleagues, and BOMA peers what they did next and what would make you right for the role you want. As she puts it, you eat an elephant one bite at a time.
What leadership training does Ainsley recommend?
Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead course. Ainsley says it changed how she sees her own leadership style and taught her to be okay with being uncomfortable.
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