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MAY 2016 | THE SOURCE MAGAZINE | WWW.CALLSUPER.COM
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How To Win A
TOBY Pt1
Tony Moonen, Senior Property Manager, Colliers International
How to win a local TOBY? Over 20 years’ experience of judging
the local TOBY’s and known as a very detailed judge permits me a
unique opportunity to pass along some of the most common mistakes, hints and things to consider when entering the local TOBY’s.
This advice is also essential for the safety and efficient operation of
any building.
My first piece of advice is not to think of the judges coming to the
building as judgment day. This is no cause to become nervous.
The judges’ visit allows them to take a snapshot of your building,
your team and overall management at a particular day and time.
The judges know that a building is a living entity that does not
stand still. Activity at the building is expected. Do not be afraid of
anything that demonstrates action. The judges’ visit is your time
to be proud of your building and all of the things your team has
accomplished.
ASK FOR YOUR PREVIOUS YEARS SCORES AND COMMENTS
Another key piece of advice is that if you have entered the TOBY’s
before, please ask for your previous years scores and comments.
Your results will not show you the names of each judge, however the comments received should give you some insight. During
training, the judges are encouraged to write comments as to why
the building was scored at a 0 or why it merited a score of 4. Learn
from what you have done right and what you can improve on. As
Albert Einstein said: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over
again and expecting different results.” At the time you receive your
scores and comments, set aside some time for you and your team
to go over the results and brainstorm ideas and potential improvements for the future.
Do not be discouraged by negative feedback. Sometimes unforeseen circumstances may occur which no amount of worrying can
do away with. For example, judging once occurred on a rainy day at
a property I previously managed. The judges had to cross from the
parking lot to the building. The judges deducted points from our
score because we lacked an awning or structure to protect people
from rainy weather. We told building ownership about this comment and given the fact that this could not be mitigated without
a large capital investment, the response was “Well I guess you are
going to lose next year too.” We both laughed about it as we knew
it may not be the highest and best use of dollars. Sometimes it’s
important to remember we are dealt a hand and must play it to the
best of our abilities.
BE HONEST WITH THE JUDGES
Please be honest. There is nothing worse than being told something
prior to the tour only to discover that it was false information. Be
upfront about telling the judges if a capital item or project needs
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