Multifamily Collective Podcast

Is your culture being slowly dragged down by a chronic venter?In this episode of the Multifamily Collective, Mike Brewer continues unpacking insights from Old-Fashioned Leadership by Britton Douglas and David Woods. Entry #4 in the series shines a light on a silent productivity killer: the team member who vents. Constantly.You know the type.Every system, every routine, every meeting — it’s all fuel for another round of grievances.And while venting might feel harmless, over time it becomes a weight.A 50-pound anchor in the sand.A string you’re trying to push in a straight line.A never-ending drag on culture, morale, and performance.Mike walks us through how unchecked negativity leads to leader fatigue and organizational burnout — especially in Multifamily, where every team member's attitude affects the resident experience and the bottom line.But there’s hope.If you can coach it out, do it.If not, then be clear-eyed: you must coach them out.Because your business can’t carry that kind of weight forever.Like content that gets real about leadership and culture?Give this video a thumbs up, subscribe to the channel, and share it with someone building strong teams in the Multifamily space.

Let’s talk about the silent killer of culture in Multifamily teams: underlying negativity.In this third entry of the "Thereby" series, Mike Brewer breaks down how one person's energy — the tone of their voice, the muttered words as they walk away, the passive-aggressive comments — can act like a slow-moving toxin in your organization.You’ve seen it.You’ve felt it.That “pokey in the eye” energy.That “salt on the wound” presence.That person who, without ever raising their voice, drags the mood down in every room they enter.Left unchecked, this kind of behavior thereby creates a culture where safety, creativity, and collaboration die a slow death. It infects team dynamics, resident experiences, and even vendor relationships.But flip the script?Coach that person into a posture of positivity, and you thereby multiply opportunity across the board.And if you can't coach it out?Then you change the person. Full stop.Because your culture deserves better.Your team deserves better.And you, as a leader, deserve better.If this hit home, help us spread the message.Like the video, subscribe to the channel, and share this with someone who's building strong teams in the Multifamily space.

Ever wonder what Starbucks' green apron can teach us about Multifamily?In this episode of the Multifamily Collective, I unpack a quiet revolution happening at Starbucks under their new CEO — black attire returning to the forefront to let the iconic green apron shine. It’s branding. It’s intentionality. It’s leadership.And it got me thinking…What’s our green apron in the Multifamily industry?Have we relaxed too far post-COVID?Have we traded consistency and professionalism for comfort?I reflect on the days when dress codes were the norm — when career apparel wasn’t a buzzkill but a badge of purpose. Today, we walk into leasing offices and see everything from casual Friday to “did you forget you work in leasing?” And while this isn't a knock on anyone, it's a call to reimagine how we show up — for our teams, our brands, and most importantly, our customers.This isn’t about fashion.It’s about storytelling.It’s about packaging.It’s about pride.What message do we send when we present ourselves well? When our team attire becomes a visual handshake that says, "We take this seriously"?Maybe it's time we found our own green apron.Like this kind of industry insight?Hit that like button, subscribe to the channel, and join the conversation in the comments below.We’re just getting started.

Ever feel like your team just… doesn’t own it?In this second episode of the Thereby Series, Mike Brewer gets to the heart of another silent business killer: lack of confidence. Whether it's fresh hires or seasoned vets, when your team doesn't believe in their ability to deliver, your business outcomes take the hit.Mike unpacks how this confidence gap isn’t always the fault of the employee—it’s often a failure of onboarding, training, and mentorship. When systems are shaky and guidance is missing, leaders create a culture of hesitation instead of hustle.You’ll hear:Why "throw them the keys and hope for the best" is a recipe for burnout—yours and theirs.How proper training eliminates fatigue and unlocks performance.The link between team confidence and your bottom line.If you're exhausted by constant follow-up, fire drills, and feeling like you're the only one who “gets it”—this episode is for you.👉 Like what you're hearing? Smash that Like button, hit Subscribe, and stick around for more from the Thereby Series. Leadership is a long game—let’s play it well.

Ever feel like your team is running in place?In this first episode of the Thereby Series, Mike Brewer unpacks a critical leadership lesson that every Multifamily leader needs to hear: the inability to make decisions is quietly killing your momentum.Drawing from the book Old Fashioned Leadership: Lessons from the Patio by Brent Douglas and David Woods, Mike gets real about the exhaustion plaguing today's leaders. Not from the workload—but from indecision. That creeping fatigue? It's often not from doing too much—it's from dragging others along who can’t pull their weight in the decision-making department.You'll learn:Why decision paralysis is the silent killer of productive culture.How to approach team members stuck in neutral.What leaders can do to cultivate safety, empowerment, and urgency in decision-making.This isn’t just theory—it’s what’s happening in your leasing offices, your maintenance meetings, and your strategy sessions. Let’s stop the fatigue at its root.📌 Are your people empowered to decide? Or are they adding drag to your drive?👉 If you’re a leader in Multifamily, PropTech, or real estate operations—hit that Like button, Subscribe, and ring the bell for the rest of the Thereby Series. Your leadership playbook just got 25 chapters stronger.

You and I both know it—leadership in the multifamily space is due for a shake-up.In this episode of the Multifamily Collective, I (Mike Brewer) kick off something new, something needed: the Strategy Series. Inspired by Seth Godin’s This is Strategy, I’m not just riffing—I’m reshaping those big, broad questions into laser-focused conversations for high-leverage thinkers in multifamily. Operators, visionaries, VPs, and regionals—this one's for you.But that’s not all.I’m also thrilled to introduce Shannon Bryant and her upcoming podcast Lead Without Limits—part of the growing Multifamily Media Network (MMN). Shannon’s bringing fresh insight, energy, and leadership edge to our collective table. You’ll want to tune in.Whether you’re tired of vague strategy decks or allergic to empty mission statements, this new content series is your call to action. If you’re done asking for permission and ready to build strategy with clarity, velocity, and purpose—you’re in the right room.And what’s the end game? A salon. Not the hair kind. The think tank kind. A place for idea collisions, smart dialogue, and unfiltered leadership breakthroughs—welcome to the future of multifamily thought leadership.If that sounds like your scene, hit that like button. Subscribe. Share with someone who's allergic to average. Let’s build this together.

You can cast a bold vision.You can write eloquent emails.You can speak at every town hall.But none of it matters without action.In this episode of the Multifamily Collective, we explore the Latin phrase Spectrumer Agendo—“judged by actions.” And let me be clear: in today’s complex, fast-moving Multifamily space, the market rewards those who execute, not those who just eloquently communicate.Too many leaders confuse communication with movement. We wrap vision in slides and strategy decks and forget the most critical piece—traction.It’s time to break through the organizational sacred cows, cut through the bureaucratic noise, and move. That means getting out of your comfortable chair, walking properties, listening to your leasing team, fixing friction points with your maintenance staff.Want to be a leader worth following? Get seen in the field. Be present. Take action. Spectrumer Agendo.If you're serious about building a culture of action and accountability in Multifamily, hit Like and Subscribe. Let’s build organizations that move—not just talk.

Let’s talk about adaptere—Latin for “to adapt.”It’s not just a word. It’s your lifeline in the ever-accelerating world of Multifamily.In this episode of the Multifamily Collective, I’m sounding the alarm on a critical skill every leader needs right now: adaptation. You can’t teach it too late. And you can’t afford to wait. The pace of change has gone from decades to days—and your ability to peer over the horizon, see what's coming, and communicate that to your team is what separates the market leaders from the footnotes.We’re talking AI. Tech evolution. Workflow redesign.The organizations that move fast, listen hard, and tweak often are the ones winning.I break it down to four key areas: Team Members, Customers, Supplier Partners, and Investors. These are your battlegrounds. This is where you implement bleeding-edge tech and skip the legacy clutter. You’ve got a chance to leapfrog years of delay and position your organization at the front of the pack.Start small. Think big. Move fast.Call to Action:If you're ready to be the leader who looks past today’s fires and prepares for tomorrow’s future, smash that Like button and Subscribe. The Multifamily space is evolving—are you?

Let’s get honest—nobody likes confrontation.But in Multifamily leadership? Avoiding conflict is costing you.In today’s episode, I tackle a topic that’s deeply personal and wildly underdeveloped in our industry: conflict mitigation and courageous conversations. Whether it’s addressing behavior, performance, or simply picking up the trash—leaders must stop punting the tough conversations down the road.I’ll walk you through a practical, battle-tested framework I learned back in my Equity Residential days: the SPI model—Situation, Behavior, Impact. It helps you call out the issue, not the person.We’re entering an era where soft skills are king. As AI takes over the keyboard work, human connection becomes your competitive advantage. That means mastering emotional conversations in moments of truth is no longer optional.You want better outcomes? Start by saying what needs to be said.If this message hits home, hit Like and Subscribe. Share this with someone who needs to step up and lead with courage in our beloved Multifamily space.

If you’re not talking about AI in your Multifamily team meetings, you’re already behind.Today, I’m laying the groundwork for a new series on upskilling and reskilling in the age of AI—tailored for leaders and learners across the multifamily space.Yes, AI has made landfall. And while the digital tide rises, we’ve got two choices—ride the wave or get swept under it.In this episode, we explore how artificial intelligence is quietly reshaping the way your teams work—at home, at the office, in ways you may not even see. Whether it's ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, or an AI you’ve never heard of, your people are using it. The question is: are you letting them use it out in the open?This is about building a culture of experimentation, empowering your most creative minds, and partnering with platforms like AppFolio that are embedding AI at the core of their offering.It’s not about control. It’s about enablement.Start simple. Stay curious. And for the love of your workflow—check the AI's work before you hit publish.Call to Action:If you found value in this, hit that Like button and Subscribe for more leadership insights and PropTech perspectives. Let’s shape the future of Multifamily—together.