Leadership Lessons for Senior PMs: Coaching, Accountability, and Growth

Great property managers don’t just manage properties — they lead people. Whether you're guiding junior PMs, mentoring a BDM, or coordinating with trades and clients, your leadership style directly shapes team culture, performance, and service quality.

In a fast-paced, high-pressure industry like property management, strong leadership isn’t optional. It’s what keeps your team stable, your clients confident, and your business growing.

Here are the essential leadership lessons every Senior PM should master.

Lead Through Coaching — Not Commanding

The old “tell them what to do” approach no longer works. Modern teams respond to mentorship, collaboration, and clear guidance.

Coaching looks like:

  • Asking questions instead of giving orders

  • Helping team members problem-solve rather than fixing everything for them

  • Having weekly 1:1 check-ins

  • Encouraging independent thinking

  • Providing ongoing support (not just when something goes wrong)

Why it matters: When your team grows their confidence, decision-making skills, and resilience, your workload drops and overall performance rises.

Set Clear Expectations — And Repeat Them

Most performance issues come from unclear standards, not lack of effort. As a Senior PM, you must clearly communicate:

  • What “good work” looks like

  • How tasks should be prioritised

  • Service expectations and non-negotiables

  • Response time standards

  • Processes, workflows, and escalation points

And here’s the key: once is not enough.

Repeat expectations until they become culture. Strong leaders reinforce clarity through:

  • Onboarding meetings

  • Written SOPs

  • Shared team dashboards

  • Consistent feedback loops

Accountability Is a Culture — Not a Consequence

Accountability isn’t about blame. It’s about alignment.

A team with strong accountability:

  • Owns their outcomes

  • Admits mistakes quickly

  • Learns from failures

  • Tracks their KPIs

  • Supports each other without excuses

Create accountability by:

  • Using shared task systems

  • Having transparent KPIs

  • Holding regular performance check-ins

  • Recognising wins publicly

  • Addressing issues privately and promptly

When everyone knows the standard and feels responsible for meeting it, your whole team becomes more empowered, efficient, and unified.

Give Feedback Early — And Make It Actionable

Most leaders wait too long to address problems. But delayed feedback leads to repeated mistakes and team frustration.

Effective feedback should be:

  • Timely

  • Specific

  • Connected to process — not personality

  • Paired with a clear next step

Example:
❌ “You need to communicate better.”
✔️ “Next time, update the landlord within 24 hours of the inspection and copy the team so we stay aligned.”

Positive feedback matters just as much. Celebrate small wins — it fuels motivation and loyalty.

Play to Strengths — Don’t Force Equality

Not everyone excels in the same area.

Some team members thrive in:

  • Client communication

  • Leasing

  • Routine inspections

  • Admin and compliance

  • Maintenance coordination

Instead of expecting everyone to perform identically, great leaders:

  • Identify natural strengths

  • Delegate strategically

  • Provide specialised training

  • Pair people who complement each other

A strengths-based leadership approach reduces friction and boosts output.

Invest in Personal Growth — For Yourself and Your Team

Leadership is a skillset, not a title. If you stop developing, so will the people you lead.

Ways Senior PMs can invest in growth:

  • Attend leadership or PM conferences

  • Take communication or management courses

  • Join industry communities

  • Stay updated on legislative changes

  • Learn new tech and automation tools

  • Seek mentorship (even leaders need leaders)

Teams follow leaders who are continually learning.

Don’t Just Lead Tasks — Lead Wellbeing

Burnout is common in property management. Great leaders keep their team healthy, not just productive.

This includes:

  • Monitoring workload distribution

  • Supporting realistic KPIs

  • Encouraging boundaries and breaks

  • Leading by example in stress management

  • Creating a safe space for open communication

People perform better when they feel valued, supported, and understood.

Strong leadership is the backbone of a high-performing property management team. Senior PMs who coach, communicate clearly, and create accountability build teams that are more resilient, more confident, and more capable of delivering exceptional service.

When your team grows — your portfolio, reputation, and client loyalty grow with it.

Want to elevate your leadership, systems, and team performance?

Book a consultation to build stronger workflows, better communication, and a high-functioning PM team: https://www.laurenrobinson.com.au/work-with-me 

Anna Golez