VACATION RENTAL MANAGER PROFILE: Michael Harrington - Resort Realty, Outer Banks

Mike (pictured in the photo above with his wife Holly who also works at Resort Realty where Mike is the General Manager) grew up in Greenville, NC and attended East Carolina University on a Baseball Scholarship, graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Business Mgmt and an MBA, with a concentration in Development and Environmental Planning. Upon graduating, Mike used his skills to teach at a Baseball Training School in his hometown and then moved from Greenville, NC to Hatteras, NC, the Outer Banks, "basically to surf!" It was in Hatteras where Mike found his future in the Vacation Rental Industry.

Mike was asked a series of questions by Rachel from Vacation Rental
Managers Association (VRMA), here are his answers:

1)What got you started in the vacation rental industry? What was your first job in the industry?
To move to Hatteras I had to get a job, so I applied for an Assistant Property Manager position at Hatteras Realty and started in the industry there.

2)What steps did you take to become a manager?
I got great advice when I first started, and with great leaders that included me in all aspects of the business, it allowed me learn at a fast pace.

I started by “shadowing” all departments of the business to get more of a macro prospective of how things work. I made a point to help out and volunteer for any projects or after hours opportunities to earn my co-workers respect and try and set a positive example. I also sought all of my more experienced co-workers opinions and asked a ton of questions.

3)What advice would you have for others working toward management positions in the industry?
Be patient. When I was hired, I was told it would take you a year to even figure out what was going on! Once you start gaining more confidence in your experiences, start speaking up to your immediate managers when you see opportunities or ways to improve your job’s operations. Don’t immediately go to the President and tell them what needs to be changed!

4)What do you believe good management looks like?
I think the best managers are more like “players coaches” in sports. They are compassionate and encouraging with all their employees, but can also make the tough decisions when they need to be made.

5)What changes did you make in management styles/operations/hiring when you became a manager?
We instituted an open communication platform throughout our company which has allowed for new ideas that benefit our homeowners and guests that many of our front line employees have come up with.

6)What is the biggest challenge you face in the industry overall/daily?
Being young in a business leadership position, I realized how hard it is to juggle new “innovative” ideas and how they can translate into profitable business decisions for the company. While we come up with good ideas everyday, the bottom line is the only ones that stick are ones that benefit our customers and make basic business sense for the growth of the company.

7)What is the greatest challenge that you have overcome at your business?
Because I was hired from outside the company, my greatest challenge was winning the respect from my co-workers that have been with the company from the beginning.

8) What industry standard do you believe should remain the same in the future. (Example: human reservationists rather than only online booking)
I don’t think there are any industry standards that should always remain the same. 10 years ago many people couldn’t imagine running a business without a rental brochure for their primary marketing. Now, even that is threatening to be extinct in the next 10 years.

9) Do you feel that customer service and operational approaches differ generationally, yes or no?
No for Customer Service. That is pretty straight forward. Yes for operational approaches. Those must constantly evolve to stay relevant and successful in any business, and a lot of the times they change by having different view points like different generations.

11)How many staff members do you have?
Our company has 30 full time employees and about 25 Real Estate Sales Agents.

10) Do you have varying generations in your company?
Yes, our company is much like any other established company.

11)How do you feel your staff gets along as a whole?
We try to create a Family atmosphere at our company. Job descriptions are blurred when things need to get done.

12)Do you feel that you are taken seriously by your peers/employees/owners/ guests/industry colleagues? If so, how do you foster this? If not, why do you think that is?
I hope so. I try to be humble and take direction when it is offered. I know that I don’t know everything, and constantly seek out advice from my peers and colleagues.

13)What do you think that generations X & Y bring to the vacation rental industry table?
I think we are already starting to see what these generations bring. We are lucky in that we can take what the founders of our industry learned the hard way over the past 30 years, and expand on them to take the Vacation Rental business to the next level.

14) By the year 2020, an estimated 25 million people are poised to leave the workforce, which will create a shortfall of workers of approximately 2.3 million by 2014. How do you see that affecting the vacation rental industry?
I honestly don’t see it affecting the industry that much. I think the biggest challenge will be to develop and cultivate new leaders. In order to keep the future talent in the industry we must be able to offer the same benefits that traditional career paths offer, and legitimate advancement opportunities so they have something to work towards.

Thank you Mike for participating and being an
intrinsic part of what makes VRMA great!