Lots of people have potential. Recognizing it before it fully blooms is an art form that can change the course of someone’s life. Mimi Stansberry, manager of Community Services at Action Property Management, has honed this skill into a valuable tool over the course of her career.
Perhaps the reason she is so inspired to seek the good in others is that she was a recipient of such trust many years ago. When she first started in the property management industry at another company, Mimi felt undervalued. Her first job was frustrating as opportunities for advancement were often given to others. She felt bypassed, and she longed for the chance to prove her worth.
Convinced she was a good fit for the industry, Mimi set out to find a home where she could make a greater impact. That led her to an opening at Action Property Management where former president, Marianne Simek, gave her the chance she was seeking. It was here that her true potential was finally recognized, and she was offered the assistant general manager position at Horizons in San Diego.
We care about people is a mantra known by every Action employee. Unfortunately, right as she was hired, Mimi was diagnosed with ovarian cysts and needed to have an operation. It didn’t take long for the team at Action to live up to their promise to care about her. Rather than start a new employee in a position she would soon need to step away from, Action offered to hold the Assistant General Manager job open for her and allow her to work in other temporary roles while she waited for the surgery date.
During this interim period, Mimi was again inspired by Marianne as they worked side by side on a massive filing project in the basement of a San Diego building. She was impressed that an executive-level leader wasn’t afraid to roll her sleeves up and get dirty when necessary. It was that kind of leadership and true caring that inspired Mimi to always seek out the best in others.
Once she was finally able to settle into her new role at Horizons, Mimi flourished. She quickly mastered the job and became a valuable resource as she was able to handle most issues that came her way without needing to elevate them to the general manager.
Mimi Stansberry
”Perhaps the reason she is so inspired to seek the good in others is that she was a recipient of such trust many years ago.
Four years later, the opportunity to become a general manager came available. Mimi wasn’t sure if she was ready for the job, but others were. It was her boss at Horizons who reminded her that she had the skills and problem-solving intuition she needed to take on the challenge. Hindsight has proven that assessment to be accurate.
After eight years as the general manager at Piazza Palermo in San Diego, Mimi saw potential in someone else — her husband. He had just opened up a new restaurant in San Diego, and Mimi was eager to help him get it off the ground, so she resigned from Action to embark on a new path. That was in late 2019. Just a few short months later, the world closed down.
Given the economic uncertainty of the time, Mimi was quickly prompted to return to something familiar. With contacts still in place at Action, she knew that the general manager at Piazza Palermo recently left, so she offered to come back for a short-term assignment to train a new General Manager. Recalling that the building engineer she worked with previously had a firm grasp of the business, Mimi convinced the association’s leadership to take a chance on him and move him into the GM position.
Again, hindsight justified that position. On another occasion, Mimi saw potential in the head of security who was promoted to an assistant general manager role and from there to general manager. Ultimately, that potential was also fully recognized.
Mimi has now made a full-time return to Action and today oversees a team of managers in San Diego. As a recent graduate of LEADwell, Action’s internal leadership development program, she continues to prove her worth as a true leader.
When she’s away from the office, Mimi’s greatest joy comes from being a mom to her kids. This passion led her to step away from the rigorous on-site management roles she previously held. Now, as a part of the leadership team in San Diego, she has the flexibility she needs to be involved in the lives of her children while finding fulfillment as an accomplished professional.
