It’s Just Parking!

 

By Christopher Polk, CAPP

I was given some great advice one day from my boss as I was stressing over whatever the issue of the day happened to be. My frustration and stress must have been clearly visible. As he was walking out of my office, he said, “Chris, relax, it’s just parking!”

I had to stop and really think about that statement. As parking professionals, we get caught up in the chaos of our day to day. No matter what level in the parking organization we are in, we are under some level of stress.

The cashier dealing with the angry customer that does not want to pay, the enforcement officer that is getting yelled at by a customer because they received a citation, the supervisor that is dealing with the equipment issues and traffic control, the manager that is trying to maintain staffing levels while keeping everything running at a high level and, the organizational leader that is trying to influence parking policy, we all have our own difficulties.

We need to remember to slow down, determine what steps we need to take to accomplish our goals and keep it simple. Do what you can, and don’t let it negatively impact your life. While we all wish our customers would have the same mindset, it isn’t the case. It is up to us to control our reactions. Parking will go on with or without you.

So, when you start to get that overwhelming feeling, take a step back and remember…it’s just parking!

Christopher Polk, CAPP,  General Manager for Parking Concepts Inc. He can be reached at cpolk@municipalparking.com.