Q&A with Senior Vice President of Operations Will Mann

Will Mann is a Senior Vice President of Operations for Extra Space Storage, leading the company's newly created Central Region. Based in Dallas, TX, Mann oversees regional and field operations across Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and parts of Missouri, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin. The Central Region was established to support Extra Space Storage's continued growth.

Mann joined Extra Space Storage nearly six years ago as a District Manager in Austin, TX. Although it was his first role in self storage, it wasn't his first role overseeing multiple locations across multiple states. He previously worked as a Regional Director and Vice President overseeing health club locations. Before making a career shift into business and operations, Mann played baseball professionally in the Boston Red Sox minor league system.

We recently asked Mann to share more about his leadership approach and what fuels his passion for developing people.

What motivates you to come to work every day?

There are many things, but two really stand out. First, I enjoy the challenges of business — identifying opportunities, creating a strategy, executing it, and seeing the results. It's a cycle that never gets old. However, by far my biggest motivation is making an impact on people. I really try to help others reach their potential — both in their career and, therefore, in their life. A story I often share is about a life-changing moment I had ten or so years ago while listening to a speech by the author Brendon Burchard.

He asked everyone to close their eyes and think of the person who made the biggest impact on their life — a boss, leader, colleague, someone who took the time to listen, give advice, offer coaching, or invest in us and help us grow. The person who has done the most to make our career and life exponentially better. As I thought through my previous baseball coaches and business mentors, I felt so appreciative. But the next part is what changed my life and, specifically, how I approach leadership. He said, "Now…is there anyone in the world who, if asked that same question, would answer with your name?"

At that point in my life, I said no way! I think people respected my work ethic and the results I got, but no one would say I made a big impact on their life. That realization felt like a gut punch — it made me feel like a shallow leader. I knew I needed to change how I was leading. I needed to focus more on what each individual wanted in their own life and pour everything I could into their success. This approach is not only more rewarding, it's also so much more productive. At this point, I'd like to think there are a few people out there who would answer that question with my name (hopefully!).

How do you approach challenges and problem-solving in your role?

Mindset is everything when approaching challenges. I get excited by challenges because some of the best things in my life came from what was initially a challenge. If you view challenges as a negative, they will consume you. That little "negativity monster" on your shoulder will grow and grow and cause you to seek the easy path, which often means giving up. Getting in the right mindset about challenges is vital.

As far as problem-solving, first, I put a lot of attention on prioritizing the right problem to solve. Missing this step means I could be doing push-ups in a 100-meter race — working hard but not getting anywhere!

Once the problem is clear, then it comes down to strong decision-making skills. For problems with relatively trivial differences in outcomes, or a "two-way door" solution (meaning it's easy to reverse), I act quickly or delegate. That allows me to focus on problems with more consequential outcomes, or "one-way door" solutions that are hard to reverse. In these scenarios, I make sure I get all the relevant information and really vet the options. This means getting the right data and collaborating with the right people to hash out ideas and make a fully informed strategic decision.

How do you balance work and personal life?

This is definitely an ongoing challenge. Anyone who knows me knows nothing means more to me than my family. However, I love my work, my colleagues, and this company — it's extremely rewarding and a huge source of fulfillment in my life. So, it's not about picking one over the other. It's about balancing both. I have some fairly obvious yet effective strategies, like taking vacations during times when work isn't as busy or setting up extra touchbases with my team before time off to make sure they're supported. I also schedule a catch-up office day directly after travel with little to no appointments.

However, by far the most important factor is my presence in any given moment. I make a conscious effort to be fully engaged in whatever I'm doing. If I'm thinking about the broken garage door at home while I'm in a one-on-one at work, that's not productive nor fair to that person. It's also not good if I'm thinking about tomorrow's site visits while I'm having playtime with my daughters. One easy way to underperform and let people down is to be in a constant state of half in, half out, where nothing gets your full attention.

What advice would you give to future leaders?

The best way to determine your own success is through how you approach your work over the long term. Consistently make good decisions over and over…and over again. Do that, and you’re guaranteed to get great results.

Of course, no one’s perfect, but with that consistency in mind, a few things worth focusing on are:

• Add value to the people around you.

• Stay poised under pressure — people need a stable leader.

• Always reply quickly to people you care about.

• When you mess up, own it.

• Have hard conversations, but be kind about it.

• Have fun and get it done!

Finally, I’ll leave you with an acronym I try to live by: L.I.F.E. – Live It Fully Every day. Find time to laugh, learn, finish something, help someone, and do some sort of physical activity every single day.

This article is part of an ongoing series of interviews with Extra Space Storage (NYSE: EXR) leaders. Will Mann is the Senior Vice President of Operations Central at Extra Space Storage. Visit our careers page to learn more about our culture and job openings.