In property management, it’s easy to get caught up in compliance, checklists, and crises. But for Tegan Ashman, Head of Property Management for Real Estate Hunter Valley, Central Coast & Newcastle, success has come from something simpler: putting people first. Herself included.
With more than 2,200 managements, four acquisitions, and a growing team of over 20 property managers across seven offices, Tegan’s leadership journey has been marked by rapid growth, steep learning curves, and a fierce belief in building the team she always wished she had.
At PM/One, Tegan shared the six lessons that have shaped her leadership—insights forged through the everyday reality of property management, not theory.
1. Mistakes and Lessons Are the Same Thing
For Tegan, the foundation of leadership starts with psychological safety.
As someone who admits she was never the most technical property manager herself, she knew she needed to lead differently. “I just decided I wanted to build the kind of team I wish I was part of,” she said.
That meant scrapping blame culture. “We don’t get angry about mistakes. Mistakes and lessons are the same thing. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not learning.”
Instead of punishment, her team is taught to come forward with not only the mistake but a plan to fix it. “I want to be a floatie, not an anchor,” she explained, when describing how she supports staff going through tough times—whether personal or professional.
2. Back Your People—Even When They’re Wrong
Tegan recalled being left to deal with a furious landlord alone in her early twenties. That moment defined her leadership style: “I will never, ever do that to my team.”
Now, if a team member is being berated or drained by a difficult client, she steps in—whether that means accompanying them to an NCAT hearing or setting boundaries with an over-demanding landlord.
“We were never empowered,” she said of her early years. “Now, I tell my team: You’re the agent. You’re the expert. Clients need to respect that.”
Backing your team, she said, also means holding the line, being honest, and setting behavioural standards that are non-negotiable—even if everything else is flexible.
3. Adopt the 80/20 Rule for Property Managers
Perfection isn’t the goal. Instead, Tegan coaches her team to focus on the 20% of tasks that really matter.
“The 20% is the stuff that keeps them up at night,” she said. It’s the phone calls they avoid, the overdue compliance checks, the tricky tenant situations.
One team member, struggling under the weight of her workload, was asked to time-track her week. The issue? “She talked all the time,” Tegan laughed. A few small structural changes and some environmental tweaks made all the difference. “Sometimes it’s just about becoming aware of what you’re doing.”
4. Make Culture Part of Compliance
Tegan shared war stories from real-world acquisitions—some messy, some enlightening. In one instance, she uncovered 60 missing key sets, unreturned bonds from 1999, and $260,000 worth of “phantom” properties that didn’t exist.
But for all the due diligence checklists and technical audits, she learned that culture mattered just as much.
“An acquisition is like being the new kid at school,” she said. “You walk in and everyone’s looking at you, wondering who you are and if you’ll fit in.”
To make transitions smoother, she buddies up new team members with existing staff, reduces pressure during onboarding, and always tells the truth—quickly.
5. Stay Curious and Ask Questions—Even in Acquisitions
Even when faced with dodgy data systems, paper files, and filing cabinets full of deceased landlords, Tegan used every challenge as a learning opportunity.
Each acquisition became a chance to look inward and ask: “What would someone find if they looked under our skirt?”
From there, she refined her processes, enforced stricter compliance protocols, and instilled an “acquisition-ready” mindset across the business. The goal? Be as ready to sell as you are to buy.
6. Stop. Reflect. Celebrate.
Perhaps the most personal lesson of all came when Tegan finally stopped to look at what she’d built—and realised she’d never taken the time to celebrate it.
“I haven’t stopped for six years,” she admitted. “This forced me to stop and reflect.”
It was a reminder that, as leaders, the job isn’t just to make sure everyone else is okay. It’s to pause, appreciate, and make space for joy too.
Say Yes to the Scary Stuff
From self-doubt to seven offices, Tegan’s story is proof that saying yes—even when it feels terrifying—is often what leads to the biggest growth.
Whether it’s taking over a team, buying a business, or standing on a stage, she encourages others in property management to step forward.
“Say yes to the scary stuff,” she said. “Because that’s where the real magic happens.”
