THE POWER OF
COMMUNICATION By Todd Greisen, CCAM
In HOA management, we focus most of our time and energy managing owners and residents, facilities and projects, as well as vendors and staff. We also report to a board of directors, or to a management company who expects us to multitask among several boards–in addition to all of the above. Regardless of our reporting structure, the pressure is on. We need to manage expectations among many constituents. But among these, managing your manager is often given the least attention, or even ignored completely. It’s been said that the simple definition of frustration is unmet expectations. You have expectations that your constituents will behave in certain ways. Here are just a few examples: owners and residents will make their
46
Vision Summer 2021 | cacm.org
complaints or requests in a reasonable manner. Staff and vendors should meet or exceed their job description or contract. You also expect the HOA board members to treat you with respect, and your manager to be a good boss. But these expectations are not always met. When you are frustrated, you have options: 1. Lower your expectations. This can create a risk of subtly undermining your performance with a laissefaire attitude: “I just don’t care anymore.” 2. Persist through your frustration. This builds resentment in your working relationships that are critical to your success, which may lead to...
