Great Expectations

MANAGING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH A BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

By Dean Jackson, CCAM-HR

I take you to the board meeting of Happy Acres Homeowners Association, already in progress. As we join our cast of characters, the board president is apparently engaged in a private conversation with the treasurer, excluding the rest of the board, and quiet enough that calls are coming from the homeowners in attendance to “speak up!”

Meanwhile, the vice president is talking on her phone, whilst waiting on the cup of coffee that she requested of the manager, and the director at large and secretary are in the midst of an escalating disagreement over what may or may not constitute a violation of the Open Meeting Act, to which responses of “be quiet!” can be heard from the audience.

As the clock turns and hour three commences, our glassy eyed manager, having given up on taking clear minutes and having completely forgotten her barista duties, doodles and wonders what went wrong.

Many, if not most, managers have had meetings get away from them, have been treated by the board as a barista rather than a professional, and have been caught flat footed by a board that doesn’t know the role that their manager plays, the value their manager brings, and their own role in the process of HOA governance.

While many directors may come to the board with an agenda and a strong personality, their lack of enlightenment when it comes to the manager’s duties and theirs may not be entirely their fault. The manager who doesn’t set the correct expectations could be up for a rude awakening and frequent coffee orders.

Our business is a relational one. We have relationships with other managers, co-workers, service providers, individual directors, and the entities, who as a whole, are known as the board of directors. While relationships can be one sided, the manager who can manage their relationships can be successful.

So how do you see your relationship with the board of directors? How do they see their relationship with you? How do they treat you? Many of us have had directors treat us as administrative staff, and nothing else, not trusting and often second (and third) guessing. While this may play into their sense of ego, the net result is that they lose the manager’s hard earned wisdom and honed skills, and they can land their association and themselves in hot water because of it.

Other directors may play the blame game. If something goes wrong (in their estimation), it’s the manager’s fault. If something goes right, the manager doesn’t get credit. There are those directors that neither prepare, nor ask questions, and others that need guidance and may or may not realize it. What’s a manager to do?

Set the standard! Stop expecting others to show you love, acceptance, commitment & respect when you don’t even show that to yourself.

- Steve Maraboli

I have trouble putting down my phone, turning off my email, and enjoying some much-needed downtime. This has annoyed some of my colleagues, because when I have an idea or some information that I want or need to share with one of them, I will email them, regardless of the day of the week or the hour of the day.

I don’t expect them to respond, but they don’t know that. This bad habit is exacerbated when I answer emails from board members or homeowners at after hours or on the weekends. My intention is to get something off of my plate before the next work day, to solve a potential problem, or just to help.

You know what they say about good intentions paving a road. What I have inadvertently done is set the expectation that I will be at the association’s and the board’s beck and call regardless of the hour.

Now, the act of checking emails sets up a weekend full of stress instead of a weekend away from work. The manager’s relationship with the board of directors can be adversely affected, as the board may lose respect for the manager’s time, boundaries, and experience.

A manager who sets expectations early can avoid this pitfall. My friend and colleague Sara Ponsetti recently shared a golden bit of wisdom, “You will never be done at the end of the day. Learn how to let it go.” To that end, I added this to my email signature line. “Emails will not be monitored after office hours or on weekends.”

I am also trying to stop checking and answering emails when I am not working, and I don’t email my colleagues outside of work hours. I don’t always succeed with the answering and checking part, but at least, directors are no longer clamoring for weekend communications, and my co-workers have put away their pitchforks.

Professional is not a label you give yourself, it’s a description you hope others will apply to you.

- David Maister

If a board of directors begins to see a manager as a professional, a wonderful metamorphosis can occur. The perception of the manager transforms from being a mere assistant to being a trusted leader. The manager is no longer an employee, but an advisor.

While some directors will never get it, many will recognize the manager’s professionalism when they keep their word, follow through, speak the truth (even the hard truths), and are proactive rather than reactive.

The manager who sees and communicates a vision for the community and shares a path to achieve that vision can inspire a board to work together to bring that vision into being. Whether it’s a path to healthy reserve funding, a plan to address prevalent dry rot or plumbing leaks, or a plan for community interaction, the manager who can articulate forward thinking to a board can forge a trusting partnership with them.

Annually, a certified manager is required to notify their boards of their certification status. This is an ideal opportunity to communicate with them the education and work the manager has put in to achieve that distinction.

Ask yourself if what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.

- Paulo Coelho

Ultimately, the manager is responsible for managing their relationships with their boards. When the manager sets the proper expectations, shares their vision for the community, and acts as the professional that they are, a productive partnership can be created.

When the manager proactively addresses issues and fosters communication and trust with the board, the coffee orders can cease, and the real work of community governance can begin. It’s all about taking action. Nike had it right, “Just Do It!”

Dean Jackson, CCAM-HR

Dean Jackson, CCAM-HR is Director of Project Management at Collins Management, ACMC