17 minute read
Meet the Team at CACM
Meet the Team!
We’ve had a lot of change here at CACM over the past year and a half, both in staff and what we hope to accomplish in the near future to better serve as a resource to you, our members, and to the industry at large. We’ve got big plans, and we’ve beefed up our team to make these dreams possible. Feel free to reach out to any of us. We are your community – whether it’s membership, credentialing, professional development, events or advocacy.
TOM FREELEY, CAMEx, CCAM PRESIDENT & CEO
ANDREA BAHR DIRECTOR OF EVENTS
PATTY KURZET DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS JUDY LEVINSOHN DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION & CREDENTIALING
AMANDA ALLEN EVENT MANAGER
LYNETTE BERTRAND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
MELISSA HURTADO DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP
EMILY YOST DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
DEBI FROUDE REGISTRAR ADMINISTRATOR
MARCIA GARRETT MEMBERSHIP ADMINISTRATOR LORI INZUNZA MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR
TAMMY WILLITS EDUCATION & CREDENTIALING ADVISOR
CONNOR ZEPPONI DATABASE & REGISTRATION ADMINISTRATOR PATTY SEDIA EDUCATION & CREDENTIALING ADMINISTRATOR
Vision: For Members by Members
Submit an article to Vision Magazine for consideration in our fall/winter edition. Here’s the topic: What innovative process have you developed? Or how are you innovating in your day to day? Deadline for submissions: June 30. Send submissions to communications@cacm. org.
CACM has been providing quality
educational offerings for decades. We have witnessed the powerful change brought about by managers who have embraced our industry’s need for continued education as their careers soared. But at what point can a community manager or management company executive view themselves as “educated enough?” One of the greatest minds of all time, Albert Einstein was quoted as sharing,
“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” Although we would all love to tell ourselves we’re “masters” of the craft, it is simply not a true statement. With an ever changing landscape of regulation and communication channels, it is imperative for those who work in our field to stay up-to-date on important topics, challenging traditional thinking and moving towards solutions that collectively serve those in the field.
Let’s step outside of our industry and consider the wise words of successful business leaders. Former director of market development and spokesperson for Facebook, Randi
Zuckerberg, shared recently on social media “I think if you are not spending an hour a day learning, you are never going to get ahead in business.” Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire
Hathaway offers this advice to those who want to get ahead as a leader: “Read 500 pages a day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up like compound interest.”
Simply put… those who want to get ahead understand the intense need for challenging the status quo, finding new ways to solve complex situations and looking for new perspectives that spark creativity and “business magic!” They understand that education is not only a requirement of certification, but also an opportunity to grow, advance and stay relevant in an ever-changing industry. It’s a true paradigm shift.
For our industry, those opportunities happen in a CACM Melinda Young, CAMEx, CCAM, PCAM, also sees herself classroom where industry experts provide real world experience, as a facilitator. She’s been teaching courses for CACM for over peer-to-peer learning and collaboration. a dozen years and has seen through the years how students have
Christine Stangeland, CCAM, has been part of the faculty at changed. Many taking the classes today have worked in the CACM for years. She’s taught just about every course we offer. industry for a long time. They’re recertifying or trying to certify And at 74 years of age, she doesn’t see an end in sight for her even though they have a lot of experience. But she said young involvement both as a mentor and teacher to new community adults coming into the industry are also hungry for education. managers. She also actively leads her own company, C.A.M.C. “I try to make it more of a conversation and a real Services, Inc. “This profession has offered me the opportunity for connection,” she said. “How can we take this information and personal growth,” she says. “That’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed.” apply it in the real world we live in and work in every day? I also
Stangeland is a strong believer in education. “This is a try to bring a bit of humor into it.” profession, and it’s critical that Young, a senior vice you understand not only the legal president at Walters documents of each and every single Management, ACMC, said her community you manage but the HOW CACM HAS desire to educate others emerged statutes. People skills need to be TRANSFORMED because she felt like giving back. exceptional. Ethics is critical and MANAGER EDUCATION “I believed I should use my important to me,” she added. She experience because through the says today’s course material has It’s participatory, not dictatorial. years there were people who spent also greatly evolved and is more their personal time and energy sophisticated than 20 years ago, It’s fun and anecdotal helping me learn,” she said. Young when the industry was barely not scientific/traditional. has worked in the industry since the blossoming. mid-80s.
Stangeland, who has mentored Includes peer learning and While today anyone can Google dozens of managers over the years, networking. and find immediate answers to says those who continue to invest questions that pop up during the in themselves experience not only More specialization: multiple course of the day, Young said nothing professional but personal growth. designations based on interests replaces education from peers. Dealing with people on a day to and to better meet market “It gives managers a backbone to day basis, managers often will needs. information they can still Google,” she handle difficult personalities said. “Every homeowners association or different communication More online options. is a little bit different because it’s styles. And in those situations, comprised of people. Education gives us managers themselves must Real-world scenarios and the ability to recognize the differences deal with their own personal discussions. and apply what we learn to the unique issues before being able to attributes of the people we deal with.” help their communities. Instructors are industry veterans. Education also legitimizes community She recommends avoiding management. It raises the bar of kneejerk reactions to professionalism in the industry, says Margo situations. Crummack, CAMEx, CCAM, owner/
Stangeland doesn’t call what she does teaching, she calls executive of Crummack Huseby Property Management, Inc. it facilitating. “I crack jokes and encourage them to share Crummack was one of the co-authors of CACM’s new project experiences and share each other’s numbers so they can reach development coursework and has taught the class, too. out to one another with questions,” she said. “There’s no hiding “People who want to pursue this as a career, they want behind the podium.” multiple designations. They want to be seen as professionals,” she
She strives to keep it lighthearted and interactive. said.
“Most people have been exposed to education as dictatorial Crummack has worked in the industry for over 30 years, and authoritarian. For me, when I teach classes, I try to make it and in the CACM courses she teaches, she imparts anecdotes fun,” she said. and stories from that long work history. She says those entering
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Paradigm Shift
Continued from page 13 the industry today have much more access to a broad spectrum of education; courses that have greatly evolved and provide helpful information that meets the needs of the market.
“You want to have continuing education so you’re up to speed with changes in the industry and market and be on the forefront,” she says. “They’re important to any professional.”
Stangeland says that beyond being knowledgeable on the laws and regulations and maintenance problems communities face, managers set the tone for neighborhoods. They should strive to be an example of courteousness and tolerance.
“Community managers have an opportunity to make a huge difference,” Stangeland says. “That’s what I try to instill.”
Christine Stangeland, CCAM Melinda Young, CAMEx, CCAM, PCAM Margo Crummack, CAMEx, CCAM
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Leaders Committed to Educational Excellence
By Zayra Yves, CCAM-HR
JAMES JUDGE, ESQ. The Judge Law Firm, ALC
James Judge is a respected attorney, business man, an award winner, a visionary, and a strong team leader. He is an expert on assessment collections and makes himself available to answer questions directors and managers have on this topic. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable, but he’s willing and able to communicate his expertise in a way that anyone can understand. Judge was foundational in the creation of CACM’s educational materials, particularly as they pertain to collections. He has donated hundreds and hundreds of hours to teaching CACM’s classes.
But Judge is no stranger to internal hardships and has had health challenges throughout his life. He humbly believes there is never a reason to give into adversity. Self-driven and self-made, he finished law school and has practiced law for 30 years. Still, what Judge is most proud of is his focus on helping managers learn through CACM. Judge’s personal philosophy is humanitarian at heart. “You can never get hurt by helping others. Those you help are doing you a favor, not the other way around. And if you encounter a homeless person, sit down with him or her for a minute or two of conversation, being careful to look into his or her eyes. You are doing it for yourself. All life matters,” he said.
Judge brings this philosophy to the workplace, where he lives and breathes teambuilding and dedication. It is important to him that the entire staff is honored and treated with respect. “If you treat your team with honor they will walk through the fire with you and for the greater cause of the business,” Judge said.
No matter what comes his way, Judge just keeps on keeping on. It’s who he is. “I am not unique. The true leaders will just keep moving,” Judge humbly noted.
DONALD HANEY, CPA Haney Accountants, Inc.
Donald Haney is a founding member of CACM and has worked as an independent CPA and HR service provider in the California CID industry for 40 years. And as director and president of a large-scale community, he was never afraid to ask the tough questions or buck the status quo. Through his forward-thinking business practices, he has raised the standard for all community managers and businesses who support the industry. He is indeed a visionary; a man who tirelessly seeks to improve operations through careful research and testing theories in his own business before presenting his ideas to CACM members.
Currently, as a member of the Finance Advisory Committee, he is actively involved in the reimagining of the Finance and Accounting coursework; participating in the organizational design and content creation. His continued commitment to excellence and dedication to our industry has made CACM a bedrock of innovation. But Haney isn’t just a numbers guy. He quickly learned after college that it doesn’t matter what you know if you can’t get everyone on the same page. And, because he enjoys solving problems, he was inspired to get involved in motivating others toward operational excellence, financial and organization strength.
Haney is not without a sense of humor. Anyone who gets a moment to talk to him will enjoy his quick wit and honesty. Like this nugget of advice he offers managers: “As long as the client’s way is not illegal, immoral, fattening, or just lacks basic HOA common sense, or somehow bets the farm, you give them the room to try things,” he said. “Your leadership job is guidance, mentoring, coaching and making sure they color in the lines.”
It has been said, “The speed of the group is equal to the speed of the leader.” Yet, leadership is something that people are not born with. Leadership has to be developed.
Ask five people what makes a great leader and you will get five different answers. You might hear that a leader is a visionary, a leader is a good decision maker, a leader sets the example, etc. All of these characteristics are a part of great leadership. And, most of these characteristics are used based on the situation. It requires one set of leadership skills if you are on the Titanic, and another set of leadership skills if you are working with an HOA board.
One universal trait is that leaders get results. The question is: how do leaders get results consistently?
Great leaders have a system or a framework that allows them to be successful in leading others. This framework contains the principles to lead in any situation. If you are working with a board of an HOA, leading staff, or leading a team, this framework can be applied to achieve the desired results.
The framework has two foundational blocks. The first is winning posture. The second is communication. Standing on the foundational building blocks are the four pillars of leadership effectiveness: direction, buy-in, development and results.
The Winning Posture Framework for Leadership Effectiveness
Direction Buy-In Develop Results
The leader establishes the direction in three areas: Goals & Objectives Culture Values
The leader gains commitment from others to go in the direction that has been established.
The leader The leader coaches, keeps the mentors, and focus on results. develops team The leader gets members so results through they can fulfill other people. their commitment. The leader’s success is because team members are successful.
Communication
Winning Posture – Mindset of Achievement
Winning posture is a way of being that leads to success. With winning posture, you are not constrained by thoughts of inadequacy or comparison to others. Winning posture is the external demonstration of internal self-esteem, manifested in a way that others recognize and are attracted to in your leadership. It is the true character of your leadership capability: unconstrained, fearless.
Winning posture is not being puffed up with pride or ego. Rather, it is being self-assured and comfortable with yourself. When you have winning posture, you “show up” in a powerful way. How you “show up” as a leader makes the difference in the results you achieve.
You may have heard others talk about leaders and they say the leader has something about them that makes them special. They may say they can’t put their finger on it, but something about them is different. What makes them special is they have winning posture. These leaders have developed a mindset of success. They have cultivated an attitude that is based on achievement. Continued on page 18
Building Block 2: Communication don’t want to do. Dwight Eisenhower probably said it best: “A leader
Besides winning posture, leaders must master communication. gets someone to do something because they want to do it.” It’s safe to say that over the last 6,000 years of recorded human Great leaders establish buy-in by understanding what others history, we have yet to do this. want to get out of achieving the team goal. It could be a sense of
What is communication? It’s the exchange personal accomplishment. It could be they want to be a part of of ideas for the purpose of prompting a something bigger than themselves. It could be they want behavioral response or to relay information. to help someone else. The list is endless. The leader Communication is made up of words, how communicates how each team member will those words are spoken, and emotions. benefit from the achievement of the goals Words have different meanings to different A leader gets so that everyone commits to them. people. For example, someone speaking someone to do After buy-in comes development. of future Hall of Fame basketball player something because Just because someone has committed Lebron James may say this is a “bad man,” meaning he is a good basketball player. they want to do it. does not mean that they have the capacity to execute. The leader must Someone speaking of a criminal may say Dwight Einsenhower coach, mentor and develop a team. he is a “bad man,” meaning he really is a Coaching and giving feedback is critical for bad man. two reasons. First, people want to know and get
Our tone also can alter the meaning of feedback on how they are doing. Secondly, if they words. If you take the sentence: “I didn’t say you are not meeting expectations, they want to know how to. stole the money” and placed the emphasis on either of the words in Giving feedback can only take place when a person is committed the sentence, the meaning is completely different. “I” didn’t say you to achieving the goals. If you don’t have buy-in, your feedback will stole the money is completely different from I didn’t “say” you stole not be effective. Feedback given inside the space of commitment is the money. Imagine using this sentence in an email. viewed as support. Feedback given outside the space of commitment
Great communication begins with listening. A leader is is viewed as criticism. responsible for communicating in a way the listener will understand. Finally, a leader must keep focused on results. Conflict often They must consider who is listening and tailor the communication to comes from lack of focus. When a team is focused on results, there’s that person. healthy conflict because everyone has the same objective. There
Likewise, the leader is also responsible for listening not only to may be different viewpoints, but having different viewpoints is the words and tone, but also to the emotions that are behind them. constructive to achieving a great outcome. Emotions make up the biggest part of communication. The leader Also, a leader gets results through other people. A leader can’t has to get the emotions being conveyed. do it all. Rather he or she allows others to perform by removing the
The next four pillars are also important for leaders. Let’s start with direction. A leader always establishes this for the team, including goals and objectives. A leader also sets the direction for the core values and culture. Establishing the direction is not necessarily arbitrary. The leader can seek input from the team.
Goals are vital to leadership effectiveness. Shared goals galvanize a team and give it focus. They must be specific, measurable and have a due date. The most important thing is to clearly state the intended outcome.
Core values are the rules a team will abide by to achieve its goals. The principles that they will adhere to and not violate. Core values establish the norms and behaviors of a team, which is its culture.
Once a leader has established the direction, it’s time to gain buyin from others. When others have bought into the direction, they are committed to making it happen. Gaining buy-in is not coercion or manipulation. It’s not conning someone into doing something they barriers that hinder them from their individual goals. When each team member is successful in achieving their goals, the team achieves its goals.
Results are not by happenstance. If a leader had not been there, the results would not have been there.
In your role as community managers, there are many opportunities to display great leadership. Your ability to get results correlates with your leadership skills. See how you can apply this framework to what you do every day. Work on the areas that you feel are not as strong as you would like them to be. When you have mastery of the concepts and principles outlined here, you will see not only your results go to a new level, you will also experience less stress getting there.
Andre Boykin is a keynote speaker, executive coach and author. He works with entrepreneurs, business leaders and their teams to create leadership excellence. andreboykin.com.
