HOA Leadership 102 BY THOMAS CONNELLY
As a general rule, most newly elected board members receive training on homeowner association leadership and board member responsibilities via formal training, on-the-job training, mentoring and self-study. This is “HOA Leadership 101”. Newly elected board members quickly learn about the statutory requirements governing HOA leadership and procedure. In California, these are primarily outlined in the Civil Code (The Davis-Stirling Act). They quickly learn how important gaining an understanding of the association’s governing documents and rules are. They also learn how HOA meetings work, how to work with a management company and how to read the association’s financial documents. Missing, however, from most board member training is instruction on the actions that boards, and individual board members, should avoid. This article, “HOA Leadership 102”, examines nine common behaviors and pitfalls that HOA boards and board members should avoid.
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September/October 2020 | ECHO journal
PERSONAL AGENDAS DRIVING THE BUS: Sometimes, individuals are motivated to join the HOA board to pursue a personal agenda, or to address a single issue to benefit their personal desires. Effective HOA governance requires that board members prioritize the needs and best interests of the entire community over their own personal desires, thus serving the best interests of the entire community, rather than championing personal agendas or issues unique to them. THE BOARD LACKS VISION OR BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS: Too often, homeowner association
board members attend meetings, make decisions, and handle the day-to-day business of the association without any clear vision, direction, or relational expectations. Effective HOA boards collaborate to develop a clear vision of their purpose, and to develop a set of standards and expectations for conduct, behavior, and interpersonal engagement then communicate that to the entire community.
