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How to have productive meetings.

Humans are social animals.  We work best and most comfortably in groups.  Perhaps that is why the meeting has become all-time most popular activity in business.  But getting value out of meetings can sometimes be tough.  Here are 10 ways that you can help turn your meeting into a productive and thoughtful activity and not just another opportunity to kill off a box of Krispy Kreme donuts, not that there is anything wrong with Krispy Kremes.

41. Distribute materials - financial reports, agendas, bids - to board members a few days before the meeting.

42. Study this material.

43. Prepare an agenda.

44. Follow it.

45. Follow the rules of parliamentary procedure.

46. Act professional - don't let the meeting turn into a social event.

47. Don't serve alcohol.

48. Don't call people names.

49. Open the meeting to other owners.

50. Allow questions at the end of the meeting.

Gee, effective communications and the golden rule, what a revelation.

I know that every one of the more than 50 million homeowners living in community associations wants their community to be successful, harmonious, and peaceful all the time, whether they are a CAI member or not.  Okay, maybe I am being a little sarcastic for effect, but the truth is that it is hard work to make an organization successful and it is very easy to help make it dysfunctional.

Following are 10 ways that any organization, including your association, can be harmed by the behavior of its members - intentionally or inadvertently.

A. Stay away from meetings.  Show up at meetings only if you have a problem or complaint.

B. Decline office or appointment to any committee.  Then, get angry if you are not nominated.

C. Insist on describing the association in negative terms only.

D. Never prepare an agenda, never plan the details of an event, and never coordinate with affiliates. 

E. Don't do any association work if you can avoid it.  Then, when the old reliables pitch in and get the job done, accuse them of being a clique.

F. If you do come to a meeting, don't speak until the meeting is finished.  Then, criticize and say how things should have been handled.

G. Oppose all new programs as being a waste of the membership's money.

H. When nothing new happens, complain that the officers lack imagination.

I. Read your bulletins infrequently.  Then, complain that you don't know what is going on.

J. Never introduce yourself to new members or visitors - make them come to you.

By John E. Matheson, Board Briefs May/June 1992

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I am sure that you have a couple of items that you can add to this list.  Feel free to do so in the comments section.

CAI provides a wide variety of products and services to our members and non-members alike.  One of the frustrating things that I have discovered over the years is that frequently people (including long-time members) are not aware of some of these valuable resources.  So in an effort to highlight some of these less visible programs, I thought I would do an occasional entry focused on a particular benefit or service.

As part of our education programming for association leaders and homeowners we have developed a multi-level education structure that includes self-study, web-based, and classroom instruction.  You can learn more about this comprehensive program on our Homeowner Education page. 

While some of these programs are member benefits, the introductory self-study program is available as a free download from our website.  Called An Introduction To Community Association Living , this self study guide is designed to introduce homeowners to community associations, provide a greater understanding of exactly how a community association works from both an organizational and people standpoint, and to endow homeowners with the information necessary for fully enjoying and benefiting from community association living.  The document is downloaded as a PDF file and requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print. 

We encourage you to share this material with everyone in your community.  Feel free to copy and distribute it as you see fit, as long as no changes are made to the document and you do not charge for it.  We hope that you find it useful and would appreciate any comments you might have towards making it even better.

 

On Being a Good Leader

Volumes have been written about leadership and the skills and capabilities of good leaders.  No matter who your role models in this area, Washington, Roosevelt (Franklin or Teddy), Jobs, or Lombardi, an effective leader can help an organization achieve higher levels of performance.

So what makes a good leader in a community association?  As in any community organization, the ideal leader ascribes to the volunteer servant model, giving freely of their time to better their community.  Today, over 1 million Americans serve as volunteers board and committee members in their communities. 

Top 10 Tips for Being a Good Leader

31. Establish clear goals.

32. Articulate them. (There's that communications thing again)

33. Don't put things off.

34. Set high standards.

35. Make decisions.

36. Do what is right, not what is popular.

37. Be positive.

38. Ask others for input.

39. Plan and save for the future.

40. Send thank you notes.

 

Talk about a thankless job - being a board member in your community has got to be up there with the all-time most unappreciated experiences you can imagine.  You can't get members to read materials or come to meetings, but they think you shouldn't make a move without consulting them, lots of time spent at late meetings and answering even later phone calls, needing to learn a whole new business - its no wonder that many boards have difficulty filling vacancies and then hanging on to volunteers once they have been brought up to speed.

Yet it is also a critical job, and one that can bring great value (or great turmoil) to a community.  Herewith, a top ten list of tips for Being a Good Board member.

21. Serve because you care, not because you have a hidden agenda.

22. Educate yourself.  Use CAI courses and other information to learn how to run a community association.

23. Study the documents before you enforce them.

24. Don't go on a power trip.

25. Remember your fiduciary duty is to protect, preserve, and enhance the value of the property.

26. Conduct a reserve study.

27. Let the manager manage.

28. Focus on policies, plans, and objectives.

29. Communicate, communicate, communicate.

30. Communicate some more.

 

We are going to try a new experiment with the blog this summer.  We have turned on the comments feature to allow you the reader to add your thoughts and perspectives to the blog content.  At the bottom of each blog entry there is a "Leave Comment" option.  You will be asked to input some information, including a random code to prevent spam from hitting the comment area, along with the text of your comment.

All comments will be reviewed for appropriateness before posting to the Ungated article page.  The blog software does not have the ability to edit comments, and frankly I don't have any interest in doing so either, so what you type is what you get.  Please note though that I can and will delete postings that don't comply with 3 very basic rules.

1. Stay on topic - Please ensure that your comments have at least some relevance to the particular blog entry you are commenting on.

2. Be civil - I am interested in different ideas and perspectives, regardless of the source, but comments that contain personal attacks, threats, and uncivil language will be deleted out of hand. 

3. Be responsible for your words - If you have something to say then you should be willing to stand behind it.  Anonymous comments lack power.  If you want to rant and howl at the moon do it in your shower.  If you want to engage in a more broad and reasonable conversation please do so here.