To address our almost career-ending hits from behind, it’s imperative that the board and management understand that we are on the same team, with the same goals and concerns and that if given notice, the manager with the support of their company, will work to solve all issues. It’s really that simple, folks. We care, we want us all to be successful, and all we ask is that we be given the opportunity to address all issues in a timely manner. This is not to say that we don’t make mistakes and that we don’t forget. All we ask is that we be given professional courtesy to help mitigate any and all issues and if we make a mistake, we’ll send ourselves to the penalty box to serve our 2-minute penalty.

FIGHTING Back in the day, there were so many great hockey fighters

that a good old fashioned hockey fight in the old Chicago Stadium was simply priceless (Bob Probert and Tie Domi were two of my favorites and I was lucky to meet Domi in Toronto). In hockey, two guys square off, drop the gloves, and have at it and when it’s over, they shake hands and go to the box to serve a 5-minute major. Well, the last time I checked, the library, city hall, church hall, or wherever you hold your meeting doesn’t have a penalty box. So, if two people fight at a meeting, what do you do? We’ve all seen it, or we’ve seen it where it almost gets to the “drop the gloves” point and our stress and nerves are at an all-time high. There’s nothing like it when two people get so irate during a meeting that they’re ready to exchange fisticuffs.

As professionals, I think we owe it to our profession to simply call it a day when something like that happens. Look at the board, the homeowners, and anyone else in attendance and simply say “I can’t subject myself to this sort of risk nor do I find this productive or professional. I’ll let you guys handle this one but I’m going to go home, pouring a glass of merlot, and I’m going to hug my dog because I’m 100% confident he’ll treat me right. I’ll see you guys next month.” In other words, let’s control the situation by removing ourselves from the situation. We are hired to move business forward, not put two people in some make-shift penalty box.

MISCONDUCT

One of my favorite parts of hockey is when a player gets a 2-minute penalty and he starts jawing with the referee and then the ref’s hand goes up, he blows the whistle, and calls the player for a 10-minute misconduct for extra-vernacular activity. I love hearing the stories after the game when a player I watched at any level gets a 10-minute misconduct for saying something inappropriate and then hearing what he said – some of the statements are just priceless. I remember a particular game when my oldest son was about 14 years old and the refereeing was just horrible. There wasn’t anyone who thought the officiating was good and as the three refs left the ice and walked past us I said “Great game guys, very well done, great job tonight…not bad for your first game.” Needless to say, they all stopped in their tracks, looked back, and gave me the evil eye.

24 | COMMON INTEREST®

In board meetings, how often do we see misconduct causing the entire meeting to tragically fall off track, stay off track, and never get back on track? It happens and when it does, what do we do? Well, once again, let’s go back to the protocol of the meeting, the rules we’ve established and our enforcement policy for maintaining decorum. When this happens, a warning to stop and if continued, we’re going to ask you to leave. If they don’t leave, we remain silent, don’t conduct business, and allow our silence to be our policing method. If that doesn’t work, we can contact the police and tell the offending party that he or she will be removed by them, or rather, simply adjourn. I recommend adjourning because remember, as board members, you live amongst these people and you have to go home and see them in the community. Take the higher road, maintain a sense of calm, and be the better person.

END OF REGULATION In hockey, the last buzzer is the worst part because it means

the game’s over. However, for a meeting, after going through hell and back, our final buzzer a.k.a “the library is closing in 10 minutes” notification is music to our ears. For almost two hours, it felt like we went up against Probert or Domi and couldn’t get a punch in.

To avoid feeling like Domi or Probert used us as a punching bag, let’s remember to keep the meeting on track as follows:

1. Establish the rules of the meeting and explain that the purpose is to witness the board in action;

2. Enforce the position that the conduct of the meeting will be professional and efficient;

3. Communicate that homeowners will be given a time at the end of the meeting to speak and ask questions limiting their time and number of questions;

4. Remember to remain calm and silent if in fact the meeting does escalate to a raucous state and hold that position until the room calms down;

5. Be diligent in holding the line and adjourn the meeting if order cannot be restored – you as board members are not compensated and such an environment requires combat pay;

6. Safety first should always be a priority and If a violent situation breaks out, always err to the side of caution and adjourn the meeting immediately and use the POLICE if necessary;

7. Stay true to your meeting protocol as this will establish an aura of professionalism and consistency over time to all who attend;

8. Finally, the board and management are on the same team with the same purpose and concern and all players should understand that there’s only one jersey and we’re all wearing it.

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