F
or kids, Monkey in the Middle can be a fun game of keep away with the “monkey” jumping and reaching to get the prize. For most adults, this game loses its
entertainment value, as it usually involves struggle on the part of the monkey. Unfortunately, usually without even realizing it, board members can inadvertently make their community manager the Monkey in the Middle. This can hinder smooth operation of association business and can cause unintentional headaches for the manager, the board and homeowners
Having a professional management company allows a board of directors to delegate their community’s day to day business to their community manager, instead of having to be involved in every little detail.
For some, this delegation is tough, particularly when a previous
management-board relationship hasn’t lived
up to the board’s expectations. For board members, who often see each other on a daily or weekly basis and have friendships outside of board business, it is easy for a few to talk and try to get something done without the community manager being involved.
In the same regard, many owners will approach their neighbor who is a board member directly with an issue, instead of following the proper channels by contacting management or submitting a concern in writing. While this may not seem so bad, in the long run homeowner issues may not be addressed and the board members may also put themselves at risk of having an improper discussion outside of an open board meeting. In addition, homeowners become accustomed to going to the board directly instead of following the procedures in place, and board members lose personal time to association business and may find themselves burnt out and unwilling to serve the community any longer.
So how do we combat the Monkey in the Middle problem? Once you’ve acknowledged the issue, it is time to work towards making small adjustments in day to day actions. Stop thinking like you’re playing keep away and start thinking like you are playing Barrel of Monkeys – the game where you need to get as many monkeys as possible to link arms in order to win. Just like the monkeys link together, association tasks are interrelated and overlap. Teamwork is key in implementing changes, and your entire team needs to be on the same page to achieve success.
Set Up a Process – If you don’t already have a process in place for homeowner requests or other items the board is addressing outside of board meetings, now is the time to put one in place. Make sure all board members know what the process is and start following it. For example: owner maintenance requests are called or emailed in
to management; owner complaints about neighbors or violations must have a violation witness form completed and must be emailed or mailed to management. It may be a good idea to mail out magnets or postcards with management contact information so homeowners can keep the information handy.
Let your Community Manager Manage – The manager is a professional paid to be doing work for your community. It is wonderful to have homeowners who care about their community and want to volunteer to be involved, but being a board member shouldn’t be a daily job. Your community manager should be calling vendors, following up on projects, and doing other association tasks. If the board would like an update between meetings, there should be one board member designated as the primary point of contact with management. This isn’t to say that the rest of the board shouldn’t ever talk to the manager. If there is a primary point of contact, that individual may have information that hasn’t been passed on to the rest of the board yet, and may be communicated without calling the manager. The primary contact can also group together inquires and ensure the manager isn’t inundated with calls and has time to focus on what needs to get accomplished.
Communication is Key – The manager’s duty is to let the entire board know what is being accomplished, so board members can rest assured that items of concern are being addressed. One great thing to try is a weekly email update from the manager on what’s been accomplished each week. This weekly email supplements the much more detailed board meeting report that includes backup for all the decisions that need to be made.
Good communication means the primary point of contact has less to do because everyone knows the same information. The Board’s duty is to communicate requests and expectations to the manager, such as at which meeting proposals should be ready, and what new projects the board is interested in bidding out.
The board and manger also need to communicate with homeowners in regard to processes and expected resolution time. For example: management should tell the owner calling about the grass in October that item will be placed on the inspection list for next spring, and nothing will be done at this time; don’t allow the homeowner to wait, thinking he or she will hear back next week. That’s when owners may start knocking on a board member’s door to complain.
Manage your Expectations – This can be one of the toughest tasks for the manager to accomplish, because the default response for most when a request is made is, “Yes, I can do that.” The manager needs to be up front if the board makes requests that are unrealistic. The board needs to be accepting that sometimes this is the case; that a proposal cannot be ready in a week or that work cannot be done tomorrow.
www.cai-illinois.org • 847.301.7505 | 49
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